(WHAS11) - You've seen the commercials with OnStar billing itself as a lifesaver by providing help for drivers on the road but one customer says that's not always the case.
If you’re involved in a crash and can't call for help, OnStar automatically makes the call, portraying its communications system as a lifesaver that will not let you down.
But the commercials don't tell you about OnStar's potential problems. After he was involved in an accident in Missouri, Jon Newman says he tried to call OnStar but it never answered.
“I kept wondering why aren't they calling me, so, I reached up and I hit the emergency button and nothing happened. I reached up and hit it again, nothing happened,” says Newman.
Newman says the crash ripped open the side of his car and disconnected his OnStar receiver. He used his cell phone to call for help.
The OnStar receiver doesn't seem to have any more protection than a satellite stereo receiver. In fact, they're installed almost the same exact way in the trunk.
An OnStar spokesman says problems like the one experienced by Jon Newman are rare, adding that the company handles more than 100,000 calls for service every day.
But the spokesman couldn't say how many times the automatic calling system failed during any time period WHAS11 News requested, or if the company has considered a seemingly less vulnerable location for all OnStar boxes.
In the OnStar warranty, the company reveals there are areas with no service. Maps on the website show large areas in Kentucky and Texas without coverage.
Newman says he had coverage in the area where he crashed.
OnStar is now offering him free service for more than a year.
The company says it is sending a team of experts to investigate the crash and figure out what went wrong.
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