OnStar Set to Slow Down Your (Stolen) Ride

GM / OnStar announced plans to introduce a new service called Stolen Vehicle Slowdown where police could, after establishing a line of site with a stolen vehicle, request that OnStar send a remote signal to the vehicle that interacts with the Powertrain system to reduce engine power which will slow the vehicle down gradually.

Here's the full procedure for SVS:

• 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.

With turn by turn directions, SVS and OnStar's traditional offerings it sounds like some serious value is being added to the service. I received OnStar free for a year on my 2002 Viggen and I have to say I didn't find much to commend the product. When I tried to use the directions & connections feature the operator had a hard time figuring out where I was. Restaurant reservations and the like didn't go that smoothly either. My version of OnStar was analog so the calls were always scratchy and had a lot of static.

SVS will be available on roughly 1.7 million Model Year 2009 vehicles. Current pricing for OnStar is $18.95/mo $199/yr for basic service that does not feature directions and $28.90/mo $299/yr for the full boat service. You might be able to recoup some of that expense with an insurance discount.