Farmers gain the same capabilities as dealers to reset fault codes, pair electronic components and bypass emissions-related shutdowns.
In a 10-year settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and five states, John Deere must now give farmers and independent technicians the same repair tools and software as authorized dealers.
What The FTC-John Deere Settlement Means for Farmers
After settling the right-to-repair lawsuit, John Deere will be required to provide farmers and independent repair providers the same resources available to dealers on “fair and reasonable” terms, including:
- Reading, clearing and resetting electronic fault codes.
- Reprogramming of electronic components.
- Restarting a machine following an emissions-related shutdown.
- Viewing and searching technical manuals, troubleshooting solutions, and other guidance/information useful for equipment diagnosis, maintenance, repair or upgrade.
Deere must also make any future repair resources available to farmers and independent repair providers once they are rolled out to more than 50% of its authorized dealer network in the U.S.
John Deere will be subject to strict reporting and oversight for the next 10 years to ensure compliance.
“Today’s settlement enables farmers to do what they’ve done for generations — fix their own tractors and other farm equipment — without having to pay an authorized John Deere dealer to do it for them,” says Daniel Guarnera, FTC Bureau of Competition director. “The settlement with Deere will help lower costs for American farmers.”
EDITOR’S TAKE:
You may recall we have posted several articles over the past several years about the “Right-To-Repair” dispute pitting farmers/ranchers against OEM’s. At the heart of the issue was whether farmers would be required to have a qualified dealer doing the repairs involving protected software or whether they could perform repairs on their own. Eventually, the government and courts and, in some instances, state legislatures sided with the farmers. Now they will have access to the software and tools to do repairs if they choose. It has been a long, arduous journey, but now it appears to be in the rearview mirror.
All that said, don’t be deterred from offering specials on parts and service to the farmers/ranchers in your area. They might appreciate you taking care of routine maintenance or parts requirements on their vehicles while they concentrate on repairing their larger, more expensive machinery.
