OnStar Redlight

[sturs6]

For all of you new "Redlight District Member" Please find the poll Thread and register your vote. I am enjoying the running total.
Jack lets get that recall started...
Poll Here

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by sturs6
Jack lets get that recall started...

I was going to say no to this for now, since the recent fix attempt resulted in a less-bright green light and the Florida dealer replaced the switch rather than the backup battery on my last visit (June 4) -- per AOA's recommendation. I really had high hopes that that meant it was fixed. But NOOOO -- today it went red again. Sixth time!

SOOOO...should I file the form I was sent at my request by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is part of DOT (US Dept of Transportation)? Or should I wait and give my Michigan dealer one more chance?

I'm inclined to file because the Michigan dealer worked on this, too, early on.

One other thing I need to decide is whether to allow identification of myself to the manufacturer. The form letter I received from Alberto A. Jimenez says "The Privacy Act prohibits our agency from identifying you to the manufacturer without your permission." Jimenez is Chief, Correspondence Research Division, Office of Defects Investigation, Enforcement. On one hand, if I don't give permission, AOA may not see my report at all (tho I may call to make sure about that); on the other, if I do OK my ID, I worry a little that it could create problems for me at AOA, since I likely would no longer be considered a "loyal" customer.

It's going to take me a couple of days to gather & copy repair receipts and write my own letter, which will refer to & give the web address for this thread (unless someone here strongly objects). So there's time for input from other members here & I'd love to see some.

Meantime, anyone who wishes to contact NHTSA directly may do so toll free at (888) 327-4236 or http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/hotline

And by the way, when I called a few weeks ago to request the complaint form, I was pleasantly surprised that the wait time was short & the person I spoke to was very helpful.

[sturs6]

Well I have got my third Unit installed now and it is still green it has been 2 weeks now. Audi sent me a new unit from a "secret" stock instead of the normal parts bin. I look forward to seeing if this is the fix.

[rs6_newyork]

@ 3900 miles, I joined the club! yay!

oh wait.. this isn't a good club..

prodiag DTC - low volt condition on backup battery.

Strangely the onstar button no longer works -- the one that gives you the menu like virtual advisor etc, only the emergency call button works (and the cancel button).

[sturs6]

Originally posted by sturs6
Well I have got my third Unit installed now and it is still green it has been 2 weeks now. Audi sent me a new unit from a "secret" stock instead of the normal parts bin. I look forward to seeing if this is the fix.

I am red again even after the "Secret stock". This and other problems I am ready to ask for a new one.

[JKN]

Mine turned red at 3.5K.. at 5K maintenance, I had them replace and it is now green again. I have to say, I prefer the red to match interior.

Does anybody know if the red light means anything from a pure function perspective? I seemed to be able to work the unit fine without the green light.. it's just that it was red..

Is that the same for other folks that it works anyway?

JK

[SpinEcho]

Originally posted by sturs6
For all of you new "Redlight District Member" Please find the poll Thread and register your vote. I am enjoying the running total.
Jack lets get that recall started...
Poll Here

The poll is closed when I try to vote. So I'll vote here. Do I have the dubious honour of being the first Canadian to report my red light?

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by JKN
Does anybody know if the red light means anything from a pure function perspective? I seemed to be able to work the unit fine without the green light...

I can't guarantee this is right, but the problem seems to be that something causes the OnStar back-up battery to fail. As long as you're running on your regular car battery, OnStar should continue to work. But if there's an emergency that disables your car battery and the OnStar backup battery doesn't work either, then you're stuck without the emergency communication OnStar is supposed to provide. That's the gist of what I've heard, at least.

Additionally, someone at OnStar once told me that the red light coming on means that eventually, OnStar would not be able to locate a vehicle in trouble.

[Hy Octane]

The onstar system software for 2003 models has a bug in it that can cause the unit to connect to onstar by itself and remain connected even after the engine is turned off, thus causing the unit to think power has been interrupted, so it kicks in the backup battery which becomes drained and voila, red light. This is also the source of the mysterious hissing sound from the b-pillar some were noticing.. Like a dead carrier.. Onstar has confirmed that this problem can sometimes be fixed with a reset, but probably will need to be replaced with an updated head unit .. Of course, onstar wont be telling you this unless you complain.. Now heres the extra bonus I found out about.. Onstar have developed a new unit for 2004 models that can be either digital or analog, which resolves the problem when analog disappears in 2008.. so, if you have a funky onstar unit, tell your service manager you want it replaced with a 2004 model.. I did this and will be getting it swapped out next week. HTH!

[JKN]

Funny...

There's going to a rush on 2004 headunits in the next week.. hope they have a bunch in stock!!!

[sturs6]

I will be getting my 4 head unit next month. How many will it take. I think there is a bigger unseen problem with certain cars and the problem will not get a fix. After I went red again I have noticed the hissing in the B pillar has queit again. In fact that is how I new the redlight was on.

[Robert Wendel]

Have to take my car in for the electrical recall in the am. I have been holding off on installing XM radio to avoid the "red" problem. Today my green went red. Had it happened after the recall service I would have blamed the techs!
I guess that is why there is the word coincidence.
Let's see if they can fix it.

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by Robert Wendel
I have been holding off on installing XM radio to avoid the "red" problem.

For the record, my OnStar red light went on before I installed Sirius, and it went on again after the installation too. Didn't seem to make a difference, in my case at least.

I'm now on my sixth fix. Entire new OnStar unit. We'll see. Haven't filed federal defect notice considered earlier, but may reconsider if this one fails.

[audirs6sport]

what EXACTLY is this onstar redlight problem?

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by audirs6sport
what EXACTLY is this onstar redlight problem?

The tiny OnStar signal light over the center stack is supposed to stay green; red means something is wrong. Red lights have led to back-up batteries being replaced by the dozens, but they keep failing after a couple of weeks or couple of months. My OnStar switch also was replaced, but another red light followed. So now I have an entire new OnStar unit. As for others, scroll thru the posts.

My OnStar has never completely quit working, but once or twice I was told they could not locate my vehicle. That obviously would be important if I was in a serious accident.

Does that mean something besides a failing back-up battery is causing the red light to go on? Maybe; since replacing the back-up battery has not solved the problem, something else must be causing it, eh? In any case, if we knew all the answers then there wouldn't be a problem! Maybe it's been solved by the 2004 model of OnStar, per post above. We'll see.

[audirs6sport]

so is this problem caused after you install an XM radio or phat noise?

[sturs6]

No though it can happen after sat radio is installed but again we are talking about a problem that is actually a false reading on the computers part.

[App]

Went in for the first OnStar redlight fix at 5,000 miles, it was green for about 900 miles and now it's back to red .

It's the battery again according to Onstar's diagnostics! The first one was the GPS antenna connection according to Onstar diagnostics but when I took it in, Audi said it was actually the battery that was at fault.

I suspect they have a design fault in the charging circuit for the backup battery or that something else is draining it when it shouldn't be.

No Sat nav, no XM radio, no Phat noise ... so I don't think they are in any way related to the problem. Don't hold off on getting XM Radio or Phatnoise just because you are worried about the red light - you'll get it anyway sooner or later!

So, when they replace the Onstar unit can you get the new 'digital one' with better voice recognition?

On a positive note, the red light does complement the rest of the instrumentation much better, maybe I'll reverse the LED when I finally do get it fixed so green = problem, red = normal