OnStar remotely shuts down stolen car

Man, those killjoys at OnStar had to go and ruin a good high-speed chase.

After an SUV was carjacked at gunpoint, local news crews in Visalia, Califrornia must have been warming up the helicopters for what could have been a day of cruising California highways with the cops in hot pursuit. But the stolen 2009 Chevy Tahoe in question was equipped with OnStar, and mere minutes after the chase began, the wireless service flipped its new kill switch at the behest of the fuzz, electronically disabling the gas pedal so the thief had nowhere (and no way) to go.

After the car came to a stop, the gun-wielding thief got out and ran, but if you've ever seen an episode of COPS you know how that adventure ended.

The gas pedal-disable feature is a new one for OnStar, best known for its live operators who can offer directions at the touch of a button and relationship advice to boot. Introduced beginning with the 2009 model year on select GM vehicles, OnStar now can not only disable the accelerator while you're on the road, it can also prevent the car from being started if it's reported stolen. The incident from Sunday marks the first time the feature has been used in a car chase situation.

It's tempting to call this feature a bit worrisome, that it could be too easily abused by law enforcement or other powers that be, but remember that it's a completely voluntary feature for a vehicle (and an expensive one at that). And hey, the increased safety it creates in a carjacking situation makes it almost too good to pass up. Not only does the owner of the car get his ride back in one piece (most car chases end in a disastrous crash), but no one got killed along the way, either -- an all too common problem with high-speed chases.