OnStar Celebrates 15 Years

It’s hard to believe that less than two decades ago, GPS technology and the inner workings behind its operation was a state secret of the same magnitude as the F-117A Nighthawk. Once available only to military personnel, it has since revolutionized the way we think about navigation, and has sent hundreds of thousands of paper maps packing.

But 15 years ago, before this amazing piece of technology found its way within the confines of the average passenger car dashboard, GM was harnessing the power of the then hideously expensive GPS systems to power their still-available and still-popular OnStar system. Providing services that ranged from door unlocking to stolen car location, OnStar has chosen to celebrate their 15 year of operation by releasing a few interesting numbers related to their long running history:

- More than 59 million Turn-by-Turn routes delivered.

- More than 4.7 million doors have been unlocked by OnStar's Remote Door Unlock service (OnStar unlocks 1,833 doors every day).

- More than 147 million monthly emails have been sent to subscribers since launch giving them a real-time diagnostic report of their vehicle.

- More than 1 million responses to Emergency Service alerts.

- More than 146,000 responses to Automatic Crash Notifications where OnStar sent emergency personnel to a vehicle whose driver was unresponsive after an airbag deployment.