OnStar Expands Stolen Vehicle Services

OnStar has expanded its technology for recovering stolen vehicles by adding “Remote Ignition Block” to its menu of services. The company, which provides telematics services to over 5.5 million customers, and is available on 30 models of GM vehicles. OnStar already provides vehicle tracking when a vehicle is stolen, and last September introduced “Stolen Vehicle Slowdown” service, which allows a controlled end to a police “follow” or pursuit. The newest service allows an OnStar advisor to signal the vehicle, so it won’t start once the ignition is turned off. The technique avoids a sudden stop of the vehicle, but prevents the thief from moving the vehicle once they turn off the ignition. All the stolen vehicle services are available to law enforcement dispatchers once they’re able to confirm to OnStar that the vehicle was in fact stolen.