Elmhurst Ford – Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 14, 2026

Thank you for visiting the Elmhurst Ford website, including our mobile device-ready version. Elmhurst Ford, operated by ILF1, LLC d/b/a Elmhurst Ford (“Elmhurst Ford,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), located at 333 W. Grand Ave., Bensenville, IL 60106, strives to make our website a useful tool and a rewarding experience for our customers by tailoring the content to your personal needs and interests. We hope that you find our website to be a useful part of your car-buying and vehicle ownership experience.

To accomplish this, we responsibly collect and utilize personally identifiable information. We respect your privacy, and this Privacy Policy documents our commitment to safeguard and treat your privacy and the personal information that we collect online with reasonable care and in compliance with applicable federal law and the laws of the State of Illinois, including the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act (815 ILCS 530) and the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14).

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected on this website (fordelmhurst.com) and covers the following areas:

• What personally identifiable information is collected by Elmhurst Ford or by any third party through our website;
• How Elmhurst Ford uses this information;
• With whom Elmhurst Ford may share this information;
• How we handle text message (SMS) communications and consent;
• Our practices regarding biometric information under Illinois law;
• What choices are available to you as a user of our website with respect to collection, use, and distribution of the information; and
• What types of security procedures are in place to protect the loss, misuse, or alteration of information under our control.

This Privacy Policy applies only to our website and information collected for us or by us through our website and through various features and online offerings on our website. It does not apply to any third-party site or service linked to our website or recommended or referred by our website or by our staff. Further, it does not apply to any other type of online site or online service operated by Elmhurst Ford or its affiliates, or to any of our offline activities, except where expressly stated.

1. Information Collection and Use

Elmhurst Ford collects two different types of information through our website: anonymous information and personally identifiable information.

Anonymous Information. First, we collect and store anonymous, aggregate information (such as internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser types, search engines, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and number of clicks) from all visitors to our website. You may search our website for vehicle models, prices, and other information provided through our website without ever submitting your name, email address, or any other personally identifiable information. The anonymous information that we do collect from your visit is never linked to any of your personally identifiable information until you voluntarily submit that personal information, in which case some otherwise anonymous information may be connected to your website activity and personal account. Otherwise, the anonymous information is only used in the aggregate to analyze trends, administer the website, diagnose any problems, track visitor movement in the aggregate, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. We may provide this anonymous information in aggregate form to other parties or use it for our own insight or marketing purposes.

Cookies and Similar Technologies. We use “cookies,” “pixels,” and “image tags” to collect certain usage information from all customers and visitors to our website. A “cookie” is a small text file that a website can place on your computer's hard drive or on your mobile device's memory in order to collect information about your activities on our website. A “pixel” or “image tag,” also known as a clear GIF or web beacon, works together with cookies and is a small image file that may be located in various areas of our website. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you have the option to change your browser settings to decline them.

Accepting cookies in no way gives us access to your computer, since cookies are not used to identify anonymous website visitors. Our cookies enable you to proceed smoothly through our website and know whether you've used it before, so as to eliminate some steps that apply to new visitors. Cookies also give us usage data such as how often you visit, where you go on our website, and what you do while here.

Similarly, cookies and pixels may be placed by our third-party advertising and analytics partners. These companies may use aggregated statistics about your use of our website and third-party media in order to provide you with advertisements about goods and services that you may be interested in, and to measure the effectiveness of advertisements.

Google Services. Elmhurst Ford partners with Google to collect information about how users navigate our website, and we use Google products, which may include Google Analytics, Google Ads, and related advertising and measurement services, to enhance our website experience and manage our advertising. Information generated by cookies about your use of our website (including your IP address, which may be truncated or masked) may be transmitted to and stored on Google servers. Google uses this information to evaluate your use of our website, compile reports on website activity, and provide other services related to website and internet use. To learn more about how Google collects and manages information, please visit https://policies.google.com/privacy. To learn how Google uses data from sites that use its services, visit https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. To opt out of Google Analytics, you may install the browser add-on available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Interest-Based Advertising and Remarketing. We have enabled or may enable interest-based advertising features, including remarketing, with Google and other advertising partners. “Remarketing” is a feature of interest-based advertising that lets us reach people who have previously visited our website with relevant messages on other websites and services. Advertising based on your interests may also include interest categories, similar audiences, and demographic and location targeting. Our partners, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your past visits to our website and to show our ads on sites across the Internet. You can manage or opt out of Google's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings at https://adssettings.google.com. You can opt out of participating third-party advertising partners' use of cookies for interest-based advertising by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page at https://optout.networkadvertising.org or the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page at https://optout.aboutads.info.

Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. Some browsers have a “do not track” feature or support a “Global Privacy Control” signal that lets you tell websites that you do not want to have your online activities tracked. Because these features and signals are not yet uniform across the industry, our website is not currently configured to respond to them.

Third-Party Websites. With respect to unrelated third-party websites, such as third-party online retailers, advertisers, manufacturer sites, or unrelated sites that we may link to, or websites that link to our website, those third parties may collect personal information directly from you. The information policies and practices of these unrelated parties are not covered by this Privacy Policy. We do not control the privacy policies of third parties even if we provide hyperlinks or other access to their websites, and we are not responsible or liable for their independent policies and practices. It is your responsibility to review their policies and decide if you are satisfied with their protections.

Personally Identifiable Information. Second, we require the submission of certain personally identifiable information when you use some services available on our website. Our website uses a variety of contact forms, chat features, and tracking phone numbers for visitors to request information, products, and services, to schedule service appointments, to obtain a trade-in valuation, or to begin a vehicle purchase or lease online. We collect a visitor's contact information (such as name, email address, or phone number) and, in some cases, demographic information (such as zip code) and vehicle information (such as the year, make, model, mileage, or VIN of a vehicle you own or are interested in). In limited circumstances, such as when a visitor fills out an online credit application, we collect unique identifiers (such as a Social Security number, driver's license number and state) and financial information (such as income, employment, and housing information). We use this information to respond to your requests, to process transactions you initiate, and to send you additional information about our products and services.

Note that once you have submitted a request or otherwise voluntarily provided personally identifiable information to us, we may use cookies to help identify you. Personally identifiable information received from you may be contained in or linked to a cookie. We may use cookies with personally identifiable information so that our website can remember you, enhance your online visit, and provide you with the information you're most likely to need, such as reminding you of your past vehicle search interests and suggesting similar products and services.

Financial Information and Credit Applications. Any financial information we collect is used to evaluate the qualifications of our prospective customers and to process the transactions they request. If you apply for financing or wish to purchase or lease a vehicle through our online tools, we may collect personal information such as your name, address, driver's license number and state, Social Security number, and other credit information. This information is transmitted and stored securely and is used to provide the service you requested, including submission to financial institutions and finance sources for the purpose of arranging credit. As a dealership that arranges financing, we are subject to the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the FTC Safeguards Rule with respect to nonpublic personal financial information we collect in connection with financing transactions. Where required by law, you will receive a separate privacy notice describing our practices with respect to that information at the time of your finance application or transaction.

Surveys and Contests. Our online surveys may ask visitors for contact information (such as an email address or phone number), which they may voluntarily provide. We also may run contests or promotions on our website in which we ask visitors for similar contact information in order to participate. We use contact information from our surveys and contests to send information about products and services to participating visitors, and participation is always voluntary.

2. Text Messaging (SMS/MMS) Communications

If you provide your mobile phone number to us and consent to receive text messages, we may send you text messages related to your inquiry, appointment reminders, service updates, and, where you have separately consented, marketing and promotional messages. Consent to receive marketing text messages is not a condition of any purchase. Message and data rates may apply, and message frequency varies. You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message, and you may reply HELP for assistance.

No mobile opt-in data or consent to receive text messages will be shared with or sold to third parties or affiliates for their own marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging opt-in information is used solely for the purpose of communicating with you as described above and may be shared only with service providers who assist us in delivering those messages on our behalf.

3. Biometric Information (Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act)

Elmhurst Ford does not collect, capture, purchase, receive, or otherwise obtain biometric identifiers or biometric information (such as fingerprints, voiceprints, retina or iris scans, or scans of hand or face geometry) from visitors through our website. In the event we were ever to collect biometric identifiers or biometric information from you, we would do so only in accordance with the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14), including providing you with the required written disclosures, obtaining your written consent prior to collection, and maintaining a publicly available written retention and destruction policy.

4. Our Use Restrictions on Your Personally Identifiable Information

Elmhurst Ford does not sell or rent personally identifiable information to any third party not affiliated with or owned by Elmhurst Ford, except that we may share information with service providers who assist us in areas such as our promotions, credit processing, data storage, customer relationship management, marketing activation, and order processing (see “Our Agents and Vendors” below), and with vehicle manufacturers and finance sources as necessary to complete transactions you request, satisfy warranty and recall obligations, or as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy. Elmhurst Ford will never give or sell your personally identifiable information to unaffiliated third parties to be used for the purposes of sending you unsolicited commercial offers, such as spam.

We may use your personal information to send you commercial offers in emails from Elmhurst Ford or its affiliated dealerships, which may not relate to the products or services you have ordered. You may opt out of these marketing campaigns at any time (see “Opting Out” below). All commercial email we send complies with the federal CAN-SPAM Act, including accurate header and subject information and a functioning unsubscribe mechanism.

We may also need to contact you for purposes other than marketing, for example, to provide notice about the status of our website or the specific services you have requested, to communicate about a pending transaction, or to provide safety recall information. We also use this information to the extent necessary to enforce our website terms of service and to prevent imminent harm to persons or property. You may not opt out of these kinds of transactional and safety-related communications.

5. Third-Party Information About You

Our website and our business systems may supplement the information that you provide with information that we obtain about you from third parties, such as credit bureaus, data providers, and other sources, for purposes such as processing credit applications you submit, verifying your identity, and improving the relevance of our communications. To the best of our knowledge, we only deal with reputable providers who gather and maintain information in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws. Any such information will be maintained by us in accordance with the standards set forth in this Privacy Policy along with other personal information you have provided.

6. Our Agents and Vendors

Elmhurst Ford may use other companies and/or individuals to perform functions described in this Privacy Policy on our behalf. Examples include website hosting and management, marketing and advertising, customer relationship management, credit application processing, data and network hosting, service reminders, verification of sales, order processing and fulfillment, administering contact information, email and text message delivery services, and running special promotions. Such parties only have access to the personal information needed to perform these functions and may not use or store the information for any other purpose. We obtain commitments from these agents and vendors working on our behalf to refrain from using any information provided by Elmhurst Ford to send you unsolicited communications and from sharing your information with unrelated parties for their own purposes.

7. Disclosure of Personal Information As Required By Law or Otherwise

We will disclose personal information when required by law, or if we have a good-faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) comply with a current judicial proceeding, a court order, or legal process served on us, or to comply with the request of a law enforcement agency; (b) protect and defend our rights; or (c) protect the rights, property, and other interests of our users or others. In the event of a sale, merger, or other transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of our dealership, customer information may be transferred to the acquiring party as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.

8. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13, consistent with the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you believe that a child under 13 has provided personal information to us through our website, please contact us using the information below and we will take steps to delete that information.

9. Security

Elmhurst Ford takes commercially reasonable precautions to protect your personally identifiable information. For example, we encrypt communications through our website with commercial-strength encryption generally used by our industry, and we maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information in our possession, consistent with our obligations under the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act and, with respect to financial information, the FTC Safeguards Rule. However, given the nature of the Internet and the fact that network security measures are not perfect, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

Data Breach Notification. In the event of a breach of the security of our system involving your personal information as defined by the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act (815 ILCS 530), we will notify you in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay, consistent with the legitimate needs of law enforcement and any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity, security, and confidentiality of the data system. Where permitted by law, such notice may be provided in electronic form.

Data Retention and Disposal. We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, to comply with our legal, regulatory, and recordkeeping obligations, and to resolve disputes. When personal information is no longer needed, we dispose of it in a manner that renders it unreadable, unusable, and undecipherable, consistent with the disposal requirements of Illinois law.

10. Your Consent and Notification of Changes

By using our website or submitting information to us online, you agree that we may collect and use this information as stated in this Privacy Policy at the time we collect the information. If we decide to change our Privacy Policy in any material way, for a reasonable time we will post a concurrent notice on this Privacy Policy page on our website to alert you about the change in our privacy and information collection practices. In addition, if we make any material changes in our privacy practices that affect your personally identifiable information already stored in our database, we will apply those changes to the personally identifiable information in our possession only as permitted by applicable law.

11. Opting Out

Visitors and customers have the opportunity to opt out of receiving specific types of communications from us and our partners. You may decline to provide personally identifiable information at the point where our website requests such information. In addition, you may unsubscribe or opt out of future marketing emails from us by clicking the unsubscribe link on any email marketing communication you receive, and you may opt out of marketing text messages at any time by replying STOP to any text message. You may also contact us directly using the information below to request that we stop contacting you for marketing purposes. Please note that even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still contact you regarding transactions you have initiated, appointments you have scheduled, safety recalls, and other non-marketing matters.

12. Further Information About Our Privacy Policy and Practices

This Privacy Policy applies to all visitors and customers of our website. You may have additional privacy protections under Illinois or other state laws, and we will comply with all applicable state laws when we collect, use, disclose, or dispose of information about you. This Privacy Policy replaces any previous policy on this topic and any prior statements or disclosures to you about our online information practices.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, or if you wish to exercise any choices described above, please contact us at: