Modern vehicles (whether gas, hybrid, or EV) come factory-equipped with up to 6 HD cameras and USB/SD slots, yet manufacturers software-block us from using them as a built-in Dashcam. My Equinox EV RS is locked, as Cadillac Optiq (Our twin) is not.
Stop the Software Block: Enable Safety Recording on Our Factory-Integrated Cameras! To the management of General Motors and Transportation Authorities. As owners of recent vehicles (such as the 2025 Equinox), we request the ability to use our…
Stop the Software Block: Enable Safety Recording on Our Factory-Integrated Cameras! To the management of General Motors and Transportation Authorities. As owners of recent vehicles (such as the 2025 Equinox), we request the ability to use our factory-installed built-in cameras to record footage in the event of an accident (Dashcam function). Our vehicles are equipped with more than 6 HD cameras and a physical SD card reader, yet it seems that a software restriction blocks us from accessing this feature for local recording. This situation negatively impacts the consumer experience for the following reasons: Unnecessary Interior Clutter: Forcing the addition of a third-party camera (with windshield suction cups and exposed wiring to the cigarette lighter) unnecessarily clutters the driver's visual space. Using the factory cameras would provide a clean, ergonomic, and seamlessly integrated solution. Right to Evidence and Financial Protection: In the event of a collision or a hit-and-run, motorists have the legal right to produce video evidence to establish the facts for insurance companies and authorities. Respect for Privacy: Local recording (on a private SD card or USB drive) fully complies with Canadian and American privacy laws for strictly personal use on public roads, as there is no reasonable expectation of privacy for vehicles moving in public spaces. We request that General Motors, and car manufacturers alike, release a software update enabling local recording from our integrated 360°, or regular cameras for owners who wish to use it. https://c.org/pP4bZMBsmM
Collected discussion
Feels like the kind of thing they could pretty easily option-up and charge through the nose for. Want base level cameras? Fine... Premium HD cameras with sentry? App connectivity? 12 hour surveillance cloud storage? Surprised they haven't tried this already. Your software team exists(?) why not put them to work on a profit maker
GM has Onstar , and if this was part of the Onstar package, I'd 100% pay for it. As it is, the only thing it's good for is if your car is stolen and you need it located and locked out.
I have been searching for my next car, and you just made a huge argument for the Bolt from my viewpoint. Thanks for posting this, I will look into it further.
Agreed. To charge a subscription for use of hardware one has already paid for, is greedy and nefarious IMO. Dashcams should've been included as part of the mandate to add back-up cameras!
GM has been rolling out a (free) software update for newer vehicles (dunno which set of vehicles officially, but I know my Silverado EV is on the list) that enables full video recording when you install a SD card or external hard drive.
My only gripe is not being able to view the front camera on demand like the other cameras
Not sure it's a legal thing, because Tesla in the US the vehicle owner has full access and recording and DL video footage.
In my Etron I can assign it to a button on the steering wheel, but Audis software is so amazing that it pretty much never works unless you go the sub-sub menu where you assign what that button does, and then it will stop working again every 1-2 times the car is turned off. It’d be really fucking nice to get to the front and 3D cameras without going into a menu while I’m parking that thing.
One OTA for the Equinox EV is years lol. There are many 2025s that are like 6 updates behind and don't have video or Apple Music because GM hasn't pushed them the OTAs. GMs software department is incompetent
Can you tell me where this button is? Waiting for my MY
On the screen. It's the dashcam button. Has a little red dot on a camera icon at the bottom of the screen.
There are people who would love to pay for a "ring camera" like service on their expensive luxury EV
Weird, the 2027 Bolt does this and that's not exactly a premium vehicle. You do need the tech package but that's because you don't even have the cameras without it.
At least VW IDs come with a USB C port at the rearview mirror so you can easily mount your own without running any complicated wires. I just wish they did one in the back window too.
Fight the power and all that. But I already do this. Every car should come with a dash cam.
Its even worse they just suck ass at software development so they will probably enable it for free but in like 3 years lol. The new Bolt got it and the Cadillacs have it. Its likely just a matter of time before pushing it to the Equinox, but considering some of the older year Equinox's haven't had an OTA update in over a year, don't know how long it will take
This is one of those things that Tesla and now rivian just do better. They have a built in dashcam system. It just works, and pretty well. I won't buy a car without it now. Why the hell my folks' equinox or my friend's mach e doesn't have a dashcam is beyond me. That friend's husband got hit in the parking lot at work and the person drove off and didn't leave a note or anything; cue her asking me - the techie friend - about dashcams. When I told her about my car just having it built in she was a little frustrated haha
I wonder how soon some of the other Ultium vehicles will get this. My 2026 Silverado EV got a software update at the dealership last month. There is a new app for recording the content you want, essentially a dashcam. I bought a USB drive, and it's working well, recording each drive now. I'm not sure if they'll be rolling this out to earlier model years.
Not only does my Model 3 have a dashcam, but you can hit a single button and save the last ten minutes. So let's say you get pulled over late at night for no reason and the cop tries to lie and say you were speeding, you can hit that button when you see the blue lights. The video clip has your speed throughout the whole video. Highly useful. Or you get some yahoo who wants to mess with you and ride your bumper. Just hit the button and you got his front license plate. Accident that isn't your fault and you need footage for insurance purposes? Hit the button. You can also set it to save the video when the horn honks as well. Wanna see what 0-60 looks like from a dead stop? Hit the button when you're finished and you can play it back for your buddies at work. Oh, and you can also view the clip on your phone in the Tesla app as well. You don't even need to be in the car. And the inside camera can be activated from your phone. Let's say you have it in Dog Mode with the temperature set to 70 degrees F and you're in the store and you wanna check to see how Rover is doing while you're shopping. Just fire up the app and have a quick peek to make sure he's behaving himself.
Yeah it’s one of things where the future is obvious but car makers aren’t all interested.
this is simply a software update away. but manufacturers are going to need to be FORCED into doing it.
Supposedly the Ioniq 5 does this in Korea, but the American version is missing the SD card slot and software to turn it on. https://www.reddit.com/r/Ioniq5/comments/u3gxhe/did_you_know_that_the_korean_variant_comes_with/ I have to assume there's some sort of stupid legal liability prevent them from enabling it for North America.
It’s a business decision, there is reason to not do this on legal grounds, Tesla has been doing it for years.
Now that cars are basically computers with wheels, there's huge potential for open source software. I can understand them wanting to keep the driving / safety side separate (so that things like the airbags are still reliable) - but there's no reason at all why a car couldn't have a separate, open source system that runs the cabin controls and infotainment system, including access to the cameras.
My BMW lets me use them as dash cams