OnStar Tracks Your Car Even When You Cancel Service

9/20/11

[Libloather]

Link only - OnStar Tracks Your Car Even When You Cancel Service

[Buckeye McFrog]

I have a feeling I’ll be seeing an awful lot of tinfoil roofs on the drive home tonight

[oldironsides]

OnStar has detractors. I am not one of them. I travel the roads and my cell coverage is sometimes not relaible . The OnStar coverage for my vehicle gives me some peace of mind traveling alone. I am not paranoid. I just like the protection. I also like the reminders to my email on where my vehicle maintenence issues atand. Tire pressure to oil life comes through regularly. I appreciate it. I do not care if anyone knows where my GM vehicle is at any given time. When and if that time arrives, I will disconnect it.

[dearolddad]

So, how would one disable it?

I have a 2002 JEMMY, I simply disconnected the power.

[TXnMA]

[sickoflibs]

Wait till Obama-care puts a microchip in our heads with our medical records, and a GPS and transmitter LOL

[steve86]

I would think the Li batteries maintain memory — they don’t power transmit or receive.

[TXnMA]

I have a selection of "implants" for anyone who tries that:

[matthew fuller]

"You might be able to defeat the Big Brother box now, but once they become mandatory in all cars (in the name of safety, of course), it will be illegal to disconnect them, and they will probably rig them so that the car won’t run without the box in place."

In all recent US Cars, there is a computer that controls the airbag system, and it keeps a record of your speed. I don't know how far back that record goes. I don't think the vehicle will operate without that computer. The "black box" has been used in court proceedings to establish the speed the car(s) were moving in accidents.

[stevie_d_64]

“Whatever you do, do not cut the BLUE wire!!!”

[Marine_Uncle]

"While they claim you can request that they don't monitor YOUR car's movements there should be a clear method of disabling the device in the car (by pulling a power connection plug) by customers when they no longer want the service."
That would make things to common sense. Mustn't go down that route.

[brityank]

OnStar has detractors. I am not one of them. ... I do not care if anyone knows where my GM vehicle is at any given time. When and if that time arrives, I will disconnect it.

By the time you get to that realisation, you will no longer have the option to withdraw. Google "Tony Martin" among others in the UK where protecting your home or family is a criminal act. And recall - the process IS the punishment even if you're found not guilty.

Screw GM and OnStar - I will never have either.

[rabidralph]

Nuke it from space. It’s the only way to be sure.

[Keith in Iowa]

Government Motors changing their tune:
http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Sep/0927_onstar