Cadillac Smart Driver and Privacy Concerns

[Dirkbg]

Thats the thing, I was ok with just turning it off (verified it was when this thread started), got my LN report, squeaky clean, then randomly Smart Diver is turned back on.

I have better things to do with my time than babysit a data mine so I guess Ill go get my flint axe and bearskin shawl and live in the OffStar world.

Mine was off (and always had been) a few weeks ago, but after reading this thread that some had it come on I checked, and sure enough mine was now switched on. I hadn't requested the LN report until I switched it off Monday. The only thing I can think of is that I renewed my Remote Access package within that window. But I don't think it should have activated Smart Driver by paying for another year. I already had the subscription for that previously.

 

[Sully]

You're the man

Same spot on the CT4. Any tips on freeing the purple coax? Did you just push the retention clip and it came right off or was it some sort of twisting action? Having some trouble freeing mine

Yea, sorry I should of mentioned that. Slide that red clip on top, back/towards you. Then press the end of the plug, nearest the wire and pull. Assuming the red lock tab is back far enough it should pull right out when depressed.

 

[GTANotch88]

Since I had my trunk opened up and given that I disabled the OnStars cellular link in my 21' Suburban, I decided to poke around in the CT5BW. The same LG Telematics module I have in my 21's Suburban is also in the 23' CT5BW, located in the truck on the passenger side along the wheel well area under the rug.

Within the LG module which is called a (TCU/Telematics Control Unit), there's a cellular module board that will slide out after removing two torxs screws. You will see two coax plugs going into the module from the outside, one purple (cellular) and one brown (cellular/ possible GPS). On that module are two chips. The first chip is a Qualcomm MDM9240 (or other variation pending your vehicle year) Snapdragon X12 LTE Modem. The second chip is a SKYA21049 which is a SkyOne Automotive Multimode/Multiband module for 4GLTE/LTE-A. These chips control the persistent cellular link with Onstar based on what I can tell from looking at the chipset.

I simply unplugged the purple coax and this will effectively terminate the uplink to OnStar. (Note: I do believe both the purple and brown coax are used by each of the chips, as each chip allows for operation across GSM and CDMA frequencies, I will ultimately remove the brown coax as well after some testing to ensure its the same as my Suburban. I just wanted to ensure it doesn't disrupt GPS related functionality). However, the TCU will continue to function as designed, e.g. will continue to collect telematics and information but no longer able to send it anywhere. Given the integrations done on these vehicles, simply pulling the whole unit will work but may also lead to other functionality problems. You can cap off the female coax port with a coax terminator if you want but I haven't bothered. These units, as well as the shark fins, are very often ripped from the vehicles and tossed to the side of the road after being stolen.

After unplugging the purple coax, your Onstar button will go from GREEN to RED. You will also get a dash message upon start that your emergency calling feature needs attention. Otherwise, you should be good to go. In my Suburban, I've been fine for years. I'll check back in if I run into any issues with the CT5. I think it goes without saying, by doing this your OnStar (and associated features) will no longer function, thus do so at your own risk.

Some pictures below....

 

[shbox]

Since I had my trunk opened up and given that I disabled the OnStars cellular link in my 21' Suburban, I decided to poke around in the CT5BW. The same LG Telematics module I have in my 21's Suburban is also in the 23' CT5BW, located in the trunk on the passenger side along the wheel well area under the rug.

Within the LG module which is called a (TCU/Telematics Control Unit), there's a cellular module board that will slide out after removing two torxs screws. You will see two coax plugs going into the module from the outside, one purple (cellular) and one brown (cellular/ possible GPS). On that module are two chips. The first chip is a Qualcomm MDM9240 (or other variation pending your vehicle year) Snapdragon X12 LTE Modem. The second chip is a SKYA21049 which is a SkyOne Automotive Multimode/Multiband module for 4GLTE/LTE-A. These chips control the persistent cellular link with Onstar based on what I can tell from looking at the chipset.

I simply unplugged the purple coax and this will effectively terminate the uplink to OnStar. (Note: I do believe both the purple and brown coax are used by each of the chips, as each chip allows for operation across GSM and CDMA frequencies, I will ultimately remove the brown coax as well after some testing to ensure its the same as my Suburban. I just wanted to ensure it doesn't disrupt GPS related functionality). However, the TCU will continue to function as designed, e.g. will continue to collect telematics and information but no longer able to send it anywhere. Given the integrations done on these vehicles, simply pulling the whole unit will work but may also lead to other functionality problems. You can cap off the female coax port with a coax terminator if you want but I haven't bothered. These units, as well as the shark fins, are very often ripped from the vehicles and tossed to the side of the road after being stolen.

After unplugging the purple coax, your Onstar button will go from GREEN to RED. You will also get a dash message upon start that your emergency calling feature needs attention. Otherwise, you should be good to go. In my Suburban, I've been fine for years. I'll check back in if I run into any issues with the CT5. I think it goes without saying, by doing this your OnStar (and associated features) will no longer function, thus do so at your own risk.

Some pictures below....

After disconnecting stuff, it might be good to make sure the PDR telematics are still working when using Cosworth software.

 

[Zephyr5V]

A word of caution for those trying to physically disable OnStar in the car. Not surprisingly this is a huge thread on the Corvette forum as well. A few posts there have advised GM has integrated OnStar into other systems as to make it nearly impossible to fully disable it. If you disable it, it may mess with other systems in the car. Not sure how true that is or what year/version, just a heads up before you go cutting wires, unplugging things etc.

Would not surprise me. My 2009 Pontiac G8 ran the bluetooth calling through the OnStar module. Disconnect it and you lose your hands free calling.

 

[Steelwing]

Yea, sorry I should of mentioned that. Slide that red clip on top, back/towards you. Then press the end of the plug, nearest the wire and pull. Assuming the red lock tab is back far enough it should pull right out when depressed.

Thanks for sharing!! My insurance was increased and they wouldn’t tell me why. I seem to keep getting opted back into onstar like others have mentioned. Don’t know if it’s related but there’s absolutely no reason to allow my driving data to be shared. I pulled the plug.

 

[Champale]

Thank you for the plug how to! Anyone else get a message something like "EMERGENCY SERVICE CALLING"? I'm not sure the exact wording - I was in traffic on the freeway. There was no ringing or dial tone or anything so I hit the steering wheel button to stop it.

 

[albertw]

I simply unplugged the purple coax and this will effectively terminate the uplink to OnStar. (Note: I do believe both the purple and brown coax are used by each of the chips, as each chip allows for operation across GSM and CDMA frequencies, I will ultimately remove the brown coax as well after some testing to ensure its the same as my Suburban. I just wanted to ensure it doesn't disrupt GPS related functionality). However, the TCU will continue to function as designed, e.g. will continue to collect telematics and information but no longer able to send it anywhere.

Thanks for the great information.

Do you know whether the dealer can download the data stored in the TCU? If so, any idea how long the data are stored? It would need some storage capability for times with there is no cellular connection for OnStar, but I hope it's overwritten every few days.

 

[RS49]

Don't forget to replace your now disconnected OnStar service with a couple well hidden AirTags.

 

[Sully]

Thanks for the great information.

Do you know whether the dealer can download the data stored in the TCU? If so, any idea how long the data are stored? It would need some storage capability for times with there is no cellular connection for OnStar, but I hope it's overwritten every few days.

I don’t know if the dealer can download the data from the TCU. It would require physical access to the car once the system is offline. Based on what I’ve seen of the TCU when I opened it up, it had a removable lithium battery to maintain functionality when the vehicle is off, I’m guessing for features like remote lock/unlock and start. A number of different processor chips. I’m also guessing the TCU has a temporal memory capacity which is overwritten at either a set interval or when capacity has been met. Given that cell reception can fluctuate, the system is most likely designed to buffer the data until it can be uploaded to whatever infrastructure GM has programmed in.

I’m going to check some live data on the car tomorrow with my Autel to check functionality of various systems. I’ll post up once complete.

 

[FI Fiend]

Yea, sorry I should of mentioned that. Slide that red clip on top, back/towards you. Then press the end of the plug, nearest the wire and pull. Assuming the red lock tab is back far enough it should pull right out when depressed.

Thanks dude! OFFstar mod complete (coined by @shbox )

Did you ever periodically plug in for software updates or anything?

I checked and it looks like software updates are still available, I didn't get any sort of warning message, and all other functions appear normal

 

[poor-sha]

After disconnecting stuff, it might be good to make sure the PDR telematics are still working when using Cosworth software.

Always worth checking, but the PDR module is separate and has its own GPS antenna.

 

[shbox]

Always worth checking, but the PDR module is separate and has its own GPS antenna.

Good info. This is how we find out stuff.

 

[shbox]

Thanks dude! OFFstar mod complete (coined by @shbox )

Did you ever periodically plug in for software updates or anything?

I checked and it looks like software updates are still available, I didn't get any sort of warning message, and all other functions appear normal

I think @SynisterAZ mentioned it first.

 

[565565]

Florida Man Sues G.M. and LexisNexis Over Sale of His Cadillac Data

Romeo Chicco’s auto insurance rate doubled because of information about his speeding, braking and acceleration, according to his complaint.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Sully]

Ran the CT5 today, no CEL or anything unusual. Did a function check, PDR, SiriusXM, CarPlay, WiFi connectivity to my home LAN. All fine.

Ran a scan report; all was well besides the cellular TCM coax error code (which was expected and was the same in my Suburban). All GPS live data points were perfect.

Tomorrow, I’m going to remove the brown coax and rerun the tests. I know folks had some concerns with functionality, feel free to add some checks and I’ll run them tomorrow.

 

[GTANotch88]

Good to hear. When I take my 5bw out of winter storage soon, I'll unplug the coax and since I still currently have some sort of onstar subscription, I'll see if I can view any vehicle info through the app. If all other functions seem to work AND the app can't provide any info, I'll be happy. Then I will call and cancel/close my onstar account.

 

[Ryan]

If one never installed the on star or Cadillac app, do you think gm still transferred data to LN? I requested a report so I guess we’ll see…

 

[BimmerFan]

If one never installed the on star or Cadillac app, do you think gm still transferred data to LN? I requested a report so I guess we’ll see…

On my SS and C7 corvette, I received email reports monthly until I turned it off. No apps back then (or at least, nothing that I installed).

So, yes.

I think simply pushing the button to initiate service, which the salesmen insist that you do so that they get their bonus from GM, is enough to start the tracking. Heck, maybe just starting the engine is enough, who knows?

 

[Professor Speed]

Florida Man Sues G.M. and LexisNexis Over Sale of His Cadillac Data

Romeo Chicco’s auto insurance rate doubled because of information about his speeding, braking and acceleration, according to his complaint.

www.nytimes.com

Just a matter of time. I am glad someone began the lawsuit. Hopefully, we can all join the class action soon.

@Ryan my understanding is that On Star Smart Driver is an opt out setting as opposed to opt in. After buying the car, downloading the app, and creating an account mine was on. I de-activated but a few weeks later was activated again. I believe this happened after a phone/app update. Since then I check it every few days. Have not seen a change.