{"id":1996,"date":"2026-09-17T05:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T05:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=1996"},"modified":"2026-09-17T05:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T05:10:13","slug":"fixing-the-right-to-repair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=1996","title":{"rendered":"Fixing the Right to Repair"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A<\/span>sking whether the person who buys \u2014 and presumably owns \u2014 a car (or a tractor) has the right to repair it is kind of like asking whether you have the right to eat the food you just paid for.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Denying that<\/i> right is probably next.<\/span><\/p>\n

Car companies \u2014 and tractor\/farm equipment companies, too \u2014 have asserted that they have the right to deny owners as well as independent, non-dealer shops the right to repair their vehicles by claiming ownership over the software that powers the computers that run the vehicle\u2019s systems, such as the engines\/transmissions. They demand payment for access to the data stream needed to figure out what\u2019s wrong via annual subscriptions to expensive, proprietary diagnostic computers, without which that data cannot be obtained. Independent shops often don\u2019t have such access \u2014 and private owners almost never do \u2014 which effectively forces the owner to go to an \u201cauthorized\u201d dealer to get the work done.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In some cases, even if a replacement component is the correct factory replacement part \u2014 and even if it is correctly installed \u2014 it will only work if \u201cpaired\u201d by a dealer\u2019s proprietary computer, which is controlled by the vehicle\u2019s manufacturer.<\/span><\/p>\n

One mechanic at an independent Virginia shop\u00a0recalled one job<\/span>: \u201cWe couldn\u2019t do the programming because they wouldn\u2019t release the software. We had to then take the car there for them<\/i> to program it, bring it back, cost the consumer an extra $1,200 they didn\u2019t need to pay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight to repair\u201d laws have been put forward to remedy this weird post-purchase assertion of ownership over vehicles that are legally the property of the people who bought them and whose names are on the title, which you\u2019d think affirms the vehicle\u2019s ownership status. This includes access to the vehicle\u2019s onboard diagnostics, the system that stores fault codes and so on, that a technician has to have to be able to figure out what\u2019s wrong, in order to be able to fix what\u2019s wrong.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

President Trump is on the right track when he argues<\/span> that Americans ought to have the \u201cFreedom to Fix.\u201d It\u2019s a measure of just how off the rails things are that it\u2019s necessary for the president to explain that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nine states have already passed Right-to-Repair laws. Congress has gotten involved, too, with the REPAIR<\/span> Act. The bill would codify some right-to-repair conditions into federal law and give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the power to make sure that repair resources are made available to independent garages.<\/span><\/p>\n

Specifically, the legislation would require \u201cmotor vehicle manufacturer(s) to provide to a vehicle\u2019s owner certain direct, real-time, in-vehicle data generated by the operation of the vehicle that is related to diagnostics, repair, service, wear, and calibration or recalibration of parts and systems of the vehicle\u201d and prohibit a vehicle manufacturer from \u201cimpair(ing) an owner\u2019s access to such vehicle-generated data or impair(ing) an aftermarket parts manufacturer from producing or offering compatible aftermarket parts. A manufacturer also must make available to the vehicle\u2019s owner, and designees, vehicle-generated data through a standardized access platform. Outside of recall and warranty repairs, a manufacturer may not mandate the use of a particular brand or manufacturer of parts, tools, or equipment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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There\u2019s some legitimate contention, though, over an earlier version of the REPAIR Act that would have provided much broader access to the vehicle\u2019s data stream. That bill was abandoned after automakers objected, arguing it violated their intellectual property rights. They meant the software that they designed to run the car \u2014 as distinct from servicing it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They also argued that by opening up what\u2019s known in the industry as telematics<\/i> \u2014 the ability that all new and most late-model vehicles since about a decade ago have to both transmit and receive over-the-air updates, very much like a smartphone \u2014 vehicles will be rendered much more vulnerable to hackers. This vulnerability would encompass personal (not just vehicle) data, as most people pair their phones to their cars, thus potentially providing access to their data to anyone who can hack into the car\u2019s real-time data stream.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2023, John Deere opened up some repair data\u00a0<\/span>to farmers while seeking guidance from the federal government on the issue. Earlier this summer, the company\u00a0struck a deal<\/span> with the Trump administration that secured the right to repair in full for tens of millions of American farmers. The agreement aligns with federal law. Farmers\u2019 ownership rights are acknowledged \u2014 including their right to repair them \u2014 while Deere maintains its patents, IP, and trade secrets. Individuals and independent garages have access to onboard software for diagnostic purposes, but not control over it.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, owners can\u2019t alter t<\/i>he code.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is important to securing right-to-repair nationally, because if the code \u2014 which controls a vehicle\u2019s emissions systems \u2014 can be altered, then a valid argument can be made that people will alter the programming in such a way as to defeat the function of the emissions control system, thereby creating a strong argument to deny owners (and independent shops) any access to the data they need to repair modern vehicles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, it is about property rights. You own the vehicle \u2014 and have the right to repair it.<\/span><\/p>\n

But you don\u2019t own the code itself, just as \u2014 back in the day \u2014 you didn\u2019t own the rights to the Pontiac name just because you owned a vehicle made by Pontiac (such as this writer\u2019s 1976 Trans Am).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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