Forum Discussion
class action lawsuit OnStar module backorder
The telematics module when it began to malfunction drained my battery mid drive. I was on my way to work that morning. The AAA guy said something was severely draining my battery. The alternator tested good, he even suggested I shut the auto stop off. I got a jump and was good for two weeks then it happened again while I was at a stop light in NYC. Completely SHUT DOWN! I called AAA again. He tested my battery and said it was dead. My safety systems stopped working but my alternator was still good. He gave a jump, it started but the car idled funny. I made it home, bought a new top of the line battery, and took it to the dealership. They couldn’t tell me what was wrong. Two weeks after that visit my Onstar went out completely, safety features giving me all these crazy alerts, engine light on and off, I took it back to the dealership. It was the telematics module and hence my fight with Onstar, the dealership, and this nonsensical notion that I should pay over 1000$ to fix something that was failing for quite some time and never properly diagnosed. I’m out of warranty and was told it didn’t matter anyway because the module isn’t cover under warranty. My battery which I installed less than a year ago is beginning to drain again. This is a SAFETY issue and had I had been on the highway when this happened and probably will happen again then how am I safe? I can only pray other cars will be able to stop on time or get out of the way safely if it happens again. I have to drive. I live about 100 miles away from work and travel the highways daily. I reported my issue with the module to the NHTSA since I’m getting nowhere with Onstar, dealership or GM. I pray this doesn’t happen to you…
I’ve been closely following all posts and wondering why others are so much more impacted than I have been. The only symptom I was having was the CEL being on, or so I thought. That was until I read mscardona1’s post. I posted my story about a week ago; short version is I bought a used 2023 Buick Envision on 3/30/25, no warranty because it was a previous loaner with 49k miles, CEL came on 1-2 weeks after purchase, got the selling dealer to eat the cost of diagnosis even though no warranty, they said it was the battery and installed a new one free of charge, didn’t make sense to me because how could they have sold a car with a bad battery but ok. When I got home from that battery replacement (about 30 miles from dealer) CEL came right back on and same codes pulled. The dealer I bought it from was working with me but it became too much of a burden and cost to go back and forth 30 miles each way so I took it to my local dealer 4 miles away and they’re the ones who made the proper diagnosis of telematics module needed replacement. I paid for the replacement (total $1713.39) (just picked the car up on 8/23/25). What didn’t resonate until now is the bad module was why the battery was bad in the first place and it’s likely that I would have eventually run into the same problem as mscardona1.
Thanks Shaggy. I appreciate the fact that you read my posts. I’m glad you were able to fix your issue but look at the cost! That’s crazy for someone who is the sole breadwinner of a household. I make good money but not enough to squander away on ridiculous repairs like this. I work hard for what I earn. My 22 Buick Envision was less than 2 years old when this first happened to me. I bought the car NEW. At first I placed some blame on the dealership but after taking my car to a new dealership it’s still the same issue. I REFUSE to pay for this. It’s happening to soooo many people. Some cases are worse than others but imagine the fright one feels when you lose control of your cars functions unexpectedly and without warning, not ONCE BUT TWICE. I’m still driving this car. I have no choice. I have to work, I have to take my daughter to school, I have to live… unfortunately I’m living in constant fear and any little shake, any little change in idle, any little “ding” I hear in the car I start feeling my heart beat a little faster. The engine light goes on and off constantly, I get consistent alerts like “Lane Assist Unavailable” or “Service Driver Assist” or “Service Power Steering Soon, Assist Unavailable Soon”, all of these alerts are connected to the module. Now I’m told my battery is losing power at my new dealership. It’s been a nightmare that I’m dying to wake up from…
I'm an educator. This is part of the reason why being able to provide useful information is so important to me. The more I share my story and provide resources for ways for people to voice their concerns is how we are going to do something about it. GM is a BIG CORPORATION. So is OnStar because they are a product of GM. But if enough people complain, file reports, reach out to the media, and demand answers from GM and OnStar this can change for all of us. That’s why we need to keep record, share all of these stories, and contact the right people who are going to help us. I’m not going to stop. Even if I do wind up in a new and different car eventually (when I can afford it again), I’m still going to contribute and share information to this community and others.
this isn’t fair to those who work hard and are loyal customers to GM and rely on their vehicles for their livelihood. It isn’t FAIR and JUSTICE AND RESOLUTIONS are what we are seeking. That’s it. Resolve it by issuing a NATIONWIDE SAFETY RECALL GM…For some reason i cannot reply what i want to say. I have done nhtsa and the Berger and Montague firm. I received a reply from the latter.
I filled nhtsa
Exactly. My OnStar module, also known as the Telecomic module, also failed along with the battery. The car ran out of battery while driving, I replaced the battery and discovered that the entire OnStar module had failed.
I'm not sure if the battery caused the OnStar module to fail, or if the OnStar module caused the battery to malfunction. But it certainly happened together. General Motors was clearly aware of this situation, as nearly all of their models have the same issue, yet they haven't addressed it responsibly. Many dealerships have handled it differently, with some charging 1,100, others 1,700, and many offering free replacements through a "friends" program. We should unite and file a lawsuit against all customers who were charged for replacements. We should also demand that General Motors provide free replacements for all future similar product defects.MCI I can assure you that it’s the module causing the battery to drain. I have a battery that I installed less than a year ago and it’s beginning to drain just like it did last time it happened to me. It’s the module causing the drainage.
