Senators Want Ford To Drop Right-To-Repair Opposition

In the automotive world, there are two big points of contention that have caused quite the stir in recent months – data privacy and right-to-repair laws. Both stem from the rise of connected vehicle technology, which makes newer vehicles more prone to hacking, prompting automakers to beef up security in that regard. Problem is, that also makes vehicles more difficult for independent shops and individuals to repair vehicles, and the Ford-backed lobby group Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI) is also pushing to prevent right-to-repair laws from being enacted. Now, a group of U.S. senators is asking for the group to drop its opposition to those types of legislation.

As first reported by The Verge, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators is calling out the automotive industry for what it calls ““hypocritical, profit-driven” opposition to right-to-repair laws, along with criticizing it for collecting consumer data and selling it to third parties such as insurance companies. The group sent letters to the CEOs of several top automakers – including Ford – which can be viewed below.

“Right-to-repair laws support consumer choice and prevent automakers from using restrictive repair laws to their financial advantage,” the letter reads. “It is clear that the motivation behind automotive companies’ avoidance of complying with right-to-repair laws is not due to a concern for consumer security or privacy, but instead a hypocritical, profit-driven reaction.”

2024.12.19 Letter to Automa… by ahawkins8223

Aside from right-to-repair concerns, Ford and other automakers have taken considerable heat recently regarding their data privacy practices, which CEO Jim Farley admitted is a major source of tension between consumers and these companies. In fact, a study found that Ford has some of the worst data privacy practices in the industry, prompting it to issue a statement as General Motors faces legal action regarding its use of customer data. Aside from concerns over personal data being sold unknowingly, there are also those that seek to protect domestic abuse survivors from the misuse of connected vehicle tools by abusers as well.