GM’s OnStar App Notified Owners to Inflate Their Tires Above 1,000 PSI
Corvette, Silverado, and even Cadillac Lyriq owners have reported the glitch.
In recent days, owners of late-model General Motors vehicles have taken to the internet with reports of an unusual problem. They've received notifications that their car's or truck's tire pressure is "critically low," and been told to inflate their tires to impossible pressures. The phenomenon has been reported across multiple brands and around the country, but hasn't afflicted all owners, leaving the exact cause a mystery.
The problem appeared to surface on Wednesday morning, when reports were first posted on social media and owners' forums. It affects owners of GM products with OnStar-connected owner apps such as myCadillac, myChevrolet, and myGMC, which GM-Trucks.com reports allows remote start or monitoring of fuel levels, oil condition, and so on. Most importantly to us, it alerts owners when tire pressure drops out of specification so that they can reinflate them. Or, as it's done in in recent days, it'll tell them to puff their tires up to unreachable pressures.
So far, faulty tire pressure notifications have been received by owners of everything from the Chevy Corvette and Silverado to even the Cadillac Lyriq. (No reports from Buick owners were found during our search, but we suspect they're implicated too.) Corvette owners for example were told to inflate to 480 psi, while one owner of a 2024 Chevy Silverado HD on Duramax Forum was instructed to reach 1,279 psi.
For context, passenger vehicles tires are typically inflated to around 30 psi, and can't be safely pumped up past about 50. Even high-pressure semi-truck tires don't go far past 100.
Strangely, while the issue has been reported on a wide range of GM vehicles across the country, not all owners were affected. GM did not respond to our inquiry at the time of publication, leaving us to rely on an explanation reportedly offered by a dealership. On Wednesday morning, a Tahoe Yukon Forum user said they were told the cause was a computer error on OnStar's end.
Meanwhile, social media commenters have indicated various resolutions. Some C8 owners said the problem went away after updating their app, or simply driving the car. Another indicates the issue seemed to resolve itself.
Though the problem is superficial, and at worst confused GM owners, it contributes to a growing frustration with and distrust in the connected car technologies that allowed it to happen in the first place. It's not a good look for an automaker that's increasingly leaning into in-house tech, with GM planning to abandon outsourced infotainment software like Apple CarPlay in favor of original programming. Between CarPlay's popularity, memory of this glitch, and Cruise AVs freezing when punished with the cone of shame, GM's setting a tough stage for its long-term software aspirations.
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