# How does one disconnect GM's OnStar?



## polarzak

My vehicle came OnStar enabled and free for one year. I found the service to be of no use to me and did not renew it after the free year. If one read the privacy statement of OnStar, it USED to say the information collected would be kept private. They have now changed it, indicating they will collect your base location, where you have been, your speed, seat belt use, and god only know what else is being recorded, AND will SELL the information. Even if you do not pay for the service, the vehicle is still collecting data and sending it to OnStar. Frankly, I don't really give a hoot what they know about me and my driving habits, however it galls me that more of the "big brother" effect is kicking in, and I really want nothing to do with it. :furious:How can I disconnect OnStar without any negative effect on the vehicle operation (not sure if it would or not) . I believe it is the unit in the trunk, bolted to the upper deck...can I just disconnect all wiring to it, and that would be it???? Fuse maybe although I didn't see one in the manual.

Thanks for your help.


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## Mr Chips

On most cars they used to put in the trunk, many times right behind back seat. not sure if that's changed over the years. if there is a wire harness that plugs in that can easily be unplugged, give it a try. i can't imagine you'd do any harm

If you just want to disable the tracking portion, look for the gps antenna connection and just unplug it. probably a push-in or bnc connector . If you can't find in the trunk, might be in the dash, behind the stereo


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## ukrkoz

your SRS module will record a lot of info at any impact that trips bags also. Going to disconnect that too?


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## D-rock

Just be careful disconnecting the Onstar module. The computers talk to each other and if certain computers can not talk to the onstar, then it may not shut them down fully an can run down the battery. A dealership may be able to turn off the Onstar option so it dosen't think it should be there.


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## polarzak

ukrkoz said:


> your SRS module will record a lot of info at any impact that trips bags also. Going to disconnect that too?


ukrkoz, I respect you a lot from your knowledge in most of your answers that I have read. With your usual good advice, you generally have a little "bite" to your responses, that most people either ignore or it goes over their heads. My SRS module is different than OnStar...I know the difference. It seems you do not if you read my post. SRS is not sold, it is may be used in court cases, but it is not sold... Perhaps a little less bitterness or whatever would be beneficial.
Frankly I thought YOU would be so much against "big brother" because your general replies seem to be against dealers, government, and are probably living somewhere in a cabin in the Ozarks with M-16s waiting for the agents.:no::laughing:


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## polarzak

D-rock said:


> Just be careful disconnecting the Onstar module. The computers talk to each other and if certain computers can not talk to the onstar, then it may not shut them down fully an can run down the battery. A dealership may be able to turn off the Onstar option so it dosen't think it should be there.


Thanks...D-rock..I think I will test it out on my wife's car. She has the same setup. OnStar knows what her tire pressure is, and probably the weight of the groceries she has in the trunk:no:. I will unplug the device, with her approval, and get back to all to let anyone searching to know if it does or does not have an effect on the vehicle.


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## ukrkoz

no, I read your posts. SRS module records a lot of "last moment" information before impact. If you want to mention Big Brother watching, then keep in mind, that SRS module will record at least your speed at the impact moment, and if you were accelerating or braking. Logically, if you do not want to have any data available to any people in any situations - OnStar is not the only one saving them.


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## Marqed97

I can tell you that in a Ford you can unplug the GPS transceiver. It's usually separate as it must have a more or less line of sight to function. No GPS, no position/speed/etc info. Will not affect other systems except satellite radio.


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## ukrkoz

so, if you have 94 and younger GM (and I know my Toyota is same way)...... here's a black box not many know about

The Automotive “Black Box”
Before deciding on automotive accident fault be sure to consider the possibility of the
electronic witness present in most General Motors and select Ford and Isuzu cars.
Since 1994, GM vehicles have been equipped with a Sensing and Diagnostic Module
(SDM) acting like a “Black Box” responsible for recording Crash Data and controlling air
bag deployment. Valuable vehicle data and switch conditions are stored for the critical
seconds before and following a crash event on the air bag module’s EEPROM.
There are two types of SDM recorded events (air bag Non-Deployment and Deployment). A Non-Deployment
event is significant enough to “wake up” or trigger the sensing algorithm but not severe enough to deploy or
fire any air bags. The module records Pre-Crash and Post-Crash data. The SDM can eraseably store
information for one Non-Deployment Event. The Non-Deployment data can be overwritten by an event that
has a greater SDM recorded velocity change (Delta-V) or will be cleared by the SDM after the ignition has
been cycled 250 times (about 60 days of normal driving).
The second type of SDM recorded crash event is an air bag Deployment Event. The module also maintains
Pre-Crash and Post-Crash data. The SDM can permanently store up to two different Deployment Events, if
they occur within five seconds of one another. The first deployment event will be stored in the deployment file
(this would have been the event that deployed the air bag) and the second Deployment Event will be stored in
the Near Deployment file. Deployment events cannot be overwritten or cleared from the SDM, thus once the
SDM has deployed the air bag, the SDM must be replaced.
Depending on the specific vehicle any or all of the following information is available:
- Vehicle speed (5 seconds before impact) - Engine speed (5 seconds before impact)
- Brake status (5 seconds before impact) - Throttle position (5 seconds before impact)
- State of driver's seat belt switch (On/Off) - SIR Warning Lamp status (On/Off)
- Passenger's air bag enabled or disabled state - Ignition cycle count at event time
- Time from vehicle impact to air bag deployment - Ignition cycle count at investigation
- Maximum ΔV for non-deployment event - ΔV vs. time for frontal air bag deployment event
- Time from vehicle impact to time of maximum ΔV - Time between non-deploy and deploy event
The SDM may be accessed and read by the Vetronix Crash Data Retrieval system. If the vehicle's electrical
system is operational, data can be read by connecting to the vehicle's Data Link Connector (DLC). The DLC
is located underneath the dash by the steering column, and is used by technicians to communicate with the
vehicle's on-board computer. If the vehicle's electrical system is not operational, then SDM data can be read
by connecting directly to the air bag module whether in or out of the vehicle through interface cables and an
external power supply.
The Crash Data stored in the SDM is utilized for many purposes by:
- Accident Reconstructionists - Law Enforcement - Insurance Adjusters
- Automobile Manufacturers - Vehicle Fleet Managers - Others
- NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) - NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
The readable Sensing & Diagnostic Module (SDM), “Black Box,” could yield vital information regarding Precrash,
Crash, and Non-Deployment events. Florida Forensic Engineering, Inc. owns and employs the Vetronix
Crash Data Retrieval system to obtain this valuable data for vehicle accident analysis.
Elliot L. Stern, PhD, PE
Florida Forensic Engineering, Inc
www.FlaForEng.com


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## D-rock

ukrkoz said:


> no, I read your posts. SRS module records a lot of "last moment" information before impact. If you want to mention Big Brother watching, then keep in mind, that SRS module will record at least your speed at the impact moment, and if you were accelerating or braking. Logically, if you do not want to have any data available to any people in any situations - OnStar is not the only one saving them.



I think the "bite" he is talking about is the smart azz attitude found in some of your posts. He was asking about Onstar and you threw out your SRS unit disconnect comment.


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## polarzak

D-rock said:


> I think the "bite" he is talking about is the smart azz attitude found in some of your posts. He was asking about Onstar and you threw out your SRS unit disconnect comment.


Exactly...Seems I am not the only one who has noticed. Thanks D-rock.
Anyway, I disconnected the antenna..it is now collecting but not sending.
Once people learn about OnStar collecting and selling....class action suits will prevail.


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## Marqed97

Glad to hear the antenna disconnect worked for you. I get leery of folks wanting to unplug whole modules in newer vehicles because unless you have the network layout schematics, you don't know which modules serve as 'network bridges'. The average new car has 4 or 5 different types of network, and some modules serve as a transition point. IE, disconnect the RCM (airbag module), and you may lose certain functions of the Instrument Cluster, and so on. Just unplugging an antenna usually won't affect anything except sat radio and navigation.


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## Marqed97

Thought OP might find this of interest. In my morning paper there's a story from the AP out of New York involving a few senators that are investigating GM and On Star for.... Selling information about customers after the subscription ended.


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## polarzak

ukrkoz said:


> so, if you have 94 and younger GM (and I know my Toyota is same way)...... here's a black box not many know about
> 
> The Automotive “Black Box”
> 
> The readable Sensing & Diagnostic Module (SDM), “Black Box,” could yield vital information regarding Precrash,
> Crash, and Non-Deployment events. Florida Forensic Engineering, Inc. owns and employs the Vetronix
> Crash Data Retrieval system to obtain this valuable data for vehicle accident analysis.
> Elliot L. Stern, PhD, PE
> Florida Forensic Engineering, Inc
> www.FlaForEng.com


I am aware of the so called "black box", and have no animosity towards it all. I mentioned in my post that particular information is used diagnostics and court cases and as far as I know it is not sold. As a matter of fact I read in the paper some time ago about a fellow in Quebec that had and accident and the cops said he was speeding. A dump of the "black Box" info, proved he was actually going under the speed limit. So I do not have an issue with it.
I do have an issue with OnStar "SELLING" information to third parties. Example, my wife goes to the a particular grocery store twice a week, suddenly she starts getting phone calls from a competitor about their special sales. :furious: Probably not the best example, but I think you understand my concern. Collect the information you want, just don't sell it and then flood me with advertising or other junk phone calls. Anyway, there is no antenna connection now, so screw off OnStar. :thumbup:


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## Mr Chips

polarzak said:


> Collect the information you want, just don't sell it and then flood me with advertising or other junk phone calls.:thumbup:


I kinda have the opposite feeling: I've accepted the fact that I'm going to be flooded with advertising and phone calls regardless, so at least let it be for products & services I might actually want


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## polarzak

Mr Chips said:


> I kinda have the opposite feeling: I've accepted the fact that I'm going to be flooded with advertising and phone calls regardless, so at least let it be for products & services I might actually want


If that were the case, I would be fine with it. sadly, once your name and number is out there, I am sure 90% of the calls would not interest you. I love the call I get from "Mocrosoft"..."You have a "WIRIS" on you computer. I will fix". or the one that starts will a ship's horn and says "This is the Captain, you have won a cruise" Azzholes....annoying azzholes.


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## Mack daddy

polarzak said:


> My vehicle came OnStar enabled and free for one year. I found the service to be of no use to me and did not renew it after the free year. If one read the privacy statement of OnStar, it USED to say the information collected would be kept private. They have now changed it, indicating they will collect your base location, where you have been, your speed, seat belt use, and god only know what else is being recorded, AND will SELL the information. Even if you do not pay for the service, the vehicle is still collecting data and sending it to OnStar. Frankly, I don't really give a hoot what they know about me and my driving habits, however it galls me that more of the "big brother" effect is kicking in, and I really want nothing to do with it. :furious:How can I disconnect OnStar without any negative effect on the vehicle operation (not sure if it would or not) . I believe it is the unit in the trunk, bolted to the upper deck...can I just disconnect all wiring to it, and that would be it???? Fuse maybe although I didn't see one in the manual.
> 
> Thanks for your help.


Do not disconnect the entire unit.. If you just want to disable the tracking system, it's easy to get around.. One the back side of the unit, it's called the BIU.. The one with the buttons on it.. Pull it out and unplug the antenna from it.. Your service light will turn red instead of green and will disable the tracking system. It will not have any other affect on any other components this way..


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## tmaster

polarzak said:


> Exactly...Seems I am not the only one who has noticed. Thanks D-rock.
> Anyway, I disconnected the antenna..it is now collecting but not sending.
> Once people learn about OnStar collecting and selling....class action suits will prevail.


Disconnecting the antenna will not stop onstar reporting your data.

Why because in high signal areas it doesn't need a antenna to see the cell tower. Also Onstar is just a cell phone and cellpones vary power output depending on what the cell site tells it to transmit so if you unplug the antenna it will use more power to up its signal output. It may also keep trying over and over to reach the tower and run down your battery at night.

Do not just unplug the antenna!
What you need to do is unplug the first power plug killing power to the unit. 

When unplugged the green light on the right of you mirror will l go out.

If you unplug the antenna and the light is green then it is still reporting. It may also still be reporting if the light is red as I think red shows no GPS signal.

Just because you have no GPS signal does not stop tracking and reporting because tracking location is also be done by cell tower sites.:whistling2:


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## tmaster

Mack daddy said:


> Do not disconnect the entire unit.. If you just want to disable the tracking system, it's easy to get around.. One the back side of the unit, it's called the BIU.. The one with the buttons on it.. Pull it out and unplug the antenna from it.. Your service light will turn red instead of green and will disable the tracking system. It will not have any other affect on any other components this way..


Thats wont stop tracking. The cell unit doesn't need an antenna in high signal areas to report it will work with no antenna. and tracking can be done by cell tower triangulation. So even tho they cant get your exact location they will know it withing 5 or 10 miles.

The only way to disable all reporting is to unplug the unit. 

Also uplugging the antenna will increase cell transmit power output.


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## Gracflbatlmadn

:surprise:Also something you all need to know is that others with outside of the US companies individuals can tap into your onstar and hear every word you speak if its hooked up. So this is worse than all the whining and fussing your all doin about a company tracking your stuff. Now anyone can tap into it. ANd for a low price too. :vs_cool:


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## jimn

All that info is recorded in the black box in your car in any event. In any car. A lot of stuff is in your cell phone as well. Before we had smart phones, I used my OnStar a lot for calling etc. it also allowed tracing of stolen cars, allowed OnStar to unlock my car several times and reported and attempted theft. Alas when that car was totaled in an accident one morning, the cops were there from the OnStar call before I could clear my head and realize what was going on. If you are worried about privacy in this age, drop cable/dish, your computer, cell phone , buy a bicycle etc. Google knows more about you than you would ever even like to think about. Much more than the Feds I expect .


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## SeniorSitizen

I can say from experience Onstar sells mileage information to Hartford Insurance. They attempted to raise our premium rate with that info. and got dropped like a hot potato.


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## polarzak

jimn01 said:


> . Google knows more about you than you would ever even like to think about. Much more than the Feds I expect .


Not me. I don't use Google. It is simply spyware. There are plenty of better search engines, some of which delete their server info every night. As for disconnecting all of my entertainment, etc., I am not a nutcase. Sure data about me is being collected all the time, however I am not going to make it easy for them. Data thieves just love people like you who make their job so easy.


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## polarzak

SeniorSitizen said:


> I can say from experience Onstar sells mileage information to Hartford Insurance. They attempted to raise our premium rate with that info. and got dropped like a hot potato.


They sell everything. Good for you for for dropping them. My wife had free OnStar on her new vehicle. Once the trial was up, she received an email asking her to re subscribe. She wrote back that she was not interested. In about a month she started getting spam emails from various companies trying to sell her something. Coincidence? I doubt it. Sure we are being tracked, monitored, folded, and spindled, however some of us don't like it, and do our best to fight it as best as we can.


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## ZTMAN

Noting saying you have to give these people accurate contact info. When I activate one and done things like ON STAR, an e mail goes down on the paper, but its not mine.


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## cjm94

Same with phone numbers...someone gets a ton of calls looking for me I always change the last number.


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## Dragfluid

Just wrap the whole car in aluminum foil.:whistling2:


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