AAIA Responds to FTC Remarks on Right to Repair Act

In response to a recent letter from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to Representative John Dingell (D-MI) about the Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act (HR 2735/S2138), the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) has invited the FTC to meet with C.A.R.E., the 30-member coalition for automotive repair equality, which supports HR 2735. In its statement, AAIA, which is a member of C.A.R.E., extended the invitation to the FTC to help resolve their concerns.

BETHESDA, MD — In response to a recent letter from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to Representative John Dingell (D-MI) about the Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act (HR 2735/S2138), the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) has invited the FTC to meet with C.A.R.E., the 30-member coalition for automotive repair equality, which supports HR 2735. In its statement, AAIA, which is a member of C.A.R.E., extended the invitation to the FTC to help resolve their concerns.

The FTC letter declared that “HR 2735 has a laudable goal: to ensure the competitiveness of auto service and repair aftermarket, so that consumers have choices and can receive such services at competitive prices.” However, the Commission expressed concerns regarding the scope of information that would be required to be provided to the Commission; whether and how much car companies can charge for the information; and the amount of protection provided in the bill for car company trade secrets. In addition, the letter maintains that the language in the bill had “certain complexities and ambiguities” as well as possible unintended consequences that “could create major difficulties in implementation.”

“Most of the concerns stated in the FTC letter can be addressed by simply reviewing the regulatory history of this issue,” said Aaron Lowe, AAIA vice president of government affairs. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board working with both the car companies and the aftermarket undertook an extensive process that resulted in a comprehensive emission related service information rule.

“When this legislation passes, the FTC will be in the enviable position of being able to simply build on the excellent framework already in place for information and tool availability,” Lowe said. “The coalition supporting passage of the legislation is looking forward to working with the FTC to resolve their implementation concerns and to address any ambiguous language that might be in the bills.”

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