We now know that OnStar is a PITA if you’re doing a quarter mile in a 700hp+ Hennessey-tuned Cadillac CTS-V (a.k.a. V700). The service doesn’t know the difference between a performance run and an accident. Har har. Even so, this incident raises some questions about GM’s Big Brother division.
First, the Caddy didn’t crash or brake violently; it merely accelerated like a Saturn V. Is it me, or is it disconcerting that OnStar is activated by forward thrust? Foreshadowing or what? Next, the system detects an emergency. Silence. The driver ends the call. Some time later (how much?), OnStar calls back and asks if everything’s OK. The driver reassures her and that’s it. What if it had been a car jacker? Why didn’t OnStar attempt to identify the speaker? Anway, OnStar is becoming an increasing turn-off for more than just boy racers who forget to wear a helmet to work.
Hopefully, OnStar won’t distract Bob Lutz in Monticello.
The service doesn’t know the difference between a performance run and an accident.
The service is designed using stock performance parameters. It shouldn’t come as much surprise that it would be triggered by an event significantly outside of those parameters.
Assuming I could afford this car, the first thing I would do is pull the fuse on OnStar. Hell, that would be the first thing I would do if I bought any GM vehicle equipped with OnStar.
A friend of mine was on the track with his new M3 and BMW SOS called him when he spun out, so it’s not just an onstar thing. In the case of this video, the Onstar module probably thought he got rear ended.
This is sort of like when you accidentally dial 911 on a residential land line and hang up. They might send police over to investigate if they hear the line get cut off quickly. Minor annoyance, but safer than sorry.
Well, I’m not philosophically opposed to an emergency system such as OnStar.
If it worked correctly, that is. And I don’t mean only on a mechanical basis. When the car calls the call center, somebody should have picked up. To me, this is just another GM failing to throw on the mountainous pile of past failings.
Some home alarm systems do a similar thing. SafeTouch is one example; it actually has a built-in comm system.
But dammit, they’d better pick up!
Forward G’s considerably more than what a stock vehicle is capable of is a good indicator that you’ve just been rear ended. And I’m failing to understand why such an event should lead an OnStar representative to believe that the owner had just been carjacked…
Let’s walk this through:
1) The car squeals that it’s moving “unusually”
2) You check the car status. It’s now stationary, and about 300 yards from where it was when it squealed – having been driven in a big circle to get back to that point.
3) You check the location – it’s a race track.
What should you, as an OnStar(tm)(r)(c) representative, do?
“What should you, as an OnStar(tm)(r)(c) representative, do?”
F.O.A.D.
The system is optional and deactivates if you don’t renew the subscription after the trial period. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
Guess I fail to see the big issue here. Just another excuse to bust on GM possibly?
Very cool car and video though.
I’m not sure what the criticism is. Is it that Onstar is too sensitive and couldn’t tell the difference between a performance run and a crash, that it isn’t sensitive enough to distiguish between a performance run and a car jacking, or that it is a GM product?
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m not a fan of Onstar. Then again, I’m not a fan of ABS, ESC aor airbags. That being said, I’ve read several positive reviews about Onstar and in particular their turn-by-turn directions, and I know that Onstar is now available on cars other than those produced by GM so it could be just me. My dad loves the cell phone feature in his Buick.
Precisely why no OnStar in Corvette Z06/ZR1
@Bridge2farr,
I just returned from looking at a 2009 Z06 equipped with OnStar.
Errr, the “smart” thing to do would have been to deal with the first call, even as a “courtesy”.
The smarter thing to do would have been to alert OnStar first that you were “testing”.
Hennessey apparently aren’t competent enough to make the correct system modifications to match their “other” modifications. How can they claim to be a “tuner” of any credibility?
It’s the equivalent of “Yeah, we put 700hp in it but it overheats all the time now if you use it, but it’s got 700hp”. Mods that don’t deal with the car complete are half-arsed.
This says more about Hennessey than OnStar.
I’m not a big fan of OnStar…
I think it is way over priced and poorly implemented… but in this case it worked perfectly…
Lets say the CTS was stopped at a light and a 18 wheeler doing 80 slams into the back of the car..
What kind of G force would the CTS experience? Should it place a call for help?
Let me put it this way… If it hadn’t placed a call we would probably have a blog entry on how the system failed to call for help when it experienced a G force event that was clearly outside of the capability of the car.
Let us try to remember what Onstar really is: a
tracking device. And even if you don’t renew
your “subscription”, that doesn’t mean it fails
to work; it simply means that GM won’t send
help if you are in a crash (excellent basis for
a lawsuit, methinks).
I do subscribe to the idea of pulling the fuse
on it, if possible, but likely it isn’t on its
own circuit.
My new Nissan Xterra has an event data recorder
in it. I’d sure like to pull the plug on that.
My new Nissan Xterra has an event data recorder in it
Excellent. The next frontier in car safety!
Wouldn’t it be great if it where possible to tell that the car was stationary in the drinking establishment’s carpark for 4 hours before a fatal crash?
Wouldn’t it be great if it where possible to tell that the car’s driver goes everywhere at 20% over the speed limit, doesn’t stop at intersections etc?
People should welcome it, because those people would be denied insurance or pay their rightfully higher share. It MIGHT make them more responsible.
Every time I’ve looked at a GM vehicle, it never had enough “pros” to outweigh the “con” that is OnStar. Trouble is that like cancer, it’s becoming inextricable from the rest of the vehicle’s electronics, so simply “pulling the fuse” may someday soon be out of the question (and may violate the warranty).
Also, like cable TV in its infancy, it’s “optional”, but is trying to become something that the average driver can’t live without (literally).
Soon, insurance companies will offer discounts for OnStar-equipped vehicles; in the future, they will force the consumer’s hand by requiring it as a condition of (affordable) insurance, due to the company’s ability to glean information from it to deny insurance claims by placing the insured at fault.
So yeah, it’s like an axe – really great for cutting down trees, but…
I really like the OnStar in my vehicle, I just wish it wasn’t quite so expensive. I use the personal calling feature all the time, as well as the turn-by-turn navigation and concierge serivces. I hope I never need it in the case of an accident or theft, but it’s nice to know it’s there. It may be a little sensitive, but it probably needs to be in order to detect accidents. Overall I think OnStar gets a bad rap by people that don’t use it or live with it daily. I use it, and I love it.
I don’t see how this is the “downside of “OnStar.” Seemed like it worked correctly.
I’ve had it in two vehicles and I enjoy the service. If the directions and connections plan is too pricey, you can drop down without any problem. Plus, like nearly everything these days, the monthly subscription price is negotiable.
Again, this is just more ridiculous, short-sighted, GM-bashing. Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all have their own emergency service like OnStar, so the tin-foil hat people should start running for cover. The disease is spreading.
@Mikein08
Know the product first. When the subscription runs out, the OnStar module is disabled. You must go to a dealer to reenable it if you want it to work. Remember, cell phone numbers are tied to it, so it isn’t like OnStar just keeps it using those numbers.
@Author
First, the Caddy didn’t crash or brake violently; it merely accelerated like a Saturn V. Is it me, or is it disconcerting that OnStar is activated by forward thrust?
People do get rear ended from time to time. It might be useful to know when there is a forward thrust greater than what is expected.
If you don’t like the system, don’t renew it. This seems to be more GM bashing with other car companies offer a very similar, if not the exact same features.
Mikein08 :
Let us try to remember what Onstar really is: a
tracking device.
Let us also try to remember what OnStar really really is… it is a Cell phone that is integrated into your car… and your cell phone on your hip tracks you too…
And while you are busy worrying about that… consider that just about every car built since 1998 (with an OBDII system) has an event recorder in it… Actually most Air Bag deployment modules that date back to the 90’s will record the vehicles parameters at the time of air bag deployment. And YES, these black boxes have been used to deny insurance claims in several States.
So not only does your new Nissan Xterra have an event data recorder… but your 10 year old car probably does too.
Sorry, but you voice concern about GM’s “Big Brother” division, and then you ask why OnStar didn’t attempt to identify the speaker? Seems like a lose-lose kind of argument. Though I guess GM probably has a lot of those.
CamaroKid : Lets say the CTS was stopped at a light and a 18 wheeler doing 80 slams into the back of the car..
What kind of G force would the CTS experience? Should it place a call for help?
I estimate that it’s at least 300g. So yes, it should probably place a call with that impact, though an ambulance is likely unnecessary. At .99g, the driver is fine. That’s a light tap.