Automakers are turning off cloud-backed car features that many owners were sold as part of the modern vehicle experience: app-based locks, remote start, cabin preconditioning, vehicle location, service alerts and automatic emergency calls. Ars Technica reports that the problem is not theoretical. It has already hit owners of Lexus, Acura, BMW, Porsche, Nissan, Volkswagen, Subaru and other vehicles as cellular networks age out and manufacturers stop maintaining older systems.
The mechanics are straightforward, and annoying. Connected services depend on a telematics control unit with a cellular modem, SIM or eSIM, antennas and software that talks to the car’s internal networks and the manufacturer’s cloud. If the cellular network goes away, or the automaker retires the server stack that understands the car, the app on your phone becomes a nicely designed dead end.
How the cutoff happens
General Motors introduced OnStar in the 1990s, and nearly every volume automaker now sells some version of the same idea under its own badge. BMW calls its system ConnectedDrive. Honda has HondaLink, Ford has FordPass, Lexus had Enform, Volvo has Volvo On Call and Porsche has Porsche Connect. The feature lists differ at the edges, but the basic pitch is familiar: remote access, maintenance data, location services, emergency assistance, Wi-Fi hotspots and paid extras after a trial period.
Automakers get more than subscription revenue. According to Ars Technica, connected systems let manufacturers push over-the-air software fixes to many cars at once, including bug fixes, infotainment changes and some recall-related software updates, instead of paying dealers to handle every vehicle one bay at a time.
The weak point is longevity. In 2022, AT&T, T-Mobile/Sprint and Verizon shut down 3G networks in the United States to free capacity for newer service. Vehicles with 3G-only telematics lost connected functions. Lexus Enform, used on nearly all 2010 to 2017 Lexus models, went dark because its hardware could not move forward to newer networks. Lexus refunded unused paid service time, Ars Technica reports.
Network retirement is only one failure mode. Acura said in 2025 that it would end support for older AcuraLink-backed services on many 2014 to 2022 vehicles, cutting off remote access, service reminders, lock and unlock, Find My Car and emergency calling. Ars Technica reports that some of those cars had working 4G hardware, but Acura chose not to keep the older backend running. The company gave prorated refunds to remaining paid subscribers and did not offer a retrofit or migration path.
BMW ended ConnectedDrive and BMW Assist for vehicles with 3G telematics in early 2022. Ars Technica reports that some owners received complimentary services or free upgrades for 4G-capable hardware, while many lost connectivity.
What owners can do
Some vehicles can keep service through software. Ars Technica cites certain 2017 to 2019 Genesis G80 and G90 models, Honda vehicles updated to 4G LTE before AT&T’s 3G cutoff, and GM-brand vehicles that received updates preserving core OnStar functions.
Other fixes require hardware. Subaru replaced Starlink data communication modules on eligible 2016 to 2018 subscribers. Nissan offered a subsidized 2G-to-3G telematics upgrade for many 2011 to 2014 Leaf models and a free upgrade for 2015 Leaf owners. BMW i3 owners without an official upgrade path bought 4G telematics units and paid to have them coded, with costs reported above $1,400 per vehicle.
Aftermarket OBD devices can provide trip logs, GPS tracking, driver scoring and fault-code reporting, but they generally cannot reproduce factory remote start, crash notification or SOS features because they do not sit inside the automaker’s telematics stack.
For many drivers, the fallback is the phone. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto do not replace remote lock, remote start or preconditioning, but smartphones can provide maps, media, hotspot service and, on some devices, crash detection and SOS features.
Ars Technica reports that about half of vehicles on the road now use connected-car technology, while industry experts expect 90 to 95 percent of new vehicles to be internet-connected by 2030. Unless automakers build cars with modular, replaceable communications hardware and longer-lived software support, today’s cloud features will keep expiring before the cars do.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.
