20 Facts About OnStar

OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, emergency services, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, Canada, China, Mexico, Europe, Brazil, and Argentina.

In September 2011 the president of OnStar stated that the service had more than six million customers.

OnStar service relied on CDMA mobile phone voice and data communication, primarily via Verizon Wireless in the United States and Bell Mobility in Canada, as well as location information using GPS technology.

OnStar service allows users to contact OnStar call centers during an emergency.

OnStar has 24-hour emergency call centers in Warren, Michigan; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Ontario, Canada, and other call centers in Makati, Philippines; and Oshawa, Ontario.

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All OnStar-equipped vehicles have Stolen Vehicle Tracking, which can provide the police with the vehicle's exact location, speed, and direction of movement.

Since OnStar can help with the recovery of a stolen vehicle, some insurance companies recognize this and offer a discount.

Also, with certain insurance companies and with subscriber permission, OnStar will send the insurance company the vehicle's odometer reading every month.

OnStar was formed in 1996 as a collaboration between GM, Electronic Data Systems and Hughes Electronics Corporation.

OnStar delivered its first product and service to the market in 11 months, in the fall of 1996 for model-year 1997 Cadillac DeVille, Cadillac Seville, and Cadillac Eldorado models.

From 2002 to 2006, OnStar service was available on vehicles produced by Acura, Audi, Isuzu, Subaru, and Volkswagen through a licensing agreement.

OnStar Link is a miniature GPS receiver and 4G LTE IoT interface that plugs into the vehicle's OBD-II connector.

OnStar is available in Brazil in the Chevrolet vehicles such as the Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet Cruze, Onix, Onix Plus and Chevrolet S-10.

In September 2011, OnStar has changed its terms and conditions to allow sale of vehicle location and speeds to interested third parties including law enforcement agencies, which has been criticized in the comp.

OnStar is theoretically susceptible to remote activation by malicious third parties or government agencies.

In 2011, OnStar said that it would start retaining all the information collected by the GPS and internal system so that it could be sold to third parties .

From 2004 to 2009, OnStar was a sponsor for guest appearances on ESPN Radio programming, dubbed the "OnStar Hotline".

In September 2010 under then-President Chris Preuss, OnStar relaunched its brand with a series of commercials with the theme of "Live On".

From 2008, OnStar has offered "Santa tracking" in all equipped vehicles around the festive period.

OnStar has announced that, effective February, 2022, the built-in hands-free cellular telephone functionality, which allowed drivers to make and receive voice-activated, hands-free phone calls over their vehicle's car audio system, and assigned the vehicle a unique telephone number, will be discontinued, citing the increased popularity of Bluetooth connectivity in most vehicles.