🚗💨 Your ‘smart’ car could be days away from going dumb

August 19, 2025

By Kim Komando

Here’s something used car dealers and private sellers won’t shout from the rooftops.

The average new car has 1,400 to 1,500 semiconductor chips. And high-end EVs? Try 3,000. Those computer chips power everything from heated seats to emergency crash alerts. 

The problem: When the car’s network or software support ends, so do those fancy features.

We’ve been here before. 

Remember the 3G shutdown in 2022? Overnight, millions of cars lost remote start, navigation and emergency call functions. Owners of certain Volkswagen, Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, Toyota and Lexus models from 2012–2019 suddenly found their “smart” features dead in the water.

⏳ Déjà vu? More like Déjà-VROOM.

Fast-forward to 2025: Acura pulled the plug on its AcuraLink services on cars as recent as 2022. Yes, even the NSX supercar. Goodbye, app-controlled locks. Sayonara, stolen vehicle tracking. So long, digital concierge. 

Mazda owners with 2016–2018 models saw remote start vanish with no fix in sight. Subaru’s early Starlink system? Dead since 2022.

It’s not just about network shutdowns either. Cadillac and other GM EVs are ditching Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for their own systems. Even if you paid for these features, there’s no guarantee they’ll be there tomorrow.

😳 Why does this even matter? 

Let me break it down for you. The average car on U.S. roads is 12.6 years old. Many connected-car systems only last seven to 10 years. That’s bad news for used car buyers. A mechanically perfect car could have worthless tech. It’s dead, Jim.

Millions of used cars out there have ticking tech clocks. If you’re shopping for one, ask how long the remote start, safety systems and other features will last.

Before you buy that “fully loaded” dream car, ask what happens when the tech stops calling home. Features age out faster than engines. Check the manual, the app and the forums. If the tech relies on a soon-to-be dead network or discontinued service, you might be buying a VHS player on wheels.

🚗 Know someone in the market for a used car? Use the share icons below, so they don’t get shocked later on. They auto know better.