Protective Alerts also monitors the fuel pump. As a pump ages, Holland says, the amount of fuel it sends to the engine degrades. Sensors track the amount of fuel pumped through the system and triggers an alert if fuel pressure or volume drops below an acceptable level. After a decade of preparation, GM launched Proactive Alerts on nine 2016 vehicles: the Cadillac Escalade; the GMC Sierra, Yukon and Terrain; and the Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Corvette and Equinox. Holland says GM plans eventually to offer the service on all of its vehicles, and to expand the number of components it covers. Proactive Alerts now monitors just the battery, fuel pump and starter -- the three components that most often are responsible for starting problems and check-engine lights. "Our plan is to expand Proactive Alerts to other critical systems in the vehicle," Holland says, "things that have a lot of electrical content." Once a problem is detected that requires service, the driver has about two weeks to schedule a service appointment, Holland adds. "That's early enough so that the customer has time to deal with it before they suffer the inconvenience of having a problem while they are driving," he says. "We don't know the precise time [the component will stop working], but we do know that it needs to be taken care of, and if left unserviced, that it is going to fail." GM doesn't charge for Proactive Alerts. But given the sensitivity of data collection, customers must opt in to the program. Some commercial airlines also use predictive maintenance to catch problems before they become serious. For now, though, Proactive Alerts technology is exclusive to GM among automakers, says AutoPacific analyst Dave Sullivan. "There are a lot of similar services," Sullivan says, "but no one offers the depth or breadth of services that OnStar offers." Depending on how GM markets the system and how customers accept it, Proactive Alerts can be a game changer -- at least for GM dealers.
General Motors (GM) has launched a new aspect to its OnStar connected car technology, an app called Proactive Alerts which can undertake diagnostic investigations on a vehicle, allowing any faulty parts to be identified and ordered, or warranty repair work to be approved, before the vehicle is taken to a mechanic. The ultimate goal of the technology is to detect and repair any “vehicle-stopping” issues before they become a problem. So far, Proactive Alerts monitors the three components most likely to cause problems – the battery, fuel pump, and starter, and is available in nine 2016 models, although planned to eventually cover all new vehicles.