The Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act recently passed overwhelmingly in the Massachusetts State Senate with a voice vote. The bill, which now moves to the State House of Representatives for a final vote, would require automobile manufacturers like Toyota, GM, Ford and others to share relevant repair and safety information with local neighborhood 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,” says Art Kinsman of the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition. Kinsman says the bill also protects automobile manufacturers’ proprietary information, eliminating the possibility of aftermarket part production.
Vehicle security codes also are protected by the legislation, Kinsman says. “The right to repair bill only requires manufacturers to release codes that are necessary to make repairs and crucial service bulletin issues. It’s good for everyone – consumers and automakers are protected.”
At the federal level, the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (S. 3181) recently was introduced into the U.S. Senate by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), and has four co-sponsors. The House version (H.R. 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.
