Ross Downing Chevrolet Blog!

Visalia, CA - October 18, 2009 - Visalia Police were able to apprehend a carjacker who stole a Chevy Tahoe at gunpoint within 16 minutes of when the vehicle was stolen with the help of OnStar.

OnStar representatives say this is the first time since the company began offering the service in 2009 models, that a pursued vehicle was disabled.

OnStar President Walt Dorfstatter said, "We send a message to the vehicle that essentially takes the horsepower away from the thief. The vehicle is still controllable from the standpoint you still have power steering, power brakes, but you basically lose the ability to use the vehicle." OnStar also can send a message to the vehicle and flash the lights so officers can make sure they have identified and are pursuing the correct vehicle.

High speed cases are life threatnening to the suspect, the police and the public. Visalia Police Chief Colleen Mestas says having this type of assistance brought a violent and dangerous situation to a safe and fast conclusion.

OnStar has offered Stolen Vehicle Assistance services with GPS location since 1996. It now receives approximately 500 Stolen Vehicle Assistance requests from subscribers each month, and has helped in nearly 40,000 requests over the past twelve years. OnStar’s suite of services also includes Automatic Crash Response, Emergency Services, Remote Door Unlock, Roadside Assistance, Crisis Assist, OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Hands Free Calling and OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics.

OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Slowdown was put into production in October of 2008 and is exclusively on GM vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. The service is included in the OnStar subscription that comes standard for one year on eligible Model Year 2009 and newer OnStar-equipped vehicles. Subscribers who prefer not to have the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown capability on their vehicle may contact OnStar to opt out of the service at any time. The rest of their OnStar services will remain active and unaffected. For more information regarding OnStar’s services, please visit www.onstar.com.