Right to repair laws have been in the spotlight for years now after Massachusetts residents voted to approve a measure requiring that cars sold in the state starting with the 2022 model year come equipped with a standardized open access data platform that would allow mechanics and independent repair shops to access that data for diagnostics and repairs with owner permission, as opposed to the manufacturer permission that’s currently required. However, Ford-backed lobby group Alliance for Automotive Innovation has long opposed these types of right to repair bills, and recently came up with its own competing legislation on the topic in the state of Maine. Now, that same organization is asking the court to delay the implementation of Massachusetts’ amended right to repair law, according to Automotive News.
The updated right to repair law is set to be enforced starting June 1st, but the Alliance for Automotive Innovation has now filed an emergency motion to prevent that from happening. The organization argues that such a move will cause “irreparable harm” to its members – such as Ford – and would require those entities “to remove essential cybersecurity protections from their vehicles.”
In Massachusetts, some automakers have already made attempts to avoid compliance by disabling telematics systems and taking other measures, which AIA argues “would harm consumers and cause incalculable harm” if it is allowed to continue, or if automakers pull their business from that state altogether.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation has argued that the amended right to repair law in Massachusetts not only conflicts with several federal laws, but also poses potential safety risks and cybersecurity threats for users. A hearing on this matter is now scheduled to take place Thursday, at which time the court is expected to decide whether or not to approve this temporary restraining order.
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Comments
Corporate greed!
Ford wants your complete dependency so they can charge you out the wazoo and you have no recourse. Right to repair should be the law of the land everywhere.
Sad that Ford wants to keep this information top secret so it can keep consumers dependent upon FOMOCO. Even more sad is that some government schmuck will lobby on in auto makers defense and line their pockets with more dirty money along the way. We are so hosed as a society until this corruption on a grand scale ends.
Ford dealers often can’t fix Ford vehicles in a timely fashion, why not let Ford owners have a crack at it?
So, if we purchase a vehicle do we actually own it ?? If I own something I should be able to do whatever I feel like doing to it whether that is a repair or a modification ! Who is the Marxist wannabe tyrant that came up with this under the guise of “essential cybersecurity protections” bull$hit anyway ??? Either the vehicle belongs to the buyer or they can jump off a cliff is my opinion and the threat of them withdrawing from a state is the biggest joke EVER !!!!
It already takes 3+ weeks to schedule an appointment at the local Ford dealer. Imagine what will happen if they become the *only* place to service a Ford vehicle. Last time we needed service, Ford told us it would be 3+ weeks just for an appointment to diagnose. We went to a local trusted independent who got us in within 4 days of our call and had the car back, fixed, in just a few hours on the same day of the initial appointment.
These manufacturers fighting the Right to Repair know they will lose service revenue, which is a huge chunk of dealer income. If they became more competitive, and offered excellent service at a reasonable price, they wouldn’t have to worry about losing business. Instead they charge higher labor rates, have slower service, and incessantly upsell unnecessary services to customers. That’s why people want alternatives. The manufacturers basically brought this on themselves.
So, Cybersecurity and safety risks are what their going with? Their trying to say that our cars can be taken over and hacked if we let someone else repair them?What a load of bull$hit. This is just a lie. There’s a million coders that could figure out how to protect that software and most of them would gladly help to keep it safe. Right to repair should be a worldwide right. Don’t be like those @sshats at Apple!