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Ford Motor Company announced yesterday that its SYNC 911 Assist feature can now transmit a vehicle’s exact GPS coordinates to 911 in the event of an accident.

“The 911 Assist and GPS location remains subscription free and will launch on all 2011 MyFord and MyLincoln Touch equipped vehicles and select SYNC-equipped vehicles,” confirms egmCarTech.

The new features requires a Bluetooth phone to be paired with the SYNC system, which is a multipurpose suite that provides navigation, voice commands, traffic information and even internet radio.

According to Ford’s press release: “When the feature is turned on and a phone is Bluetooth-paired to SYNC, 911 Assist can make a call directly to a local emergency operator in the event of an accident involving the activation of an airbag or emergency fuel pump shutoff. With the GPS capabilities, the system is designed to not only alert the operator that a crash has occurred in a Ford vehicle, but to give the operator the option to retrieve the vehicle’s GPS coordinates. The call is fast, direct, and doesn’t involve a separate call center or intermediary.”

The new 911 Assist with GPS accomplishes the same thing as General Motors’ OnStar system, which comes standard on most of its vehicles. However, that system requires a monthly subscription.

“Unlike competitive offerings that require customers to subscribe and pay a monthly fee for such accident assistance, Ford 911 Assist remains a nonsubscription-based, no-cost feature of the SYNC system that uses a customer’s existing mobile phone,” explains Ford. “The fee-free service is available in both the U.S. and Canada.”

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