GM OnStar fails where iPhone/iPad locates overturned car in ravine

David Howard

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Oct 16, 2014, 2:44:34 PM10/16/14

to

GM OnStar failed, multiple times, to locate an injured woman who was
injured and found lying face down after spending 18 near her overturned
car 500 feet deep in a ravine today in the Silicon Valley.

While OnStar failed to locate her, her iPad at home accurately predicted
the location of her iPhone once the police hacked into her iPad.

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_26724237/san-jose-rescue-under-way-woman-who-drove
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/10/14/onstar-mistakes-may-have-delayed-rescue-of-woman-trapped-in-san-jose-ravine-for-19-hours-mount-hamilton-road-chevy-cruze-melissa-vasquez/
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/injured-woman-trapped-mount-hamilton-crash-scene/nhh7n/
http://blog.sfgate.com/stew/2014/10/14/stuck-in-south-bay-ravine-for-hours-driver-rescued/
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Wrong-car-crash-location-spurs-OnStar-probe-5825410.php
http://jalopnik.com/cops-use-find-my-iphone-to-locate-crashed-car-after-ons-1646426190

John-Del

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Oct 17, 2014, 7:53:46 AM10/17/14

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On Thursday, October 16, 2014 2:44:34 PM UTC-4, David Howard wrote:

> While OnStar failed to locate her, her iPad at home accurately predicted
>
> the location of her iPhone once the police hacked into her iPad.
>

So what is all this supposed to mean? Onstar works by satellite, iphones work on the cell network. Onstar covers 100 percent of the country, but satellite reception can be sketchy if the car is in a ravine, or upside down, or in a garage, or damaged by the accident. There are a lot more dead spots for cell coverage in this country than satellite.

Pat

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Oct 17, 2014, 8:07:10 AM10/17/14

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On Fri, 17 Oct 2014 04:53:46 -0700 (PDT), John-Del <ohg...@aol.com>
wrote:

Not true. Onstar is a cell phone based system. Think of it as a
hidden cell phone dedicated to the Onstar functions.

Allodoxaphobia

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Oct 17, 2014, 11:51:40 AM10/17/14

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On Fri, 17 Oct 2014 08:07:10 -0400, Pat wrote:

John-Del

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Oct 17, 2014, 8:25:35 PM10/17/14

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On Friday, October 17, 2014 8:07:10 AM UTC-4, Pat wrote:

>
> Not true. Onstar is a cell phone based system. Think of it as a
>
> hidden cell phone dedicated to the Onstar functions.

Son of a bitch.. you're right (well, Wikipedia says so). I always assumed it was satellite because it always seemed to be packaged with Sirius satellite radio.

gregz

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Oct 19, 2014, 1:47:45 AM10/19/14

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Allodoxaphobia <knock_you...@example.net> wrote:
> On Fri, 17 Oct 2014 08:07:10 -0400, Pat wrote:
>> On Fri, 17 Oct 2014 04:53:46 -0700 (PDT), John-Del wrote:
>>> On Thursday, October 16, 2014 2:44:34 PM UTC-4, David Howard wrote:
>>>
>>>> While OnStar failed to locate her, her iPad at home accurately predicted
>>>> the location of her iPhone once the police hacked into her iPad.
>>>
>>> So what is all this supposed to mean? Onstar works by satellite,
>>> iphones work on the cell network. Onstar covers 100 percent of the
>>> country, but satellite reception can be sketchy if the car is in a
>>> ravine, or upside down, or in a garage, or damaged by the accident.
>>> There are a lot more dead spots for cell coverage in this country than
>>> satellite.
>>
>> Not true. Onstar is a cell phone based system. Think of it as a
>> hidden cell phone dedicated to the Onstar functions.
>
> If the vehicle ends upside down, with the antenna stuffed into the
> ground...
>
> Or, if the vehicle has a battery cut-out activated by a vehicle
> upset....
>
> Jonesy

First thing I thought, Gps antenna in ground. I guess the cell phone still
had some service, and it's interesting that the on star seems to track you
at intervals.still, on star seemed to save the day by recording accident. I
keep meaning to shut mine off, and it's just one of my vehicles. Gets
costly, or save the day ?

Greg