How to disable Onstar on 2019+ GM trucks

[@youtubedjdj]

Any updates to share after doing this? Still unplugged without issues? Should we disconnect the battery first or just unplug them? And, is there any option to remove power from the module? Curious if you looked into it, or removing the OnStar card from the box as in previous generation. Thanks!

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

I haven't investigated further, but I've had mine unplugged since several days before I created this video, no problems or negative effects of any kind. I still have the red light, no OnStar contact, the compass and GPS both are inoperative (I use alternatives) so it did exactly what I wanted, no problems. I don't understand why some others have reported other things....I didn't even disconnect the battery when I did mine, I mean its not a power connection, its just an antenna. more risky to plug in while connected but its definitely advisable to disconnect the battery just to be on the safe side. I should have myself.

[@DJ-dp1sj]

@@kodiaktimbercraft3939 Thank you for replying, was waiting to hear from you before giving it a try. I am going to do the same as the video and see what happens! I would still like to remove the onstar card out of that LG box or remove power plug to it, but I cannot find any info or people talking about it on T1 trucks. Most people seem to have accepted this level of tracking.

[@GladiusJon]

Wanted to report back, it does not disable XM. However, it did successfully disable onstar and built in wifi. Win!

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share your results.

[@Mr.DontKnow]

I have been trying for a while. I hate that Onstar keeps track. I have not set up an account with my chevrolet , but they were able to see the oil change percentage before I took it in. They said I'm not even halfway due. I change it at every 3,000 miles, not what they suggest, which is 7,500. That's when I knew I gotta find a way. Thank you.

[@DJ-dp1sj]

I did this and it was successful. I do not have factory Nav but do have a compass, which now says 'CAL'. Do you happen to know where to turn that off, so it shows nothing? I do not seem to have a factory Nav or Compass App to toggle any settings for it.

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

On mine it could be disabled along with the speed limit display, i think go all the way to the right page on the dic which is settings, somewhere in there is a settings page to select what should be shown on the dash, there are options for bot things, just toggle them off. There are a couple of different clusters depending on the exact options on the truck, so it might not be exactly the same for all.

[@antonygattis1211]

Can't you just pull the OnStar fuse?

[@scooby1547]

Which one is thar

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Unless i somehow overlooked it there is no separate fuse for onstar. There was in older models. The gmt800 plaform had a fused labeled 'info' which was onstar. Unfortunately it's not that easy to any more.

[@antonygattis1211]

@kodiaktimbercraft3939 yeah, I just dug through my 2018. I didn't see a single fuse that said phone or OnStar like my old 04 did.

[@kodiakbaertracks-railfan8655]

Right, my old one was an arrival blue 03 Silverado SS. Loved that truck. The onstar fuse was pulled in the dealership lot before i headed home. No such luck on the 2020

[@antonygattis1211]

My 04 was a Sierra 1500 SLT. Great truck. Sorely missed.

[@thelouiebrand]

I did this after watching your video and my truck went into limp mode and nothing would work. E brake engaged and the whole truck died and it fried a com module. $750 and a week later it’s fixed. DONT MESS WITH THIS STUFF!

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Are you sure you disconnected the correct cables? Not doubting that something went wrong for you, but I did not experience any issues after disconnecting the antennas. Absolutely proceed with any kind of modification at your own risk. But I don't have any idea why it would have caused the effect you observed. What module needed to be replaced?

[@thelouiebrand]

@@kodiaktimbercraft3939 yea totally. I then plugged them back in and forgot to unplug the battery. Fried the module haha cost me $750 from the dealer. Lesson learned.

[@ModernoConstructionInc.-mu5zx]

Thank you. It worked on 2024. No issues or side effects. However, I think there is some else needs to be disconnected, as it still shows the compassion directions, and the app on the phone still can track the vehicle.

[@IsaiasHernandez-f4m]

How do you desconect the instar gps tracker?

[@sicilianr1]

Ooo found it under there on my 24 suburban. But how the heck do these clips come off? Slide the lock down and then press the bottom tab in? Holy cow either I’m weak as hell or… any suggestions?

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Wiggle them a little bit, and make sure youve got the release tab pushed all the way in. They are coaxial cables so might be tighter. I don't remember it being hard to unplug at all. Seems every plug on this truck has a locking clip but sounds like you already found that. Maybe try a small flathead screwdriver to push the release tab down to make sure its fully depressed. If it doesnt want to come off with medium force id suggest not pulling harder, or it might break.

[@jimarney5714]

does this work on 2019 legacy silverado's? LD

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

There are other videos showing how to do this on the k2 generation. Its similar but not the same. On those the telemetric module is behind the nav screen so you have to pull that part of the dash out to gain access. Once there though its just a matter of unplugging the antennas.

[@GladiusJon]

Does this also disable xm by chance?

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

I'm afraid i dont know for sure. I think i got a trial of xm when i bought it but i never used it even once. If it ngatively affects a feature you need, just plug them back in. Or try one at a time.

[@GladiusJon]

@@kodiaktimbercraft3939 10-4! I really enjoy xm, radio no longer plays metal. But I’m like you, they don’t need to know 💩 about my location or driving habits. My hope is it’s a separate antenna but probably not 🤣

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Good luck! If you succeed reply back and let me know. Disconnecting the two plugs does not affect standard am or fm at all. Xm is a different story of course.

[@mb-vx5sm]

You can also just remove the 10a TCP fuse from the passenger side fuse box. This disables the telematics module. The fuse location is F42. Make sure the vehicle is off before removing or reinstalling the fuse.

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Interesting, good to know! Any side effects? sometimes fuses power more than one system. if the telematics unit is the only thing on that circuit it might be a good option.

[@b1oody1ust]

@@kodiaktimbercraft3939 I believe so air bags, but Ive heard switching to a 2 prong plug from a 3 prong should still allow access. Need Confirmation

[@bille9243]

Disclaimer: Not advising anyone to modify their vehicle in any way. However, I can confirm that on my '21 LT (Duramax) removing this fuse disabled the OnStar system or at least removed power to the OnStar button and shut off the recorded message. In my case, there has never been connectivity since I purchased this used vehicle a couple months ago despite a green OnStar button LED and the startup demo message. OnStar tech support and the dealer I purchased it from said I would have to pay a dealer service center to diagnose the communications issue in order to have the service (which I never subscribed to) disabled. And because the vehicle is outside the electrical warranty period I would have to pay for that. Complete batsh$t. I will forgo removing the telematics box or the antennae for the time being. I may sell this vehicle at some point so no need to disassemble more than necessary. But at least I know where it is. It's an LG box (TTA20ANENN) just behind a heating duct next to steering column. Startup seems fine, no errors. Hopefully, there are no unforseen side effects. Thanks for the tip! Post-modification update: Direction of travel (GPS), is no longer available - that space on dash is just empty. I have a phone with GPS if I want to know travel direction. So far seems like a net win!

[@Mikestifler93]

Anyone know what does the main connector does ?? Next to the two antennas?

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

That would connect the module to all the rest of the modules in the truck. This might be needed for the truck to work properly, but without the antennas connected it has no way to send or receive any data.

[@chrisbamsey9555]

Hey why don't you remove all of the plugs on onstar unit.

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

These two seemed to do what I was looking for. I know on some GM cars completely disconnecting the unit caused problems. on some if you simply unplug it it will break the CANBUS network and cause the whole vehicle to stop working. there were ways you could fix that I think you had to put a resister between a couple pins on the connector. but since pulling the antenna connectors fixed all my concerns I just stopped there.

[@roudyforr4962]

mine is disabled I get UE0 error code based on Onstar support folks, however my silverado is a 2021 model crewcab short bed z71, doesn't come with a physical button and i don't have it on my infotainment? would you know how could i fix that please. Thank you.

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Im afraid i cant help you there. You dont have the onstar buttons on the upper console?

[@dalephillips8250]

Does anyone know how to disconnect this stuff on a 2020 Tundra's and Tacoma's?

[@dustintubbs7732]

Did this and LoJack still works. How do you actually remove the GPS tracker?

[@RustyNutts]

So if we follow this video … the repo man can still locate me ?? @dustintubbs7732 did you find anything out I have the same question as you

[@Espinal_424]

What happens if you just unplug one? Like do you know what each one’s purpose is?

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

I don't know which is which or what they do. I always wondered if maybe one was the GPS and the other was the cell antenna. But I never tested it to find out.

[@clulessable]

I tried to do the same with mine but I couldn’t get the connectors to release. I pushed the red tabs towards the telematics box. After the tabs were pushed down the connectors didn’t release. Is there another step? Thanks

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

It is 2 stage, the red tabs are locks, once those are move out of the way the actual tab that releases the connector should be able to move. I dont remember exactly how it worked, but yes theres a small tab you have to press to release the connector and the red tab locks the actual release tab so it cant be pushed.

[@clulessable]

@@kodiaktimbercraft3939 Thanks for the reply. I accidentally pulled the coax out of the connector. Now what a nightmare that is. Impossible to find the coax cables with connectors!

[@calvizo1]

I did this exactly like you did on my 2021 sierra and i have everything you do from the red light on the onstar button and it won't communicate either. But my factory navigation still works, What do you think?

[@kodiakcreativity6512]

To be honest with you I've never used my factory navigation so I have no idea if it still works! If it is still working then it must be getting a GPS signal somehow, either its got a separate one from Onstar or I was mistaken about those connectors also carrying the GPS data. On my truck the compass and speed limit displays stopped working, which seemed to confirm that the GPS was disconnected. I would expect the factory nav to still be able to run, show the maps (data comes from an SD card in your center console) it should be able to find points of interest and even compute routes, but I would have expected it to not be able to find your current location and thus not be able to actually navigate. if it can, then the GPS must still be active. my main concern was just disconnecting communications to Onstar, so if the GPS still works that doesn't bother me too much.

[@joeyh7796]

@Rhino Vector (21 silverado lt z71) i unplugged both and i don’t have a compass and the light is red. i never had nav anyway

[@Matrixito]

Did it stop tracking your miles?

[@iam1smiley1]

@Jose Gonzalez if your GPS and Bluetooth are still working, you only turned off the head unit that you communicate with and can still be tracked, hacked, and stopped.

[@DJ-dp1sj]

@@joeyh7796 Does your compass near the speedometer say 'CAL' now? That is what mine says, I was not sure how to turn it off, if possible.

[@danielpacheco9962]

My Chevrolet Silverado 2021 went down after I unplugged it i did exactly what you said on the video what else can I do 😢all the lights are on and signal lights are not working properly nothing is working properly?

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

I wish I could help but I don't have a clue on that one. Are you sure you got the right connectors? I specifically disconnected only the antenna coax cables. Leaving the other connectors in place. Depending on the vehicle different implementations of serial communications among computers are employed. All newer vehicles use CANbus. It's possible that disconnecting the internal communications could prevent other modules from communicating with each other by breaking the internal network, this could cause all sorts of bizarre malfunctions and behaviors. It is for this reason that I specifically disconnected only the external communication antennas and did not touch the other connectors for the CANbus or other comms within the truck. Mine has been disconnected since about a week before I published this video with 0 negative side effects.

[@adamcunning]

Did you figure out what happened? I am wanting to do this to my ‘21 Silverado as well, but now after reading your story, I want to wait

[@rf667]

You DO NOT want to disable telematics, the data for that is used for diagnostics. You can MOSTLY disable reporting of that data by pulling just the maroon/purple connector that is the cellular modem antenna connector. I have seen it gain a connection even with the cable pulled when driving by extremely close AT&T cell sites, so it will still occasionally report data. Do not allow it to connect to your home wifi (unless you limit its requests to just NTP network time service). Just pull the purple one. If you want to just opt-out of the insurance reporting but still remain connected to OnStar, you can go into the vehicle settings and turn off location services. You can confirm it turns off that reporting 24-48 hours after disabling location services in your vehicle by logging into your GM account and going to data & privacy.

[@castlegarage6969]

Was going to do this but mabey unplug the antenna also

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Thats what this is doing, those are the antenna connectors. Or do you mean remove the sharkfin from the roof? Id like to do thag but it doesnt bother me all that much. Less than the hole and the possible leaks anyway!

[@castlegarage6969]

@kodiaktimbercraft3939 I thought it was just removing power ..but I'm not sure .I'd like to disconnect antenna only..I don't want anymore updates

[@kodiakbaertracks-railfan8655]

I cant be completely sure, but those connectors are coax which typically would be an antenna connection. Ive had mine unplugged since i got the truck and i havent been prompted for any updates. The issue with disconnecting power to the module is it may break the data network in the truck. Not 100% sure if its the case here but in other gm vehicles it can. If you unplug the connector it severs the data network and without that nothing works. Bcm to ecu comm is necessary to even start the engine. But, that box under there is the telemetrics module, you can try to unplug the other connector from it and see what happens, if the newer trucks have smarter communications maybe it would be ok. If you try and it works please post back here to let us know!

[@kodiakbaertracks-railfan8655]

Also just curious...did you have an update that caused problems?

[@kodiakbaertracks-railfan8655]

I see the occasional bug in my truck. I sometimes wonder if allowing updates to run, like once, might fix some things. Like the speed limit display in the cluster. One in every 50 starts or so it appears even though i have it turned off. If i go into settings it still shows as off. Without the gps it just displays -- so thats pretty useless. I have to check the box back on the off again to make it go away. Very annoying. Almost as if the engineers never considered that someone might not want a feature like that. I like the concept of having a speed limit display in my cluster, but experience with previous cars has shown me that the limit it displays is wrong so often you can never rely on it. And since gm has never convinced any cop that my cluster's limit display said i wasnt speeding to be a valid way out of a citation...id just rather not have it at all. Even if it did work. With all of the tech we have these days id prefer a system where the truck's camera could identify speed limit signs, read them, and display the speed that way. No database involved that can and up wrong. Heck they dont even have to read the signs, just recognize a speed limit sign and display an image of the sign itself taken from the camera on the cluster somewhere for the driver to read. That would eliminate incorrect reads and even ''hey thats not actually a speed limit sign''s. And if they could even show confidence in the system to the point where they can convince the government that if someone is pulled over and they can show the cop the speed limit sign display showing a different limit that would mean the sign was incorrectly placed and get the driver off the hook....well then it would be a really useful thing to have. But until then, i just prefer to turn it off.

[@salarmansoor3643]

I did exactly how you did on the video and my onstar light is red and when I try to call same thing happened to you on video they only thing is I’m still getting monthly emails with all the right informations like miles that’s means they still connected some type way should I unplug the 3ed wire ?

[@Matrixito]

Did u find an answer for that? (The tracking miles) ?

[@salarmansoor3643]

@@Matrixito no not yet

[@Matrixito]

@@salarmansoor3643 I'm going to try this tomorrow kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIiXgmqEg7h1g6c

[@salarmansoor3643]

@@Matrixito I just did this yesterday matter fact I remove the whole box I’m going to wait the next email

[@Evils550]

@@salarmansoor3643 did it work?

[@deshawnjones1049]

Hey I have a 19 Tahoe does it apply

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

I honestly don't know if they are the same. The trucks and SUVs often share a lot of their design. Id say take a look under there and see if you've got a box that looks the same with those connectors. If so it might be a good bet.

[@DORANGLA510]

I have 2021 sierra denali And onstar button has no lights Do you think it’s fuse or something else If it’s fuse do you what it’s call or fuse number PLEASE HELP I DONT WANNA DROP MY TRUCK AT DEALERSHIP !!!!

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

There is no separate fuse for OnStar anymore that im aware of. If there were Id have it pulled by now :-). Could it be that your free OnStar with purchase just expired? I called to cancel OnStar immediately after I got my truck, once the service was terminated the green light went out.

[@jasonp3856]

I have a 2022 sierra from what i understand the fuse box on the passengers side has an f42 fuse location labeled TCP or telematics connectivity platform. Telematics is usually associated with onstar. But again do at your own risk because it may be connected with other stuff as well.

[@maximusmeridius3106]

But the module is still connected and collecting data. Pretty pointless

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

The data cannot be sent anywhere without a connection. There have been horror stories (from the internet, might they be false or exaggerated? who knows?) of OnStar disabling vehicles from their actual owners because they were observed to be driving at high speeds...on a RACE TRACK (this story was from some Camaro owners trying to enjoy a track day). Read one of a Corvette owner who had OnStar contact his insurance company to report him driving at high speeds. According to that story he was doing so on public roads so I don't condone that behavior, but if OnStar really could or did do something like that, just wow. Pointless? Please feel free not to disconnect yours :-)

[@womacksgarage5302]

Does this disable gps tracking?

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

With the connectors unplugged my compass and speed limit information no longer worked. Since I don't need those things I just turned them off. Another commenter below however said that their factory nav still works after doing this, which seems to suggest that the GPS must still be connected. I've never activated factory nav on mine so I am not able to test it.

[@latriciadalton6624]

I unplugged all of mine and my light is still green... And my brake and abs light came on... Lol I unplugged what you did in the video I have a 2007 Gmc denali

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

These instructions are specific to the T1 trucks, model years 2019 and newer. I'm sure its possible to disconnect it on a 2007, but unfortunately I don't know how. I know on the last generation, the K2's the plugs were located behind the radio stack, so they do move them around from generation to generation. I previously owned a 2003 Silverado, that truck actually made it very easy, there was a separate fuse for OnStar, it was labeled INFO in the underhood fuse block, just unplug it. you might want to see if yours is the same (if your 07 is an old body style, it should have that same fuse) also, the 03 OnStar can't even work anymore, it was based on analog cell networks which had since been shut down. You could also check and see what kind of comm tech the 07 uses, its possible its OnStar is disabled by default by now. I wish I could help further, good luck!

[@lGlppl]

My lawyer told me not to ask any questions 👀

[@duke135056]

"Safety Feature" LOL... More like "spy on you feature" This is why I will always keep my mid 90's trucks and the one new truck I got; like you the first thing I did was pull off some plugs. Mine was behind the radio screen. Along with the two coax cables; I also unplugged the main power harness to the box; so mine is "COMPLETELY DEAD". No red light and I can press the buttons and nothing happens. Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3-VioVngLh1gJY

[@youtubedjdj]

on this newer body style as shown in the video, can we remove power or another plug similar to your video?

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Im not sure on that one. Are you referring to the refreshed silverado/sierra with the updated interior? It might be in the same place, or possibly they moved around when the interior was redone. Im afraid i can't help on that one.

[@DS-nu1ch]

@@kodiaktimbercraft3939 2023 gmc 1500 AT4 Duramax. If you pull the main plug as well as the coax cables, you lose the main instrument panel for the speedometer/trip data. The coax cables does appear to stop communication with onstar if you hit the button. It also fails to connect to Google assistant etc. Pulling the main plug temporarily did reset all history on the module, as the gps no longer knows my location and defaults to the equator off the coast of Africa lol. GMC app no longer can communicate with the truck as well. **note to other users my truck was not running during this time but battery was connected. Truck is under warranty when I pulled plugs** Also, This guy found and took apart the exact Module in the 2023 GMC 1500 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnfEXo17ZtmtasU

[@inxtics]

💯

[@RonTimmonsM1]

Video starts at kzbin.info/www/bejne/i17Fh4and7ilmK8

[@miguelsandoval8203]

you just showed a bunch of car thief's on how to deactivate gps navigation -

[@hackbadmacbar8668]

I am sure they already know and can tell those who had problems, how to fix them....

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

When the news does stories about how onstar vehicles are so easy to steal that pros specifically look for them as targets, they often point out that they are able to disable the onstar and gps so quickly that the system doesn't even register that the car has moved. It's last known location shows as the place it was stolen from. It's a sad situation, but not telling anyone anything they don't already know. I wish the thieves would just earn a living teaching privacy focused car owners how to disable factory tracking and telemetry systems. I bet if one set up a shop to do so for those less willing to dig into their vehicles to stop the spying they could use their stills to make a legit income.

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

Anyone need any further reasons to not want your car or truck sending telemetry back to the manufacturer to do whatever they want with? Here you go. www.gm-trucks.com/onstar-smart-driver-chevrolet-buick-gmc-insurance/

[@macrostiffproductions2978]

I might try this on a 2024 silverado 1500

[@deerhunter6133]

Wow, 40 seconds of worthless intro!

[@kodiaktimbercraft3939]

I appreciate the feedback. I will try to do better on shorter how-to type videos. Thanks for watching anyway.