OnStar launches remote ignition block

24 Jul 2009

Expanding its Stolen Vehicle Assistance services, OnStar provides a new technology that will enable the remote shutdown of a stolen vehicle.

Remote Ignition Block allows an OnStar Advisor to send a remote signal to a subscriber's stolen vehicle preventing it from restarting once the ignition is turned off. The process can only be activated by the subscriber reporting to the authorities that his vehicle has been stolen. Only if the the law enforcment authority confirms that the vehicle has indeed been stolen, OnStar is able to provide assistance. The system does not shut down a moving vehicle, but prevents it from restarting once the ignition has been switched off.

Building on OnStars's growing suite of Stolen vehicle Assistance services, which includes GPS technology that pinpoints a stolen vehicle's exact location and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown®, which can remotely slow a stolen vehicle to idle speed, OnStar will make Remote Ignition Block available on around two million select GM 2009 and 2010 model year vehicles in the US and Canada.

OnStar receives approximately 600 Stolen Vehicle Assistance requests from subscribers each month.