Forum Discussion
Onstar Module Needs Replaced
I was reading all these comments and complaints leading up to taking my Tahoe to the dealership hoping it wasn’t what I had been reading, dealership took 4 days to diagnose the problem “annoying” only for them to tell me it was The OnStar telematics module, and they told me that part was on back order with no eta they’ll call me when it comes it, mind YOU this part + labor is almost $1000, and not covered under warranty!! my husband demanded we at least put something down because we felt like just them saying they’ll call when it’s available didn’t seem believable so we paid $350 of the $900 something AND fours days later they called and said the part came in! Just dropped my truck off today for tomorrow’s appointment they said it should take most of the day to install! Hopefully that’s true, I just want all the features to work on a vehicle we paid so much money for.
2 Replies
My OnStar went out in September of 2024. After 7 months (over 25% of the time I've owned my 2023 Sierra 1500), the OnStar Telematics Module was replaced yesterday (30-April-2025). The local dealership was not able to extend my 36 month subscription like the OnStar representative told them they could when I first took the truck in to address the issue when I was able to get the first available service appointment back in November 2024.
When I used the OnStar button in the truck to activate the new module, I spoke with Ronda. She was the FIRST and ONLY person from OnStar who seemed genuinely concerned about my customer service experience, but was limited in what she could do to assist in extending my contract for the months of lost service due to lack of parts availability. The issue had to be escalated to a department that had already left for the day.
Not all of the features reliant on the telematics module were immediately available upon activation. During my hour drive home from the dealership, vehicle features reliant on the OnStar system slowly came back online. This was NOT my experience with these same systems when I had originally purchased the truck and activated OnStar.
As for the issue with coming out to the truck and finding it DEAD one day, the service department believes this was due to the original faulty telematics module. Time will tell if the replacement and software patch fixes this issue.
For a vehicle with so many systems designed around the OnStar telematics module, a lack of replacement parts or any transparency about when they can be expected should they fail, I really don't have much faith in GM products any longer. The OnStar system has a LOT of potential, but all this is overshadowed by its lack of reliability. This is especially troublesome for a system that claims to be there for drivers in emergency situations when they may be incapacitated.
For others in this situation, I hope you have a better, more rapid resolution experience than I did. When it's time to purchase your next vehicle, think back to how you were treated and if GM made you feel like you were a valued customer. If everyone at GM and OnStar acted like Ronda, I wouldn't hesitate to come back to the brand, but she was the exception rather than the standard.
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