OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors[1] that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, emergency services, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, Canada, Chile,[2] China, Mexico, Europe, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

[3] A similar service known as "Vauxhall/Opel OnStar" was available in western Europe and "ChevyStar" in Latin American markets (except in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina).

It provides some of the features an OEM system has, such as Automatic Crash Response, Stolen Vehicle Tracking, Turn-by-Turn Navigation, and Roadside Assistance.

[7] Drivers and passengers can use its audio interface to contact OnStar representatives for emergency services, vehicle diagnostics and directions.

[citation needed] This Advanced Automatic Collision Notification service is designed to assist emergency response efforts.

The service is also expected to help reduce the risk of property damage, serious injuries or fatalities resulting from high-speed pursuits of stolen vehicles.

[14] In June 2022, GM began to include a three-year, prepaid OnStar and Connected Services premium subscription as a standard option on Buick, Cadillac, and GMC models, at a value of US$1,500.

In 1996, GM North America Operations President Rick Wagoner officially launched OnStar at the Chicago Auto Show.

Customers who purchased a prepaid, non-refundable, non-transferable 1-year OnStar Safe & Sound subscription were scheduled to receive an equipment upgrade.

[17] A law firm in Pennsylvania representing some of the affected customers sought to have a class certified for a class-action lawsuit for damages claimed in the cancellation of OnStar service.

[18] On December 19, 2011, GM said OnStar would join with Verizon Wireless to offer video chat and streaming content to automobile passengers.

[20] The Guardian app uses sensors in the phone, such as the accelerometer and the GPS receiver, to provide some traditional OnStar services (e.g., automatic crash notification), regardless of the vehicle in which the user is riding.

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

It can provide most traditional OnStar services, including a WiFi hotspot (additional data plan required), though not Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, Hands-Free Calling, Turn-by-Turn Navigation, or Send-to-Navigation.

In September 2021, GM notified owners of certain pre-2015 model-year vehicles in the United States that their factory-installed OnStar equipment will become obsolete and non-functional after December 2022.

Automatic Crash Response allows emergency advisors to provide emergency medical services (EMS) with additional crash information such as rollover status, direction of impact, which airbags have deployed (front, side etc.,) and the Delta-V (change in velocity) Force which is a medical measure of the intensity of an impact.

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.risks forum.

However, the FBI has denied the ability to use this as it disables OnStar's safety features, as determined by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

[27] In its document of privacy practices, OnStar states that it is not possible for them to listen to or monitor conversations in a car without the knowledge of the occupant.

[28] 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 (possibly insurance companies).

[30] A few weeks later, after outcry from subscribers and privacy advocate groups,[31] OnStar reversed the decision[32] to continue collecting information from unsubscribed units.

Instead, the system included sensors that detected irregular movement of the mirror and triggered a call to the OnStar emergency response center.

In this classic man-in-the-middle attack, Kamkar, or any unauthorized user, could substitute his OnStar commands to locate, unlock, or start the vehicle.

By August 11, General Motors had released upgrades to the OnStar server software and RemoteLink app to block such attacks.

The 4G LTE adapter will also provide a wireless Wi-Fi Internet connection, similar to that of the embedded OnStar systems found in newer General Motors vehicles.