WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) today introduced the Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act in to the Senate.
A hotly debated bill that has been before Congress annually for a number of years, the Right to Repair Act would require car manufacturers to provide to all repair shops the access codes, repair instructions, tools, equipment and other information necessary to diagnose, service and maintain their vehicles. The bill would require manufacturers to provide the same information to independent repair shops that they provide to authorized dealers. Proponents of the bill note that many local independent shop owners find that the information they receive from manufacturers is incomplete, which they say complicates the repair process and hurts consumers.
Sen. Boxer said, “Consumers should have choices about where to take their cars for repair or maintenance. The Right to Repair Act gives customers more options by making it easier for independent repair shops to compete. During these tough times, it’s critical that we support small businesses and consumers — this legislation does both.”
Sen. Brownback said, “The Right to Repair Act will allow consumers greater choice of where to take their cars for repairs and maintenance work. This legislation is also beneficial for smaller, independent auto repair shops that are currently unable to access some information about the cars when that data is held exclusively at the dealership.”
Representatives Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) introduced a similar bill, H.R. 2057, in the House of Representatives last April. It currently has more than 50 cosponsors.
