Editing General Motors (OnStar) (section)

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Data monetization===
In 2025, GM settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) due to its misuse of the ''OnStar Smart Driver'' by collecting drivers' precise location every 3 seconds and driving data such as hard braking and quick acceleration then selling it without informed consent to consumer reporting agencies like LexisNexis and Verisk, which lead to insurance premium hikes or coverage denials.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Chandler |first=Kelley |date=February 17, 2025 |title=General Motors Settles With the FTC Over Unauthorized Collection and Sale of Driver Data |url=https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/general-motors-settles-with-the-ftc-1706133/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723212043/https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/general-motors-settles-with-the-ftc-1706133/ |archive-date=July 23, 2025 |website=JDSupra }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Mather |first=Ciarán |date=January 17, 2025 |title=GM hit with data-sharing ban from FTC |url=https://www.siliconrepublic.com/business/ftc-gm-general-motors-driver-data-legal-us-motoring-settlement |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250211043345/https://www.siliconrepublic.com/business/ftc-gm-general-motors-driver-data-legal-us-motoring-settlement |archive-date=February 11, 2025 |website=SiliconRepublic }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last1=Sisco |first1=Josh |last2=Nylen |first2=Leah |date=January 17, 2025 |title=General Motors Settles With FTC Over Sharing Driver Data |url=https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2025/01/17/808769.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214055734/https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2025/01/17/808769.htm |archive-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Insurance Journal }}</ref>

They deceived consumers by claiming that some safety features would only activate if OnStar was enabled during purchase. The consent mechanisms was buried in a 29-page ToS and obscured its data-sharing practices.<ref name=":1"></ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=August 13, 2024 |title=Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues General Motors for Unlawfully Collecting Drivers’ Private Data and Selling It To Several Companies, Including Insurance Companies |url=https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-general-motors-unlawfully-collecting-drivers-private-data-and |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250726133353/https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-general-motors-unlawfully-collecting-drivers-private-data-and |archive-date=July 26, 2025 |website=Texas Attorney General }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=White |first=Emmet |date=July 9, 2025 |title=Nebraska Sues General Motors and OnStar Over Allegations of Data Harvesting and Sales |url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a65351080/nebraska-lawsuit-gm-alleged-data-breach/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250815104923/https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a65351080/nebraska-lawsuit-gm-alleged-data-breach/ |archive-date=August 15, 2025 |website=Road and Track }}</ref>

Texas, Arkansas, and Nebraska sued GM for violating trade practices acts, citing lack of transparency and harm to consumers.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Hope |last2=Rodman |first2=Rachel |last3=Naydonov |first3=Anna |date=March 26, 2025 |title=Arkansas Attorney General Sues General Motors Over Alleged Deceptive Data Practices |url=https://www.whitecase.com/insight-alert/arkansas-attorney-general-sues-general-motors-over-alleged-deceptive-data-practices |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250513105730/https://www.whitecase.com/insight-alert/arkansas-attorney-general-sues-general-motors-over-alleged-deceptive-data-practices |archive-date=May 13, 2025 |website=White and Case }}</ref><ref name=":4"></ref><ref name=":5"></ref> The FTC imposed a 5-year ban on sharing data with insurers and mandated explicit consent.<ref name=":1"></ref><ref name=":2"></ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Christie |first=Joel |date=January 30, 2025 |title=General Motors and OnStar, LLC; Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To Aid Public Comment |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/30/2025-01940/general-motors-and-onstar-llc-analysis-of-proposed-consent-order-to-aid-public-comment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250724125828/https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/30/2025-01940/general-motors-and-onstar-llc-analysis-of-proposed-consent-order-to-aid-public-comment |archive-date=July 24, 2025 |website=Federal Register }}</ref>


===Inaccessible Emergency 'SOS' Button (1996-Present)===
This practice places a direct paywall on a critical, life-saving feature. The core of the issue rests on the classification of the OnStar system as a cellular communication device.<ref>Auto-Vlog. (2024, January 29). "Here's How To Call 911 With An INACTIVE OnStar System" [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM7cqDzchjg</ref> The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (the "911 Act") mandates that mobile service providers must transmit all 911 calls to a public safety answering point, regardless of whether the caller has a subscription.<ref>U.S. Congress. (1999). "Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999," Public Law 106-81, 106th Congress. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/106th-congress/senate-bill/800</ref> It has been argued that by preventing a direct connection to emergency services via its most prominent emergency button, OnStar's behavior for non-subscribers is inconsistent with the spirit of this federal law and the established public expectation for emergency communication devices.<ref>Lopez, J. (2020, June 30). "OnStar Hands-Free Calling Will Be Sunset in 2022". GM Authority. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/06/onstar-hands-free-calling-will-be-sunset-in-2022/</ref>