Right to Repair legislation passed overwhelmingly in the Massachusetts Senate with a voice vote July 6. The Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act now moves to the House of Representatives for a final vote.
Supporters say the bill protects consumer choice and saves drivers money by requiring automobile manufacturers like Toyota, GM, Ford and others to share relevant repair and safety information with independent automotive technicians and repair shops.
“Strong support in the Senate obviously shows that consumers want the right to choose where they take their cars for repair,” said Art Kinsman of the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition.
The bill also protects automobile manufacturers’ proprietary information, eliminating the possibility of aftermarket part production. Vehicle security codes are also protected by the legislation.
“The Right to Repair bill only requires manufacturers to release codes that are necessary to make repairs and crucial service bulletin issues,” said Kinsman. “It’s good for everyone – consumers and automakers are protected.”
At the federal level, the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (S 3181) was recently introduced into the U.S. Senate by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and has four co-sponsors. The House version (HR 2057) was introduced by Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) and currently has 67 co-sponsors.
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) says it opposes Right to Repair legislation on both federal and state levels, saying that service information websites and factory scan tools available to
the independent repair community render the legislation unnecessary.
"The so-called ‘Right to Repair’ Act will not solve the dilemma facing
the independent vehicle repairers," an ASA press release stated. "Instead, repairers must individually decide on a business model
appropriate to the vehicles used by customers in their local service
areas. That business decision will determine the level of investment in
the equipment and technical training necessary to enable the repair of
today’s modern vehicles."
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