Some vehicles already have 4G capability, so you may only have to do an over-the-air software update at home-the same way you would on a phone or laptop-to keep your car’s connected services. What you need to do next depends on what kind of car you drive. “We foresaw this time coming and designed around it,” he told CR. And Mitsubishi has never used 3G, says Jeremy Barnes, spokesperson for the automaker. Ford and Mazda, for instance, connect to a driver’s cell phone for crash notification.
A spokesperson for Stellantis-which owns Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram-told CR that the automaker will allow owners of certain vehicles affected by the shutdown to upgrade to 4G to keep some remote services for a monthly fee of $10 for 2 gigabytes of data or $30 for unlimited data, but their vehicles will no longer have automatic crash notification or SOS.
But exactly what owners get depends on the manufacturer.
Owners of some Hondas who didn’t download new software before Feb. There are no announced plans for a connectivity upgrade, even though some of the cars that will permanently lose services are as new as the 2019 model year.
Some vehicles just need a software or hardware upgrade, but others-including vehicles from Chrysler, Dodge, Hyundai, Jeep, Lexus, Nissan, Ram, and Toyota-are losing their connections permanently.Īutomatic crash notification, which alerts first responders via a built-in cellular connection, often relies on aging 3G cellular networks to connect drivers with emergency services and share a vehicle’s location. As wireless carriers shut down their 3G networks over the coming months, millions of cars are losing the ability to automatically contact first responders after a crash.