Talk:OnStar

Which other vehicles?
In the current Wikipedia article titled "OnStar", one sentence says: "It is also available in a number of other vehicles" -- meaning vehicles other than General Motors vehicles. This begs the question "WHICH other vehicles?" This should be clarified.
 * Added to the opening paragraph. --Holderca1 19:24, 6 July 2006 (UTC)

General Magic?
The General Magic article implies some connection to the beginnings of OnStar, but it's not a well written article and I can't figure out if it's saying General Magic started OnStar or some General Magic technology was used in OnStar or what, or why the "Mary" voice is significant—did THAT come from General Magic too? —pfahlstrom 05:16, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

OnStar Criticism
Re-added the text: "At least one group, OnStar Privacy, has dedicated a website to privacy concerns of the service." to the Critics section after it was removed. Its relevant there. The website used to have its own article, which was deleted. The decision was made to redirect the old article to this one. The message apparently being that the site didn’t need its own article, but was notable enough to be mentioned within the OnStar article. Please explain why it should not be here.

Thats website no longer exist Sattmaster (talk)

Kill Switch
It might be good to add a small paragraph about the kill switch functionality of OnStar. OnStar opens up new possibilities for law enforcement to shut down a car remotely, and this technology is being sold to the public as being a good thing. But seen in a different light, this kill switch may not be such a nice feature to have, because it takes freedom away from the owner: the freedom to control his own vehicle whatever the circumstances may be. Future law changes may provide law enforcement with the freedom to shut down cars whenever they want. Gabelstaplerfahrer (talk) 17:45, 4 August 2010 (UTC)

CALEA
The following text appears in the Criticism section:


 * Onstar maintains that it is unable to "listen to, view, or record the content of calls". U.S. law (CALEA) requires that telecommunications providers create infrastructure allowing authorities to easily monitor and record telephone calls.

I wonder if we should include in this text that all wireless carriers--including cellular providers that drivers would otherwise use while driving--must follow this law. The way it's worded now, some people might not realize that and falsely believe that OnStar is more of a privacy risk than Cingular or Verizon.

Also, the following text appears in the same section:


 * Voice monitoring capability is marketed as OnStar Hands-Free Calling. The use of this type of capability by law enforcement is subject to legal debate and some technical impediments.

I don't have OnStar to verify this, but surely the OnStar system isn't listening to your every word and broadcasting them out to the OnStar communications network (if so, that's an incredible waste of wireless bandwidth). My guess is that you have to either say a specific command or press a button to engage the telephone/voice monitoring feature, so users' privacy should be protected until they engage the system. (Of course, I guess if OnStar representatives can call the vehicle in an emergency and you do not need to press a button to unmute the mic, your privacy might be iffy.)

Last (and unrelated): anyone know the technical details of the wireless communications network? GSM? CDMA? Proprietary? Does it ever lose reception and fail to complete an emergency call, or is there a satellite backup?

cluth 04:51, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Troy, MI
OnStar's HQ used to be in Troy, MI, but they've since moved to the GM headquarters building in downtown Detroit. I'm not sure if they moved the call center as well, but the old OnStar building in Troy is empty. Jbmcb 18:08, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Recent additions by Ayoungonstar
Do the four recent edits by Ayoungonstar seem to be bit slanted? I believe so - WP:NPOV, and so I am editing them to remove some of the slant. Thanks :) -- Whereizben - Chat with me 19:28, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Analog service cancellation Dec 31, 2007
GM announced in April 2007 that customers with OnStar system in vehicles from the 2002 or earlier model year would lose their OnStar service at the end of 2007 because the FCC would no longer require cell phone carriers to provide analog service after that date,. Newer modes, from the 2003-2005 model year could be upgraded at the car owner's expense. There is a class action lawsuit( rsmolow@smolowlandis.com for Smolow & Landis, Trevose Pa) seeking certification to get compensation for the owners of vehicles who believed they would have the safety feature of automatic summoning of emergency services in the event of a wreck, as well as the celphone service, remote diagnostics, and remote unlock service for the life of the vehicle, and that it would retain tradein value. GM's solution: buy a new GM car. No discount offered to owners of 2002 and earlier vehicles. There was no representation that the OnStar service was digital or that it had a short service life when it was sold as an extra-cost safety system. Edison 01:58, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

They fixed it. GM now offers to replace the cellular modem in your car for $15.


 * The cellphone module used through 2002 was the old Motorola "bagphone" electronics module that dates to 1992. Basically obsolete before the first OnStar equipped vehicle came off the assembly line. Bizzybody (talk) 07:36, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

external links are too many
we could trun them to citations or move them to see also or external links section ... --69.150.163.1 23:24, 7 September 2007 (UTC) User:Kushal_one

DIE HARD 4.0
Is this what the car in DIE HARD 4.0 was using? Would that really work? If so then maybe it should be mentioned in a cultural reference section.QU4N71FY (talk) 09:06, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

Eminem song mention
in the skit on his new relapse album, and the song after he mentions that 'Tonya' broke her onstar button

"...i think you got your Onstar button inside your car stuck..." Flashkick101 (talk) 23:42, 13 May 2009 (UTC)

Used in skip tracing cars up for repo?
On the show Operation Repo the lady Sonia said that the financing told them (according to GPS) what street corner the car was on? Of course since it is one of their techniques they would not get into details. Are there any other GPS location services on cars that would have done this? CaribDigita (talk) 11:07, 19 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Perhaps LoJack? Bizzybody (talk) 07:39, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Dealers can install tracking systems many companies sell them. Search for fleet car tracking Sattmaster (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 03:57, 22 September 2011 (UTC).

GPS module
The GPS module used through 2002 can be removed from the OnStar box and adapted to RS232 or USB connection. Google onstar gps hack Bizzybody (talk) 07:39, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Problem with lead
The first sentence of the current article on "OnStar," with its emphasis on government ownership, seems to be the victim of somebody with a political ax to grind (and a poor understanding of capitalization). I'm not an experienced Wikipedian, and I have no desire to get into an edit war, so I'm just mentioning the problem here, in the hope that the regulars will sort it out. Thanks! 26 September 2011 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.13.67.237 (talk) 16:50, 26 September 2011 (UTC)

General Motors Communications’ Wikipedia Account
Hello, this account (Stuart at GM) is run by General Motors Communications staff member, Stuart Fowle. My goal with this account is to provide the community with factual information and answer any questions about OnStar. I will also provide links to primary and third-party sources that may help answer questions.

For full transparency, anything posted on this Talk page will include a disclaimer announcing my account’s GM and OnStar affiliation. I will not be making any direct edits to any Wikipedia page through this or any other account. I look forward to working together with the community and serving as a resource for primary sources and information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.4.21.2 (talk) 17:50, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

Out-of-Date OnStar Information
I noticed that this page has some out-of-date information. For example, OnStar no longer produces FMV services – this should be moved to the “History” section.

Also, as of 2014, OnStar began working with AT&T for its 4G LTE-equipped vehicles, while older vehicles still use Verizon. Information on this partnership can be found here: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/connected-car/gm-onstar.html.

Another item is that OnStar no longer allows the sale of vehicle location and speeds to third parties. Here is a source confirming this update: https://www.onstar.com/us/en/footer-links/privacy-policy.html   Stuart at GM (talk) 20:05, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on OnStar. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20111216205004/http://www.onstar.com/tunnel-web/webdav/portal/document_library/downloadable/PrivacyStatement-2011-USE.pdf to http://www.onstar.com/tunnel-web/webdav/portal/document_library/downloadable/PrivacyStatement-2011-USE.pdf

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 13:19, 9 January 2016 (UTC)

Use as surveillance device
A GM spokesperson said: "We do not monitor or otherwise track the location of OnStar-equipped cars, unless required by a valid court order in criminal procedures or under exigent circumstances; and we don’t release the number of those requests." "December 2009 police asked GM to cough up OnStar data from a Chevrolet Tahoe rented by a suspected crack cocaine dealer Riley Dantzler. The cops who were after Dantzler had no idea what the car looked like or where it was, but with OnStar tracking they could follow him from Houston, Texas, to Ouchita Parish, Louisiana. OnStar's tracking was accurate too, a court document revealing it was able to "identify that vehicle among the many that were on Interstate 20 that evening." They stopped Dantzler and found cocaine, ecstasy and a gun inside." https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/01/15/police-spying-on-car-conversations-location-siriusxm-gm-chevrolet-toyota-privacy/ 194.207.86.26 (talk) 17:00, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

Certificate of diploma
8596009109 info order 2607:FB91:17CE:784:8917:BDD1:D040:BA86 (talk) 02:44, 13 July 2023 (UTC)

There's no mention of the privacy laws violations from April 2024
As per https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/gm-lexisnexis-sued-for-sharing-drivers-data-with-insurers 146.90.66.101 (talk) 11:44, 12 June 2024 (UTC)