GM’s Onstar can remotely shutdown your car
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CL Community Team
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Canada
GM’s Onstar can remotely shutdown your car
GM’s Onstar can remotely shutdown your car
Posted on Tuesday 9 October 2007
GM has announced today that its OnStar system will be getting a new feature that will be able to remotely bring a car to a rolling stop in emergency situations. Just the thought of somebody controlling a button that could stop your car while out on the road is a little scary but when you factor in the amount of police chases or stolen cars it could reduce it’s not hard to envisage such a feature becoming standard on all cars in the not too distant future.
The new “safety” feature will be installed in 20 GM models by 2009 and works by eliminating the engine’s power. All ancillary features as well as the brakes and steering will continue to work should authorities press the kill-switch. Another possibility is a warning from the radio to alert the thieves they’re being monitored.
Customers will still be able to opt out of the service but, according to CNN, research shows more than 95% of owners would appreciate the service. OnStar is already capable of using GPS technology to find stolen cars, detecting car crashes and opening locked doors.
Posted on Tuesday 9 October 2007
GM has announced today that its OnStar system will be getting a new feature that will be able to remotely bring a car to a rolling stop in emergency situations. Just the thought of somebody controlling a button that could stop your car while out on the road is a little scary but when you factor in the amount of police chases or stolen cars it could reduce it’s not hard to envisage such a feature becoming standard on all cars in the not too distant future.
The new “safety” feature will be installed in 20 GM models by 2009 and works by eliminating the engine’s power. All ancillary features as well as the brakes and steering will continue to work should authorities press the kill-switch. Another possibility is a warning from the radio to alert the thieves they’re being monitored.
Customers will still be able to opt out of the service but, according to CNN, research shows more than 95% of owners would appreciate the service. OnStar is already capable of using GPS technology to find stolen cars, detecting car crashes and opening locked doors.
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CL Community Team
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 30,277
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From: Canada
GM Press Release
The process for Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is :
* Once the vehicle has been reported stolen to law enforcement, the subscriber can call OnStar and request Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance. OnStar will confirm the subscriber has not opted out of the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service.
* OnStar will use real-time GPS technology to attempt to pinpoint the exact location of the stolen vehicle and provide this information to law enforcement to help them recover the vehicle.
* When law enforcement has established a clear line of sight of the stolen vehicle, law enforcement may request OnStar to slow it down remotely.
* Safeguards will be in place to ensure that the correct vehicle is slowed down.
* OnStar then sends a remote signal to the vehicle that interacts with the Powertrain system to reduce engine power which will slow the vehicle down gradually.
* Once the vehicle has been reported stolen to law enforcement, the subscriber can call OnStar and request Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance. OnStar will confirm the subscriber has not opted out of the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service.
* OnStar will use real-time GPS technology to attempt to pinpoint the exact location of the stolen vehicle and provide this information to law enforcement to help them recover the vehicle.
* When law enforcement has established a clear line of sight of the stolen vehicle, law enforcement may request OnStar to slow it down remotely.
* Safeguards will be in place to ensure that the correct vehicle is slowed down.
* OnStar then sends a remote signal to the vehicle that interacts with the Powertrain system to reduce engine power which will slow the vehicle down gradually.
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Pole Position
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 244
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From: NY
Ridiculous. 
What else does it do? Keep your seatbelts locked so you don't get out of the car? Lock the doors so you can't escape? Emit gas fumes that make you unconscious so the cops can capture you?
Total invasion of privacy here. I don't care how "useful" their system may appear to be on the surface.
Remind me never to buy a ***** GM product.
What else does it do? Keep your seatbelts locked so you don't get out of the car? Lock the doors so you can't escape? Emit gas fumes that make you unconscious so the cops can capture you?
Total invasion of privacy here. I don't care how "useful" their system may appear to be on the surface.
Remind me never to buy a ***** GM product.
Last edited by LetMeShowU; Oct 9, 2007 at 03:53 PM.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,430
Likes: 249
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
I watched a couple of TV network news stories this evening on this feature.
Despite Stormwind's assertion that hackers could start to play kiddie-car with something like this (and, yes, he does have a valid concern), I don't think the chances of that actually happening are very high, for two reasons. One, the GM On-Star system is individually tailored to each vehicle with individual transponders and passwords (I myself am familiar with transponders from being an ex-airplane pilot), and, two, the chances of a hacker getting a correct password and computer code from millions of vehicles is not very good.
The reason why, when activated, the system shuts down the engine only part-way rather than a total fuel or ignition cutoff are obvious.......a total engine shutdown, in hydraulic power-steering vehicles, would result in more or less total loss power-steering effort, and give only one or two vaccum-boost taps of the power-brake pedal before losing the power brakes, too. This could be exceedingly dangerous, especially at pursuit speeds, which, for thieves and the police behind them, can approach or exceed triple digits.
Loss of power steering and brakes is not just the same as in a non-assisted car to start with...because of the drag of the pulleys, belts, dead pumps, and other inoperative units, you are talking about MUCH greater efforts to both steer and stop the car.
With electric power steering, which is becoming more common nowadays, the increase in steering effort upon engine stoppage will depend on other factors.
Despite Stormwind's assertion that hackers could start to play kiddie-car with something like this (and, yes, he does have a valid concern), I don't think the chances of that actually happening are very high, for two reasons. One, the GM On-Star system is individually tailored to each vehicle with individual transponders and passwords (I myself am familiar with transponders from being an ex-airplane pilot), and, two, the chances of a hacker getting a correct password and computer code from millions of vehicles is not very good.
The reason why, when activated, the system shuts down the engine only part-way rather than a total fuel or ignition cutoff are obvious.......a total engine shutdown, in hydraulic power-steering vehicles, would result in more or less total loss power-steering effort, and give only one or two vaccum-boost taps of the power-brake pedal before losing the power brakes, too. This could be exceedingly dangerous, especially at pursuit speeds, which, for thieves and the police behind them, can approach or exceed triple digits.
Loss of power steering and brakes is not just the same as in a non-assisted car to start with...because of the drag of the pulleys, belts, dead pumps, and other inoperative units, you are talking about MUCH greater efforts to both steer and stop the car.
With electric power steering, which is becoming more common nowadays, the increase in steering effort upon engine stoppage will depend on other factors.
Last edited by mmarshall; Oct 9, 2007 at 06:28 PM.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,243
Likes: 2
From: New York
Somehow, I just thought that whom ever has a Onstar equiped GM car or any one with Onstar, is going to be in some hot water when some people decide to make a prank call about stolen cars when its sitting at the mall.
Reminds me of Jeremy Clarksons problem with his Ford GT (similar system I think). He kept recieving text messages saying his car was stolen every 5 minutes. With him in the GT reading the message.
Reminds me of Jeremy Clarksons problem with his Ford GT (similar system I think). He kept recieving text messages saying his car was stolen every 5 minutes. With him in the GT reading the message.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,430
Likes: 249
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
But I don't see how having OnStar or not would make any practical difference. OnStar or not, making an intentional false police report has always been a crime.
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