Chevy nearing 100 percent engine and transmission reliability

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

OnStar: Chevy nearing 100 percent engine and transmission reliability

02/11/2010, 12:30 PMBY MARK KLEIS

GM has released a report based on data processed by OnStar’s diagnostic program that says 99.3 percent of the 1.8 million Chevy vehicles being monitored reported no engine or transmission problems to key components in January. Leading the way for Chevy, the Malibu reported a 99.7 percent problem-free rate for the same time period.

GM’s highly advertised OnStar system is capable of monitoring vehicle health remotely with its Vehicle Diagnostics program, which automatically reports the status of hundreds of pre-programmed diagnostic checks on the key components of each vehicle. Then, the results of the scans are sent to the customers via e-mail each month, with either a red, yellow or green icon indicating the health of the vehicle.

GM says that OnStar also tracks odometer readings to help remind customers of scheduled maintenance, as well as monitoring the need for an oil change through the use of an advanced software algorithm that examines engine revolutions, oil temperature, operating conditions, driving habits and the operating environment to determine a real-time expected interval for oil changes.

“At Chevrolet, we have significantly reduced customer warranty claims over the past few years, as we continually strive to make the most dependable cars and trucks on the road. A key part of that success is OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, which helps Chevrolet and our customers keep vehicles in top running condition.” – Official release.

link:

http://www.leftlanenews.com/onstar-chevy-nearing-100-percent-engine-and-transmission-reliability.html

[Intrepidation]

OnStar really is a cool feature for GM.

[Drew Dowdell]

The other .3% were check engine lights that came on because people forgot to replace their gas caps.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Doesn't surprise me, the last vehicle we had any sort of powertrain issue with was the Cavalier.

[hyperv6]

Our Bu has had no issues outside a tire pressure sensor that went bad. Other wise it has been flaw less.

As for the HHR SS other than a TSB on the brakes it also has has no GM related issues.

[balthazar]

'09 Malibu 2LT, first oil change /tire rotation @ 8336, excellent, quick dealer service, zero issues.

Averaging 24.x MPG @ about 27 average MPH. Great little car so far.

Edited February 12, 2010 by balthazar

[loki]

The other .3% were check engine lights that came on because people forgot to replace their gas caps.

that is surprising how often it seems to happen to people.. from stories one hears.

actually just curious what years this includes. i know the feature isn't really old.. but maybe a few years...?

[PONTIAC06]

The other .3% were check engine lights that came on because people forgot to replace their gas caps.

This wouldn't surprise me...two times in 5 years that my check engine light has come on, it has been a bad seal on my gas cap...not a Chevy, but it really wouldn't surprise me.

[pow]

that is surprising how often it seems to happen to people.. from stories one hears.

actually just curious what years this includes. i know the feature isn't really old.. but maybe a few years...?

Same here. What about the vehicles that no longer have OnStar subscription? And how comprehensive is OnStar's diagnostics system? Things like leaky gaskets don't trigger a "check engine" light.

[pow]

The other .3% were check engine lights that came on because people forgot to replace their gas caps.

That's a pretty bold claim... what about the cam failures on the HF 3.6 liter V6s on the Lambdas?

[Drew Dowdell]

hah! I made that up.

I think the camshaft failures were remedied pretty quickly. There shouldn't be any more cars out there with that.

[the_yellow_dart]

Sometimes my check engine light comes on for no reason (trust me, I know how to put on a gas cap). I've taken it in twice now to have them tell me it's fine. Now I just ignore it when it happens.

[Z-06]

Same here. What about the vehicles that no longer have OnStar subscription? And how comprehensive is OnStar's diagnostics system? Things like leaky gaskets don't trigger a "check engine" light.

I think GM still collects the data, the user just does not reap the benefits.

[the_yellow_dart]

Does every GM have OnStar now? Mine doesn't.

[Z-06]

Does every GM have OnStar now? Mine doesn't.

Yes. Right from the lowly Aveo. 2008 was the MY where it became standard for all cars. What year is yours?

[the_yellow_dart]

2005

[Cory Wolfe]

Sometimes my check engine light comes on for no reason (trust me, I know how to put on a gas cap). I've taken it in twice now to have them tell me it's fine. Now I just ignore it when it happens.

What he said. My CEL has lit up on three different occasions so far. After an hour of driving it magically disappeared each time. No clue as to why or what it was.

[Z-06]

What he said. My CEL has lit up on three different occasions so far. After an hour of driving it magically disappeared each time. No clue as to why or what it was.

Have you filled the gas right up to the brim of the tank, or even let some overflow? Those situations can cause the CEL to come on for a while and then disappear.

[Intrepidation]

Well...i mean...if the CEL comes on it's throwing a code. I dunno how GM vehicles work but with Chrysler ones you can get a generic code readout by doing what's called a "key dance". Or just use a scan tool. An auto parts store will scan it for free.

[GXT]

What he said. My CEL has lit up on three different occasions so far. After an hour of driving it magically disappeared each time. No clue as to why or what it was.

Uh oh. 2 reports of multiple CELs out of ~10 posters. By GM's numbers we should have had to have had nearly 300 posts for that to happen.

Seriously, I have no idea what GM is actually measuring with these numbers, but let's think about them for a moment. GM sold just over 2,084,000 vehicles in 2009. Apparently all new GMs have onstar and apparently you get the first year free. So I am not sure why GM only had 1.8 million reporting (is it disabled on fleet vehicles?), but it means that virtually all of the vehicles reporting were a year or less old. Yet 12,600 of them REPORTED ENGINE or TRANSMISSION issues in ONE MONTH. Perhaps it isn't fair to extrapolate that out for an entire year, because some of those are probably lemons that will have repeat problems (but perhaps that is offset by this apparently being a better than average month for GM), but that means that 151,200 of GMs (or ~8.4%) will REPORT having ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION problems within the first year or two.

And this is an IMPROVEMENT for GM. And GM thought this was something to BRAG about.

Edited February 15, 2010 by GXT

[Drew Dowdell]

Wow GTX, I've seen you TROLL before, but not that bad.

First, this report was Chevy vehicles only.

Second, this was not limited to 2009 vehicles. I know the engine monitoring systems go back as far as at least 2004.

Third Onstar is generally only free for the first year and not everyone renews.