Volkswagen will make its Car-Net Safe & Secure suite of safety services free for five years on cars built after 2020. The move comes in response to backlash after a February incident in Chicago in which police couldn’t access the service to track a stolen car with a child inside because of an unpaid account.
Like similar telemetry services from many automakers, Car-Net can track a car’s location. It also has other features that vary by model.
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VW says the complimentary services on gas-powered models will include “Automatic Crash Notifications, Emergency Assistance, Stolen Vehicle Locator, and Anti-Theft Alerts.” On the electric VW ID.4, the service features just “Automatic Crash Notifications and Emergency Assistance.”
To its credit, Volkswagen is not hiding from what happened in Chicago. In a press release announcing the new program, VW apologizes for it directly.
Police Were Unable To Use It To Find Child
In the February incident, carjackers stole a Volkswagen Atlas with a toddler still inside. The Chicago Sun-Times explains that the Lake County Sheriff’s Office “tried to track down the Volkswagen and reached out to Car-Net, but the trial period for the service had ended, and a representative wanted $150 to restart the service and locate the SUV.”
Deputies pleaded with the company to track the car to recover the child. When that failed, a detective paid the fee out of pocket. But, “by then, 30 minutes had passed since the carjacking and authorities had already located the vehicle. The 2-year-old was found safe,” the Sun-Times says.
VW: ‘We Want To Make It Right’
“Volkswagen must and will do better for everyone that trusts our brand and for the law enforcement officials tasked with protecting us,” says Volkswagen of America Senior Vice President Rachael Zaluzec. “In addition to a full investigation of what went wrong and actions taken to address the failure, we want to make it right for the future” by providing the services free of charge for all 2020-2023 VW owners for five years.
Many Automakers Charge For Similar Services
Many automakers offer similar services on their 2023 models. Some are complimentary for a set period, then available for a subscription fee. Honda’s HondaLink service, for instance, is free for the first year on many 2023 models. After that, there’s a monthly fee to keep it working.
Some even charge tiered fees for different packages of services. GM’s OnStar service has packages ranging from $24.99 to $49.99 monthly. The kind of stolen-car tracking that could have helped in the Chicago incident requires the OnStar Safety & Security plan, at $29.99 per month.
