A question that canceled Onstar subscribers ask is whether Onstar can locate their car without a subscription. This question will come about due to different reasons. The first would be because of privacy concerns and the second would be to locate a missing or stolen chevy vehicle.
Regardless of the reason, you are asking the question, you want to establish if the service is cut off altogether once you stop paying your monthly subscriptions. So, what is the answer to that question?
Can Onstar Locate my Car Without Subscription?
In short, Yes, Onstar can locate your car if you stopped paying for your subscription unless you actively make a request to be removed completely from the service. The company says they maintain tacking in order to make it easier for someone to sign back onto the service.
What is Onstar and How Does it Work?
What exactly is Onstar and how does it work? Onstar is an onboard car system that offers tracking, navigation and related services. Among these is the ability to report to the command center when a vehicle has been involved in an accident and dispatch emergency services on your behalf.
It has a turn-by-turn GPS navigation system and other satellite-based services that you can subscribe for. Onstar has a $19 and $29 subscription.
When this subscription is not renewed, you lose access to the services they offer. The question though has been whether your vehicle can still be tracked after the subscription service has expired.
In response to this issue, the company communicated that a car will indeed still be tracked even if the subscription is not paid up. This has raised some concerns with some consumers who say that it violates their privacy.
In response, Onstar representatives said that the tracking may be removed after a specific request is made. They also made the revelation that they also reserve the right to sell anonymous tracking information as covered by a clause in the contract that a customer signs.
Can OnStar track my car if not activated?
Though the privacy concerns are valid, there are advantages to the service remaining active on your vehicle even if you are not fully paid up. Situations such as car theft or a missing person are examples that come to mind. If you find yourself in such a situation, you can work through law enforcement to track down your vehicle.
The police can make a request to Onstar to track the vehicle. One of the features that OnStar offers is the ability to block ignition. If your car is turned off, it cannot be turned on again.
Another useful feature is the ability for an OnStar representative to slow the vehicle down until the police can catch up to it. In such cases, you will be glad you have the service active even if you are no longer subscribed. In the case of a missing person, they can be tracked and they can be found.
What happens if I cancel OnStar?
If you actively cancel OnStar and it’s not just a case of your subscription not being up to date, all OnStar services will be removed from your vehicle meaning that you will no longer be able to track your vehicle. This is really the only way for you to not be tracked via GPS.
If you are concerned about privacy issues, you would want to take this route. Unfortunately, it is also the least secure option to take should anything happen to your car further down the road. More and more people are beginning to be more concerned about their personal data being collected and manipulated by corporations.
It is the reason that major social media companies such as Facebook and Google have been facing a backlash and more stringent controls in terms of how they collect data.
The data collection clauses are often hidden in enormous user agreement contracts that no one ever really reads. A case in point is the clause empowering OnStar to sell anonymous users should they so choose, though they maintain they have never sold this data.
Conclusion Can Onstar Find My Car if Not Activated
OnStar is a great system that allows people to have access to convenience as well as peace of mind knowing that they are safe and help will be sent their way should they get into an accident. All this happens without any of their intervention. There definitely are pros to it but there are also some associated cons that arise out of it due to the lack of privacy especially if you no longer want to be part of the service.
Tomas is a retired Chevy Auto Technician that brings decades of hands-on experience and expertise to the table. He’s also a father to two incredible daughters. He enjoys using his knowledge and experience to help you solve and find reliable information on Chevrolet vehicles. Whether it’s troubleshooting engine problems or providing tips for maintenance, Thomas is committed to helping Chevy owners keep their vehicles running smoothly and safely.
