Here’s Why You Should Care About ‘Right To Repair’
You’ve probably heard the term “right to repair.” It’s a catchall for legislation allowing consumers to repair and modify their own devices, ranging from computers to your iPhone, tractors and your own personal vehicle. In the automotive industry, Massachusetts was the first to pass (with 86% support) the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair in 2012, requiring manufacturers to provide the necessary documents and information to allow anyone to repair its vehicles. Automakers want you to service your vehicle at a dealership; you want to take it to the best, most cost-effective repair shop.
The 2012 bill wasn’t passed federally, but trade organizations like Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, Coalition for Auto Repair Equality, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association for Global Automakers agreed it would meet the requirement in all 50 states. Telematics data, thanks to manufacturers’ lobbying, was excluded from that earlier law. New legislation, back on the ballot in November in Massachusetts, would expand the law to include all the digital data as well.