Ford Vehicles: Help - Privacy Policy

We value your trust
The cornerstone of every relationship is built on trust. When you consider purchasing one of our vehicles and visit our web site to conduct your research, that to us, is the beginning of a relationship. We want you to feel comfortable while you're conducting that research. We want you to feel confident that the information we collect, and that you choose to share, will be treated with care. The first step in helping you to achieve that level of comfort and confidence is by explaining (in plain English) exactly what types of information we collect and why we collect it. It is our sincere hope that by being forthright in this communication of our Privacy Policy that the relationship we establish is a long-lasting one.

Our Pledge

We will never share your personal information with non-affiliated third parties.
When we refer to non-affiliated third parties we mean organizations outside of Ford Motor Company with whom we do not have an association. For example, many of our promotions for sweepstakes and giveaways are made possible by marketing partnerships and alliances with companies whose customers have like interests as those customers who drive Ford vehicles. Our partnerships with Harley-Davidson® and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum are examples of "affiliated" third parties with whom we may share information, but only if we have your permission to do so, and only with that specific sponsor. Local Ford dealers are another example of "affiliated" third parties we may share your data with. Finally, we may share your data with companies who provide data handling or other services to us, but such companies will be contractually bound not to use your information except for the purposes of our contract with them.

We will never knowingly collect data from persons under 13 years or age.

Table of Contents

    Normal Web Site Usage
    Session Logs
    Cookies
    How to Prevent Cookies
    Detecting Your System's Performance Level
    Personal Information
    Secure Socket Layers (SSL)
    Protecting Your Children's Privacy
    Outside Links
    Downloadable files
    Requests from Law Enforcement Agencies
    Scope of Content
    Copyright Notice
    Trademark Notice
    My Ford Owner Website Privacy

Normal Web Site Usage
During a normal visit to our site, no personally identifiable information about you is collected. All information about our vehicles is free to browse at your leisure without the need for you to provide us with any personal information. Your visit does however generate a session log.

Session Logs: What they are and how we use them.
When you visit any web site, the server housing the pages automatically generates a "session log." The logs are used by the owners of the sites to track the pages you visit or request. The only data gathered is the Internet Protocol (IP) address from which you came (which by the way, contains no personal information), the web site that referred you, the pages you visited and the date and time of those visits.

We use session logs to help us determine how people travel through our site. In this way, we can structure our pages so that the information most frequently visited is easier to find. By tracking page visits, we can also determine if the information we're providing is being used.

Cookies: What they are and how we use them.
Another method of tracking web site visitors is through the use of "Cookies." Cookies are small bits of data that also help web site owners and web servers identify you and remember you when you return. By doing this, the web site owner and web server can provide you with information that is most valuable to you, based on your last visit.

Important Cookie Facts:

Only the information that you provide, or the choices you make while visiting a Web site, can be stored in a cookie. For example, the site cannot determine your name or e-mail address unless you choose to enter it into a pre-existing input box.
Allowing a Web site to create a cookie does not give that site or any other site access to the rest of your computer.
Cookies cannot roam around inside your computer and collect personal information.
Only the site that created the cookie can read it.

There are two types of cookies:

The first type, a session cookie, only stays in your computer during the time you are logged into a particular site. When you leave the site, the cookie automatically deletes itself.
The other type, called a persistent cookie, can have an indefinite shelf life or have a predetermined expiration date built in. These types of cookies are primarily used to remember you for a specified period of time. For instance, if you sign up for membership in a club, or enter a sweepstakes that requires you to participate over a length of time, persistent cookies are used to remember you. Another example is with web sites that offer the ability to personalize the way the page is displayed.

Ford Division Cookie Examples:
Password Protected Areas:

In the Ford Division web site, we use both types of cookies. For instance, if an area of our site is password protected, and you select a check box asking us to "remember" your password, that information is stored in cookie form on your hard drive. If you don't select the checkbox no cookie is created and you would have to log in to the password protected area the next time you visited. So in this case, cookies help us serve information to you faster.

How to Prevent Cookies
If you are concerned about being identified or about having your web browsing traced through the use of a cookie, you can prevent them from being deposited in your computer. You can also set your browser to warn you whenever a cookie is being deposited.

Remember though that the majority of web sites use cookies and that blocking all cookies will prevent some online services from working. An e-commerce or shopping site, for example, likely uses cookies in their shopping process. Also, setting your browser to warn you can also become quite annoying.

We use third-party advertising technology to serve ads when you visit sites upon which we advertise. This technology uses information about your visits to this Web site and the sites upon which we advertise, (not including your name, address, or other personal information), to serve our ads to you. In the course of serving our advertisements to you, a unique third-party cookie may be placed or recognized on your browser. In addition, we use web beacons, provided by our ad serving partner, to help manage our online advertising. These web beacons enable our ad server to recognize a browser's cookie when a browser visits this site and to learn which banner ads bring users to our Web site. The information we collect and share through this technology is not personally identifiable. To learn more about our third party ad serving partner, cookies, and how to "opt-out" of the ad serving cookie, please click here.

Detecting Your System's Performance Level
Sometimes, prior to serving a web page, a web server will use a simple html program to check the speed of your Internet connection or the existence of certain plug-ins or software. An example would be to detect which version of a particular browser you are using or which version of the Macromedia Flash plug-in you have. Once identified, the server delivers the page or Flash movie to match the performance level or version of the software or plug-in in your system. The benefit is that you always see the content in its optimum state.

Not all web site owners do this simply because it means having to build multiple versions of content. In fact, most simply offer a statement on their homepage to the effect that "This site is best viewed using Microsoft IE 4.0 and/or Netscape 4.0 etc."

In the fordvehicles.com web site, we sometimes check your Internet connection speed in order to deliver multi-media content such as streaming video or audio at its optimum viewing level.

Personal Information: What it is and how we use it.
Before we get into how and why we gather information about you, be assured of two things: One, we will never share your personal information with any non-affiliated third party (Please see earlier explanation of "non-affiliated".). And Two, we will never send you unsolicited e-mail based on your interaction with this site. Of course you may have provided your e-mail address to Ford in some other situation in which case you may receive e-mail stemming with that interaction.

Personal information such as name, mailing address, e-mail address, and in some cases your phone number is collected to respond to your requests for future contact. There are obvious areas within our site where collecting personal information is unavoidable. For instance, when you request a brochure or enter a contest. Some of the information we ask for is mandatory and required to fulfill the request. Other information we ask for is optional and we use that to help us better understand you and better define how we market and sell our vehicles or design our communications.

Required information is always indicated by an asterisk next to the input box.

Secure Socket Layers (SSL): What it is and how we use them.
Reputable sites that collect sensitive personal information, such as credit card numbers that you use for purchasing products and services over the internet pass your information through what is called "Secure Socket Layers" or SSL. This is encryption technology that helps safeguard your personal information against misuse by unauthorized individuals.

All information we collect from you that contains personally identifiable information is passed through SSL.

Protecting Your Children's Privacy
We will never knowingly collect information from children under 13 years of age. If we discover that any personally identifiable information collected is from a person under 13 years of age, that information will be deleted from our database. More information can be found online at the FTC's Children's Privacy Web site.

Outside Links: What they are and how we use them.
An outside link refers to any link that takes you to a site not controlled by Ford Division. Many of our contests and sweepstakes are conducted in conjunction with media partners such as magazine publishers. Many times as part of the promotional agreement, we provide links to that partner's Web site.

If you have a concern about that Web site's practices, you should carefully read their Privacy Policy before submitting any personal information.

Downloadable files: What they are and how we use them.
Downloading files refers to the act of choosing to receive a file or program from a web site. Examples are a web browser, a sound file, movie file or screensaver. Downloadable files are usually executables. Meaning that once they are downloaded, clicking on them launches or installs a program or deposits files on your computer. Whenever you download a file from a web site, you will always be given the choice of where you would like to save the file. Unless you explicitly trust the site delivering the downloadable, it is a good idea to save the file to disk before opening or activating it.

We use downloadable files to deliver things like screensavers, wallpaper and electronic brochures. If information on our site requires a particular piece of software to view it, we will provide a link for you to acquire that software. Examples are plug-ins for your browser that allow you to view files like Macromedia Flash or Shockwave, Adobe Acrobat, the Quick Time player or Real Player. We rarely, if ever, will require you to download an uncommon piece of software or program to view our information.

Requests from Law Enforcement Agencies
Ford Division reserves the right to share information collected from our web site with law enforcement agencies who are in the process of conducting lawful investigations.

Scope of Content:
The Ford Division Web site (www.fordvehicles.com), contains information that is intended solely for the United States. The Ford Division products and promotional programs mentioned in our Web site are subject to availability in your area. Any prices given as Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price ("MSRP") are in U.S. dollars and do not include extra costs such as title, taxes or registration. When you build and price a vehicle you may be shown invoice and the Ford Direct Price. Total Invoice is the amount that Ford Motor Company charges its dealer for a vehicle. Total Invoice may not represent the actual dealer cost, as there are holdbacks, floor plan financing, assistance, dealer advertising fund fees, shipping, and charges for gasoline that may be included in the total invoice. The Ford Direct Price includes the base price for the selected vehicle, factory options, and destination charges. The Ford Direct Price does not include tax, title, and license fees established at the federal, state, and local levels. In addition, the Ford Direct Price does not include dealer documentation fees charged to the consumer, or items that may have been added while the vehicle is in inventory.

Copyright Notice:
Copyright © 2001 Ford Motor Company. All rights reserved. All text, images, graphics, animation, videos, music, sounds and other materials on this site are subject to the copyrights and other intellectual property rights of Ford Motor Company, its affiliated companies and its licensors. Ford Motor Company owns the copyrights in the selection, coordination and arrangement of the materials on this site. These materials may not be copied for commercial use or distribution, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites.

Trademark Notice:
All trademarks displayed on this site are subject to the U.S. trademark rights of Ford Motor Company in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, or are used under agreement in the U.S. by Ford Motor Company. These trademarks include, but are not limited to, product brand names (e.g., Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar, Motorcraft), vehicle model names (e.g., Mustang, Taurus, Explorer, F-150, slogans (e.g., Built Ford Tough), and logos and emblems. The unauthorized use of any trademark displayed on this site is strictly prohibited.

My Ford Owner Website Privacy:
The My Ford owner website (hereafter referred to as "My Ford") is designed to improve the ownership experience of Ford vehicle owners. The following statements pertain specifically to the My Ford website. For information specifically on cookies, how we use or share your information, Secure Socket Layers (SSL), outside links, etc., please click here to read Ford Division's Online Privacy Policy beginning at the top of this page.

During the course of your visit to My Ford, you may move to other Ford Motor Company (hereafter referred to as "Ford") websites, including sites intended to provide information about financing. In addition, this site may provide links to non-affiliated third party sites not controlled by Ford such as those belonging to third party vehicle resource sites, third party product review sites or third party State transportation sites. It is recommended that you check the specific privacy statements of those sites before providing any personally identifiable information.

My Ford & Ford Credit Access
The My Ford owner website provides its users access to Ford Motor Credit Company's online services including account information. All Ford Credit data provided by My Ford is encrypted. The Ford Credit on-line services are subject to Ford Credit's privacy statements. To find out how Ford Credit protects its customers' privacy, please read the Ford Credit Privacy Policy and the Ford Credit Online Privacy Supplement.

Registration
My Ford is available to the principal driver/owner who indicates a desire to "opt in" by logging on to the "owner" section of www.fordvehicles.com and registering online. This is an "opt-in" site, meaning an individual is not registered and eligible for My Ford benefits until the registration form is completed and submitted. A principal driver is defined as the person who generally drives the identified vehicle. Driver is not required to be the titled owner.

My Ford Suspension or Termination
My Ford benefits and communications will be suspended for any registered owner who:

Enters into litigation against Ford Motor Company or a Ford Motor Company dealer.
Disposes of his/her qualifying vehicle and purchases a competitive or non-qualifying vehicle.

My Ford Benefits
My Ford registrants are eligible for benefits regardless of their location within the continental U.S.

Access (via User Name and Password) to a website for the exclusive use of My Ford registrants. Site contents include:
Online access to vehicle-related information including:
Maintenance Calculator
Maintenance Suggestions
Warranty/Extended Service Plan (if applicable)
Recall Notifications/Notices
Owner's Guide (if available)
Vehicle Specifications
Ford authorized merchandise that registrants may order online. (Visa and MasterCard purchases only. Unavailable where prohibited by law).
Original Selling Dealer and Preferred Service Dealer information.
Self-reported vehicle maintenance log and expense summary.
Ford Credit Services including Account Access and E-Bill
External links to the following websites: Department of Motor Vehicles (by State) and Kelley Blue Book.
Ford and vehicle-related articles and multimedia content. My Ford contact information, including an 1-800 number, e-mail address and mailing address by which a registrant can contact Ford Motor Company with questions or comments.

Privacy and Security
Ford respects the privacy of My Ford registrants, and will not reveal, distribute or sell customer information obtained through My Ford to any organization other than Ford Motor Company business units, our dealers or any other affiliated organization. Customer information will be acquired and retained in order to provide a richer, more comprehensive vehicle ownership experience.

For more on our pledge to maintain your privacy, please refer to the section in this document titled: Our pledge.

Customers must successfully complete the registration process in order to opt into receiving My Ford communications and/or offers. Customers registered with My Ford can edit their e-mail preferences at any time by changing their selections or unsubscribing from My Ford e-mail communications. In order to protect a registrant's security, Web passwords and any credit card purchasing will be accomplished on a secure server. This will require that the customer use a browser that supports Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. These browsers - which include recent versions of Netscape® Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer® - will notify you whether the site is secure. This site will provide links outside of this site that may or may not abide to the same privacy terms as My Ford.

Merchandise Purchases
For merchandise purchases, My Ford provides a link out to The Ford Collection site. To view their Privacy Policy or the Terms and Conditions relating to purchases there, please click here. If you have questions about your order please click here.

Use of Cookies
If you clicked the "Save my User Name" box on the login page, My Ford will store your User Name in a cookie so you will not have to re-enter it on each visit to the site. (You will still be required to re-enter your Password on each new visit.) My Ford cookies do not store your e-mail address or other personal information about you. For more on cookies and how they are used, please refer to the section in this document titled: Cookies: What they are and how we use them.

We use third-party advertising technology to serve ads when you visit sites upon which we advertise. This technology uses information about your visits to this Web site and the sites upon which we advertise, (not including your name, address, or other personal information), to serve our ads to you. In the course of serving our advertisements to you, a unique third-party cookie may be placed or recognized on your browser. In addition, we use web beacons, provided by our ad serving partner, to help manage our online advertising. These web beacons enable our ad server to recognize a browser's cookie when a browser visits this site and to learn which banner ads bring users to our Web site. The information we collect and share through this technology is not personally identifiable. To learn more about our third party ad serving partner, cookies, and how to "opt-out" of the ad serving cookie, please click here.

Changes in My Ford
Ford Motor Company may find it necessary to change the rules, benefits and/or terms and conditions of the My Ford owner website from time to time.

Additional My Ford Website Terms & Conditions
The My Ford website is for personal use only. Commercial uses are strictly prohibited unless prior written consent from Ford Motor Company has been granted. Registrants acknowledge that the My Ford site contains information, software, photos, graphics, sounds, music or other material (collectively termed "Content") that are protected by copyrights, trademarks, or other proprietary rights, and that these rights are valid and protected in all forms, media and technologies existing now or hereinafter developed.

Registrants or visitors may not reproduce, distribute, modify, publish, display, perform, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works or in any way exploit any of the Content, in whole or in part.

Any material information or other communication that you transmit or post to this site (collectively termed "Communications"), including but not limited to data, images, graphics, animation, sounds, text, and video, will be considered non-confidential and non-proprietary, and Ford Motor Company will have no obligations with respect to the Communications.

You hereby waive any and all rights in any Communications with respect to Ford Motor Company. Ford Motor Company will be free to copy, disclose, distribute, display, perform, create derivative works, incorporate and otherwise use the Communications for any and all purposes, commercial or non-commercial. You warrant that you are the owner of all Communications or have the right to transmit or post such to this site in accordance with these terms and conditions.

The materials provided at this site are provided "as is" without any warranties of any kind, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of intellectual property. Further, Ford Motor Company does not warrant the accuracy and completeness of the materials at this site. Ford Motor Company may make changes to the materials at this site, or to the products and prices described in them at any time without notice.