Vehicle dataUS: Draft Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act presented in US

February 14, 20220

US: Draft Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act presented in US

A few days ago, the US Representative Bobby Rush, a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, introduced the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act that would ensure equal access to auto repair data for independent repair shops.

If this piece of legislation is passed in the future, the it would give consumer access to high-quality, affordable vehicle repair by ensuring that, as vehicles continue to become more technologically advanced, vehicle owners and independent repair shops have equal access to repair and maintenance tools and data as OEMs and licensed dealerships.

The REPAIR Act would prohibit vehicle manufacturers from employing any legal or technological barrier that impairs the ability of a motor vehicle owner to access vehicle-generated data.  The Act defines the vehicle generated data as “any direct, real-time, in-vehicle data generated, or generated and retained, by the operation of a motor vehicle related to diagnostics, repair, service, wear, and calibration or recalibration of parts and systems required to return a vehicle to operational specifications in compliance with Federal motor vehicle safety and emissions laws, regulations, and standards.”

If the vehicle manufacturer uses wireless technology to transmit any vehicle-generated data, the REPAIR Act would require them to make it available to the vehicle owner “through a standardized access platform.”  This platform would be “a cybersecure authentication and authorization system developed by a motor vehicle manufacturer, for the motor vehicles it manufactures, that has the ability to securely access and communicate vehicle-generated data emanating directly from a motor vehicle via direct local and remote wireless data connections bidirectionally and in real-time.”

Under the Act, the Federal Trade Commission would be required to designate an independent entity, not controlled by OEMs, to establish and administer access to these standardized platforms.

The Act would also require National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to create federal standards for access to vehicle-generated data through the standardized access platform.

A similar law that gave independent repair shops the same access as OEMs and dealers to vehicle information that’s used to diagnose and repair problems was passed in 2013 in Massachusetts.  However, it is still subject to court proceedings and a final ruling from the US District Court judge for the District of Massachusetts remains pending. The outcome of this case might have a wide-ranging impact for the automotive aftermarket and the right to repair in the USA.

The full text of the REPAIR Act is available HERE.

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