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Gee, thanks, GM! - Onstar analog to go silent
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I never attacked GM workers. That is a bit harsh to say that. If GM is working people 68 hrs a week, they need to find more workers. We do not ask our folks to work in those conditions except in rare circumstances....it is not good for anyone. Fact is, when you do that, you loose a lot of productivity and it becomes dangerous too. I, for one, have always personally supported labor in this country and there is lot we need to do to prevent jobs from moving overseas.
I apologize for bringing this conversation in a direction not intended.
As far as the local Saab dealer laughing at me, I have already talked to them about the issue and they have no answers, but I don't recall them laughing.
Here is my gripe.....GM owes me NOTHING for any service I paid for and did not get. But, I did pay to have On Star equipped on my car. When they did so, they did not tell me that the equipment would be obsolete in a few years. Now I just have useless buttons that do nothing. That is why I am irked.
Will I ever get anything from them? Nope....not one penny. But, I can choose to spend my money where I want.
I loved the OnStar service...one of the reasons why we bought what we bought. Now I am just left hanging. Not very good for OnStar brand imaging.
What about 1998 to 2001 GM vehicles? I was offered the $2000 Onstar option in June of 1998 on my Suburban. We knew at Cellular ONE in 1995 when we installed the first analog cell site in the Arctic, that analog was going away soon. Now it is 12 years later and it has not gone yet.
If you have service that is prepaid that will no longer be available. I say you have a right to a refund.
I thought I read someone's post that GM does have a digital upgrade for the analog only systems.
On Star does owe the money for unused minutes, and for any prepaid service beyond 12/31/07 that can't be used because of the analog service being dropped. If the people that bought the minutes elected to discontinue On Star service it's one thing but they are being shut off against their wishes. I know some people that have paid 2 or 3 years in advance to get a better rate that no are being shut off, those people didn't know that this was going to happen or they wouldn't have purchased the service so far in advance. They deserve their money back the $500 new car voucher is a slap in the face to those that are being cut off and prepaid.
If you have prepaid minutes or service beyond 12/31/07 they owe you the prorated amount of your remaining service and minutes and nothing more.
The SAAB dealer comment I made was in response to your rolling into the dealer on 1/2/08 with a warranty claim for the On Star not working. They might not laugh at you while your standing there but a chuckle or to will be heard after you're gone.
Have you looked to see if a newer car of the same model as yours has digital ready box? It would have to be the same exact car only newer, not a redesigned model bearing the same name. I doubt that GM or the dealer would sanction trying this because you would be putting equipment that was not approved for your car. if you have an '02 and they changed the car in '05 I bet the '04 model has a digital ready unit that would work in your car. This might be the only way to keep your On Star, but neither the dealer, On Star or GM would pay for the box or the installation. Before going out and buying an On Star box I would try a local salvage yard to see if they have a Hollander book that would show the interchange of the parts from one car to another. If the '04 is known to be digital ready and the book says it fits it should work. I would buy a used unit from the salvage yard so that you are not out a bunch of money. If you install the unit yourself the dealer will still have to contact On Star and set up the new box, like if they had to replace a defective unit and perform the digital upgrade if needed also.
I still take your previous comments as an attack on the UAW workers, it was stated like we are the reason that GM won't fix the Os Star issue, and that's not the truth. Just like the statements on how much the boiler operators make, and that GM pays UAW workers to cut the grass for $100K/yr each. If you don't know, and you admitted that you don't, keep your comments to yourself and state what you need to and let the chips fall. Don't come out here and try to slander and or ruin the lively hood of the the workers because you have a couple dead buttons on the dash. Your issues are with GM and On Star not the workers so keep them out of it!
GM does indeed have labor issues they may certainly not be the reason that my OnStar quit working, but when $2500 or so from each sale is used to pay benefits for retirees, that can't last forever (as reported in numerous places in the press). The Big Three are all hurting...GM is not alone. The market itself is a paradox. Each company struggles to be innovative in a landscape where differentiation is difficult and brand image is EVERYTHING. The consumer is loosing loyalties they once had and are being pulled by "deals" and "offers" that are ultimately bad for the company in the first place.
Then along comes OnStar. The commercials are great....they tell the story with real-life situations. GM actually found a service that real people will pay money for.....not a give a way....a marketers dream.
I have a close friend. His daughter at 18 years old was killed in a car accident on an icey road in a rural area. It was a single car accident. She hit her head and because no one found her for 5 hours hours, she died......but only after being at the hospital. His cars all have OnStar now, but he finds himself in the same situation as many of us.
While GM and the FCC are fighting (even if they still are), the consumer that was roped-in to a great service, has now been left in the lurch. "OnStar....always there" just is not true for some of us.
Brand image is everything and On Star has lost a lot of ground with many people.
I paid for OnStar just as someone would a sunroof. My car is under warranty and neither my sunroof or the On Star work. While you can't blame the radio for not working if the radio station no longer broadcasts, in the case of OnStar, GM ownes the station as well.
GM....you could have had a customer for life with me and my kids.
But, to me "On Star...always there....maybe" is now more the truth.
And, as for the phone charges, just call ON-STAR and they will rather rudely inform you that prepaid telephone minutes are non-refundable regardless of the cut-off. And, when asked how they are able to make such a decision in good conscience, they have the nerve to indicate that they informed every customer buying minutes they would have to be used by 12/31/07 or they would be lost. It took me two steps up the ladder before a "supervisor" agreed to credit back my unused minutes as an "exception/favor to me" because the policy is clear and will be enforced - no refunds of unused minutes...well, just think of the 400,000 (+/-) customers out of the 2,000,000 (+/-) who fully maintained their ON-STAR services and telephone service and the number of combined minutes they likely have and the combined refunds that this would require...? I think I see a pattern here - if it will cost the company additional money and effort to do the right thing, then the answer is to not do the right thing and then deal with the few disgruntled customers that are willing to escalate the issue.
Thus, not disclosing to us what they knew at the time we purchased our vehicles -that we would involuntarily lose our service on 12.31.07 due to having non-convertible analog only systems denied us the option of choosing to purchase anyhow, postpone our purchase or not purchase at all...which was not an acceptable option to GM. It was therefore determined by management it would be better to deal with discontent years after having made the sale than being truthful on the front end and perhaps losing the sale or having it postponed until the convertible units were available.
Thus, when people call for refunds of minutes, tell them they are non-refundable and then deal with the few who take it up the ladder.
And, when the class action is initiated, the cost of settlement will be less than the cost of having lost the sales on the front end in 2002 and 2003 if they told the truth back then and it is always better to pay a little later than it is to pay more on the front end.
Who knew? GM/ON-STAR knew that's who. And they did the math and they realized that a screwed customer in 2007 is better than a lost customer in 2002/2003. Who knew? GM Knew, that's who.
It is not about GM's organized labor - I would more easily trust them to do the right thing than I would management. And, it is not about having no option - GM had already created the fix and then denied it to most of us in 2002 and 2003. And, it is not about the rapid pace of changes in technology - the analog to digital transformation was a long time in coming and GM had ample opportunity to create the convertible system for the vast majority if not all of its OnStar customers.
So, let us not get distracted by heated rhetoric and side issues. Who knew? ON-STAR/GM knew....that's who.
Which digital system do you suppose they should have installed? GSM, G3, TDMA, CDMA, CDMA2000 Layer 3, or whatever the latest and greatest might be?
Onstar is just a user of the cellular network. GM was just as much at a loss as to who would end up on top as we as a rural cellular company. We made the wrong choice and ended up having to buy a whole new $million system to be compatible with the phones that were being sold. No matter which digital system they chose it was a gamble 5 years ago.
For those who are making a big deal out of this: do you know that your old TV will stop working in about 1 more year? who are you going to sue over that?
But, still a reasonable analogy and don't think there won't be legal action about this as well. Keep in mind that people generally sue for 4 factors:
1 - How much pain/grief was caused
2 - How much they think can win
3 - What are the chances of winning
4 - Or, do folks just want to "stick" it to someone
I don't think many people care that much about the TV issue, but you never know.
There is a way to handle this mess....all GM needs to do is refund all owners of vehicles that were equipped with OnStar but that now can not be upgraded at a cost of $850 less a fair depreciation rate. I have a 2003. I would be willing to bet (though have not checked) that the KBB probably adds $150 to $250 to the fair market value of my vehicle. That is all I am looking for. Additionally, anyone that has unused minutes or paid for services in advance should be refunded.
GM offerred me two years free services on a new car. A reasonable financial offer, but I don't think anyone should be forced into buying a new car.
GM is handling this issue the way the Big 3 has done work since the exploding Pinto.....Risk Analysis. The problem with Risk Analysis is that it is hard to capture the impact of things like consumer loyalty.
I currently own a Chysler, a Ford, and a GM product. I never owned anything but these brands. But when my Honda-Loving boss takes a ride in my car like he did a few weeks ago and said "hey, what do these buttons do?"...all I can say is "nothing".
Well you need to watch what the press says as well. I've seen $1500 per car all the way up to $3000 a car for health care so obvious the large difference between the numbers I've seen in the press wouldn't be credibile. The bottom line is GM, did not fully fund the employees pension plans and future healthcare costs. They got behind on their obligation and tacked it on to cost of labor to slander and fire up the anti-union folks in the public to win support. I've seen reports from the media saying UAW workers are making $65, $70, $75, $85, $88, $90, $95 dollars an hour in different news articles over the last couple of years.
The bottom line is the VEBA takes care of the healthcare obligations at GM, and the the new two-tired wage system has replaced a lot of high-paid autoworker jobs. They are making half the money and do not have a define benefit plan.
As some have said in the past and that is our future especially my generation and younger will not even come close to having it as good as our parents generation.
Well I do hope you can get your Onstar, issue resolved !!!!
-Rocky
My understanding is that if your onstar can be upgraded, the cost is $15. Some 2002's are upgradeable, more 2003-2004's are. I assume that anyone who wants to upgrade already subscribes to onstar. Anyone buying a used car that wants onstar should be aware (but of course they are probably blissfully unaware).
I'm sorry to hear about your friends daughter, but how mad would he have been if her car did have On Star, but it was the analog system and she was in a digital only zone? He paid for the service and when it was really needed it didn't work. I'm pretty sure there would be a lawsuit, I would sue if that happened to me. Now that the FCC said that the cell companies don't have to repair the analog network unless they see fit to do so On Star can't tell you when or where outages will be because they can be random, and some areas might not ever be fixed. That's the reason On Star can't continue service to analog only equipped vehicles. It's too big of a liability and they can't risk the company on unreliable service form the cell companies. They are taking a huge hit with the decision not to keep analog only cars, but with everyone so sue happy nowadays keeping analog was going to be a huge risk that had the potential to cripple or bankrupt the company. As a person with a business degree you have to understand how this works.
I have never needed or used any of the features enough to want to renew, the hands free calling is cool, but the voice recognition was a pain sometimes and the minutes are expensive compared to normal cell phone charges. I carry an extra key with me so the most used On Star feature is not my concern.
That would be me. On my 2005 GMC PU I was never able to activate it. I tried two times in that year to get through for activation. Got no answer and gave up. I think it is a waste of money.
The main reason Analog service was phased out is bandwidth. Depending on the type of cellular service, you can get 12 or more conversations in the same bandwidth used for one analog call. You cannot offer any of the fancy text, GPS and picture services with analog. It is strictly for voice.
This talk of suing is crazy. When Verizon and at&t Wireless discontinue analog will these people sue Nokia or Motorola because their cell phone quits working?
As for the comments regarding which digital system...that is why I limited my remarks to the 2002 vehicle years forward...because from 2002 forward, GM knew the system and in fact was installing it in certain makes and models...just not in either of mine. And, yes...therein lies the risk analysis - the "math". And yes, as with many large entrenched institutional businesses, the "math" often fails to take into account the less quantifiable issues of customer loyalty.
Yes, I know that the OnStar system is in some ways just a glorified hands free cell phone system. And if that is all that it was for, I probably would not have maintained my subscription at 216.00/year per vehicle or even cared if I had the OnStar system. However, my upgrading of vehicles is more a matter of keeping up with safety technologies. And, OnStar provided me with another layer of safety. My family is priceless to me. I bought the Subaru VDC to replace a Volvo wagon in order to gain the variable dynamic control and all-wheel drive and OnStar...a great package of safety features. I bought my suburban to replace my older suburban to gain better safety including OnStar. I am in a position to be able to afford to do this. I understand that I can lose my family to accidents and I am willing to do the most I can to avoid this from happening to the extent it is possible, within reason and without slipping into paranoia. Lots can happen and safer autos is one way to reduce the odds/potential of this happening on the road. So, again, by way of review....
- 400,000 is a small fraction of total OnStar analog installed vehicles that were produced.
- by the 2002 model year, GM could have installed convertable systems into every vehicle they were producing.
- by failing to inform their prospective customers of their inability to continue to have peaceful and full enjoyment of the OnStar system beyond 2007 (which they knew a at the time of sale), they basically defrauded and damaged every customer, who given the information would have made a different choice.
And, their reason for not equipping every vehicle with convertible systems from 2002 forward and for not disclosing/telling every prospective customer of the limitations of the analog only systems was the preservation of sales and profits and the elimination of any additional expenses.
I could have easily afforded to wait. I would have waited. I was buying the safety features and OnStar was a big part of my buying decision in the purchase of both my 2002 Suburban and my 2003 Subaru Outback VDC. Thus, I honestly believe that I was a victim of fraud by deliberate omission and I have been damaged by this decision...their money over the safety of my family...GM can do the math on how that makes me feel...
So, who knew? GM knew...that's who!
If you feel that strongly about Onstar, will you buy a new model with the latest Onstar technology?
As far as the figures discussed earlier, these are reported figures and easy to calculate just by looking at an annual report. It is a mere fact of dividing the amount spent on retiees and dividing by the number of units sold. I think the descrepency in figures is due to what is being calculated. Is it medical bennefits? Is it total retiree bennefits?
Want to blame someone? How about the investors. GM is a public company which forces GM to make decisions in support of a stock price. US investors are short-sided and always looking for a quick buck.
Now, here is a little Business 101....it is not always about the dollars...it is about doing the right thing, protecting the brand, and ensuring a timely, quality product that meets the desires of the consumers. Sometimes doing the right thing costs more now, but pays-off later.
I fond this online....not sure if it is accurate, but reports to be GM's mission statement:
"G.M. is a multinational corporation engaged in socially responsible operations, worldwide. It is dedicated to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stock-holders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment."
It is crisp and to the point. Is the last statment more of a bennefit or a hinderance to the organization?
GM is a mere reflection of the problems of many business today...they certainly do not stand alone. I will stop here because this is a topic for another forum.
The second incident occurred while I was in a drive-thru (defective battery again on my '06 Impala). So...as for depending on the nifty feature of emergency crews showing up at your crash site without your input, you might want to be sure you crash in a totally unsecluded area without trees or other obstructions. I know I don't have a secure feeling regarding the OnStar GPS system.
Also, of note, is that the GPS system only works if there is cell coverage in your current location. If not, not only will you not get emergency services, but you won't get the friendly voice asking if you're OK. Don't get me wrong, I still subscribe and suggest my sisters do the same, but I don't have a lot of trust in the system. For all who read this and are current subscribers, I would suggest verifying your GPS is working by making a call to the OnStar operators and have them tell you where you're located. You might be surprised! :P :sick:
As for the changing technology, I believe it is a raw deal although I understand that times change. Concerning the refusal to refund prorated fees, that's absolutely unascceptable. I had my own concerns about the changing technology long ago but could not get an answer from anyone at OnStar about it. I made the assumption that my old '02 car was analog based on the reception and call quality. BTW, that call quality had already begun to degrade in '05.
Regarding the analogy about TV signals, I'm willing to bet more people have heard about it than have heard about the OnStar switch. I knew about the TV switchover through TV news reports (which you can receive for free) and any electronics store employee would likely have the information. I PAY a lot of money for OnStar and my car (OnStar nor my salesman had a clue) but couldn't get an answer when I asked a DIRECT question. How is THAT a fair analogy? :mad:
I have wondered about that. I cannot imagine needing such a service in the city. Yet you do not have to get far out of many towns to lose Verizon Cell service. I think the digital Onstar will be sub standard to the old analog system. It is probably in GM's best interest to just phase it completely out.
When you find yourself broke down in the desert and it is 120 degrees and your trusty Onstar has no service you will probably wonder why you wasted the money.
In my mind the right thing to do would be to come up with some kind of digital to analog converter, but how that would integrate into the system is beyond me. I don't even know if that is possible with today's technology, but in the next year the cable and TV companies are going to have to figure it out, in '09 TV is going all digital and they have to come up with something to keep all the old TVs working. Maybe there can be some type of borrowed technology from that to make an adapter to retro fit into the analog cars. It would have to be something between the antenna and the module it's the only way it can be affordable for On Star to develop. You only have so many cars effected and that limits a production run of the adapter boxes to make, so the cost for development and manufacture will have to be extremely low budget or the cost will be to high and the people won't buy it.
It has to be a universal adapter because each module is integrated into the car a different way and installed in a different location. It's not feasible for them to redesign a box for each of the 35 or so models effected. A model by model fix would be a much more expensive for the end user, and that's who would pay for it. Are you willing to shell out $400 for a digital box? You know On Star will want one year up front to wave the $100 activation fee so it would cost around $600 per unit to do! I don't think the majority of the customers would pat that kind of money to keep On Star. When these cars were purchased On Star was an option so everyone already paid once. I didn't pick $400 out of the air either, that's how much it was just for the box w/o labor when the dealer had to replace the box in my '04 Yukon XL.
That is GM's mission statement, but it wasn't GM cutting the analog cord it's the cell providers. Since the cell providers won't be able to guarantee consistent analog service it's more responsible to shut down the analog On Star services than let people think it's all working, then when it's needed it's not there. Look up On Star's mission statement, because they are the ones making the call.
HDTV is a much simpler fix than the analog to digital cellular conversion. One is simplex (one direction) the other duplex (two way conversation). It looks like the consumer will have to buy a new TV or a digital to analog converter box.
On February 17, 2009, federal law requires that all full-power television broadcast stations stop broadcasting in analog format and broadcast only in digital format. Here’s what these requirements will mean for you and your television viewing.
If you have an analog television, you will have to purchase a digital-to-analog set-top converter box to attach to your TV set to be able to view over-the-air digital programming
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html
OnStar is also one of the best tools available that the government and big business could use to invade your privacy. In some cases, OnStar data has been used against the owner of the vehicle. Below are some examples of how data collected by the OnStar service and/or other devices similar to it in operation have been used:
OnStar data to be used in California courts and possibly elsewhere. Information is circulating on the Internet that tells you how to get at your OnStar unit and download its databank. This information can also be used by anyone else.
OnStar can be used to listen to all conversations within a vehicle, despite assertions by OnStar representatives to the contrary. A recent court decision has by the 9th Circuit Federal Appeals Court has declared this practice improper, but not for privacy reasons. The reasoning the Court relied upon was this: if the device is being used to spy on the occupants, it can't be used to make a call to emergency services. The Court sidestepped the entire privacy issue, and it is very likely that we will soon revisit this issue in Court.
http://www.onstarprivacy.com/
I suppose if I was a law abiding and my car was hit by a speeding drunk driver and technology could be used to prove the other driver was going fast, I would like this idea. Or, how about if my car was car-jacked with my kids in it.....I might be glad to know that the authorities to listen to what was going on in the car.
I am not really dissagreeing with you, but looking at the other side. It is always a trade-off. Personally, I am concerned about loosing personal liberaties, I just wish there was a way to better differentiate the good guys from the bad guys - lol
I already offereed what I thought was an ethical solution. My solution was a lot cheaper for GM and would demonstrate solid intent by GM.
If On Star is active the radio will not play, so the only way they would be able to listen and you not know about it is if you drive with the radio off.
If the digital is coming in at 5.7MHz and the analog is 900 MHz the box takes the digital in, converts it and kicks it out at 900 MHz analog. I don't know the actual frequency cell phones use, I just picked these as an example.
What I'm talking about is an adapter unit that would retrofit the older gen 1 units to convert a digital signal into analog. A one box fits all adapter for the gen 1 cars, this way they don't have to come up with a module that only works on one car because they all integrate into the electronics of each model different. A box from a Suburban will not plug into a Grand Am and work because it's integrated into the electronics differently.
The primary safety part of OnStar, which is the capability to call for help in the event of an accident is what is really lost. A cell phone can replace this function if someone in the car is still able to use the cell phone after an accident occures.
It seems to me that GM would design an upgrade if this was easy and cost effective. But there are limits to what OnStar is worth. If upgrading an old unit would cost $5000, how many of you would pay that much?
But, my primary beef is not with the phase out of analog but with the refusal to refund prepaid subscription fees and prepaid phone minutes that were purchased after the phase out was planned. I would be interested in knowing if anyone was advised when purchasing renewals for an analog system that the service would terminate prior to their subscription expiring. I'm betting they weren't. As I stated in an earlier post, not a lot of information is shared by the OnStar reps, even when asked a direct question. To that degree, this IS a scam. :mad:
Those people out there who think to bad you loose, have no idea what peace of mind can do where you are out on the road, with no(latest technology) phone service. My so called digital phone service is not reliable although it is the best nation wide coverage I can get. OnStar was there all the time...
Pretty much if you have a pig tail antenna on the back window or side glass of your vehicle it's analog only, it doesn't matter what year it is.
PARK4YOU - If On Star said it was digital capable then I would say that you should be able to get a refund of some type on the car from them. If the used car dealer told you it can be upgraded I would take it back and make them give you ALL your money towards a different car. You sound like you were looking for an On Star car for a reason and they wanted to dump this car on you to make a quick sale. If you called Buick I'm not sure what to say because they don't have a list of what can and can't be upgraded and should have given you the number for On Star or directed you to the website to enter the VIN and see if it was an option. There might be some kind of action you can take there but w/o a name operator ID and date of contact it would be hard to prove.
GM will not upgrade anything over a few years old because they know that the older vehicles will either be sold, traded or salvaged in short time. They are going to invest only in what will give them the most return. Yes! they could upgrade the older analog units, but that will not provide the same return that cranking out new vehicles and signing up new customers will provide.
THE BEST THING TO DO, if you need safety and security in your older car is: either install a full powered digital cell phone with an external antenna or purchase a bi-directional power amplifier for your hand held digital phone and connect it to an external antenna. This will enable you to connect in those areas that your handheld alone can't. If you are an AT&T subscriber, you can add roadside service that follows your phone nationwide for $2 a month
Examples? Pricing? Source?
Does it use the analoge antenna on the car already for OnStar?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I have installed a quite a few bi-directional dual band amplifiers. They generally cost about $400 for the amp and you would need an antenna for your band whether it is cellular or PCS. They generally stretch the range to about 50 miles from the cellsite depending on the terrain. You get better range with the Cellular 824-894 Mhz than the 1850-1990 Mhz networks. I don't know what range you can get with Onstar. I had it free for a year and never turned it on.
We bought our equipment from this company:
http://www.alternativewireless.com/cellular-antennas/wilson-antennas/wilson_cell- ular_amplifiers/
Models: 1999-2004 BUICK REGAL
1999-2005 BUICK CENTURY, PARK AVENUE
2000-2005 BUICK LESABRE
2002-2004 BUICK RENDEZVOUS
2004-2005 BUICK RAINIER
2005-2006 BUICK LACROSSE
2006 BUICK LUCERNE
1997-2004 CADILLAC SEVILLE
1997-2005 CADILLAC DEVILLE
1998-2001 CADILLAC CATERA
1998-2002 CADILLAC ELDORADO
1998-2006 CADILLAC STS
1999-2000 CADILLAC ESCALADE
2002-2004 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE EXT
2003-2005 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV
2003-2006 CADILLAC CTS
2004-2005 CADILLAC CTS-V, SRX, XLR
1998-2004 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO
1998-2005 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN
1999-2000 CHEVROLET LUMINA
1999-2001 CHEVROLET BLAZER
1999-2005 CHEVROLET VENTURE
1999-2006 CHEVROLET TAHOE
2000-2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
2000-2006 CHEVROLET IMPALA
2002-2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, TRAILBLAZER EXT
2002-2005 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER
2003-2004 CHEVROLET EXPRESS
2003-2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER
2004 CHEVROLET COLORADO
2004-2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU, MALIBU MAXX
2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX
2005-2006 CHEVROLET COBALT, CORVETTE
2006 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO
1999 GMC SIERRA, SUBURBAN
1999-2001 GMC JIMMY
1999-2005 GMC YUKON
2000 GMC YUKON DENALI
2000-2005 GMC YUKON XL
2001-2006 GMC SIERRA
2002-2004 GMC ENVOY XL
2002-2005 GMC ENVOY
2003-2004 GMC SAVANA
2004 GMC CANYON, ENVOY XUV
2003-2005 HUMMER H2
1998 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE
1999-2004 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA
2000-2002 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE
2000-2004 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE
2001-2003 OLDSMOBILE AURORA
2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO
1998-1999 PONTIAC TRANS SPORT
2000-2004 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX
2000-2005 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE, MONTANA
2001-2004 PONTIAC AZTEK
2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM
2003-2005 PONTIAC SUNFIRE
2005 PONTIAC G6, PURSUIT
2006 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX
2000-2004 SAAB 9-5
2000-2005 SAAB 9-3
2002-2004 SATURN LS, LW, VUE
2003-2004 SATURN ION
2006 SATURN VUE
This bulletin is being revised to correct the ‘Case Type’ in the Saturn ‘Claim Information’ table to ‘SP’. Please discard all copies of bulletin 08089, issued June 2008.
This Special Coverage bulletin is being administered in two phases. The first phase will consist of all U.S. and Canadian vehicles, except the Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles. The second phase will consist of all Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles. Dealers/retailers will be notified of the release of the second phase and a new bulletin will be published to include the service procedure for the Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles.
Condition
In November 2002, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that wireless carriers would no longer be required to support the analog wireless network beginning in 2008. As a result, On Star® is unable to continue analog service.
OnStar® has deactivated most of the systems operating in the analog mode; however, there are some vehicles that OnStar® could not deactivate. Although the analog OnStar® hardware in these vehicles can no longer communicate with OnStar®, the hardware in the vehicle is still active. If the OnStar® emergency button is pressed, or in the case of an airbag deployment, or near deployment, the customer may hear a recording that OnStar® is being contacted. However, since analog service is no longer available, the call will not connect to OnStar®. To end the call, the customer must press the white phone or white dot button. If the call is not ended, the system will continue to try to connect to OnStar® until the vehicle battery is drained.
Special Policy Adjustment
At the customer’s request, dealers/retailers are to deactivate the OnStar® system. The service will be made at no charge to the customer.
This special coverage covers the condition described above until December 31, 2008.