In an increasingly wireless world, the battleground for car repair is shifting. Independent mechanics and right-to-repair advocates are raising concerns that automakers might restrict access to crucial repair information through diagnostic ports, the gateways to a vehicle’s inner workings. This move, they fear, could cripple independent repair shops and confine car owners to dealership service centers. Glenn Wilder, owner of a Massachusetts auto repair shop, voiced these concerns to lawmakers in 2020, highlighting the potential for automakers to “block what they want” when independent repairers attempt to access a car’s sophisticated systems.
This struggle extends beyond the automotive sector, touching upon broader implications for any data-transmitting device consumers purchase. Kyle Wiens, a prominent right-to-repair champion and founder of iFixit, sees this as “right to repair 2.0.” He notes the auto industry’s advanced stage in this fight: “The auto world is farther along than the rest of the world is,” Wiens explains. “Independents already have access to information and parts. Now they’re talking about data streams. But that doesn’t make the fight any less important.” The core issue now revolves around data streams and who controls them, escalating the stakes in the right to repair movement.
Automakers, however, argue that open access to vehicle data poses safety risks and legal violations. Following voter approval of a right-to-repair ballot measure in Massachusetts, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing major automakers, initiated a federal lawsuit against the state in November 2020. Their argument centers on federal preemption, asserting that the federal government, not individual states, should govern access to car telematics systems. The Alliance also deemed the mandated open data platform, especially with a 2022 deadline, as impractical and potentially hazardous. Conversely, the Massachusetts Right to Repair Committee, representing over 1,600 local repair shops, maintains that automakers have had ample time to prepare for these changes. Adding fuel to the fire, the Biden administration last summer directed the Federal Trade Commission to formulate rules promoting consumer access to their data and repair tools, raising hopes that these regulations will extend to vehicles.
Josh Siegel, an engineering professor at Michigan State University specializing in connected-car security, suggests automakers might have valid points. He questions the technical feasibility of the system mandated by the law, stating the ballot measure might have been “well intentioned” but lacked “a full understanding of the complexity of automotive telematics systems.” These systems, he clarifies, provide access to data beyond just malfunctions, encompassing crucial driver-assistance systems like emergency braking and drive-by-wire components. He believes creating a secure and open telematics system within a few months was unrealistic, acknowledging, “I think that they could create a platform that would meet some of the requirements of what the legislation is calling for, but I wouldn’t want it in my own car.”
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit. However, during a 2020 hearing, their representative indicated that independent repair shops’ interest in car data extended beyond repairs to advertising and sales opportunities. Dealerships find themselves in a precarious middle ground, particularly during the current chip shortage that has hampered vehicle production and sales. Bob O’Koniewski, from the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association, criticizes manufacturers for their lack of engagement in the discussion, while also accusing the independent repair industry of a “money grab.” His association has proposed bills in the Massachusetts legislature, seeking to extend the automaker compliance deadline for the open-data-platform law to 2025.
Siegel emphasizes a larger issue: consumer awareness regarding the vast data flow from their vehicles and its destination. The connected-car data market, encompassing GPS location, temperature readings, biometric information, and component data, is lucrative. Siegel and his colleagues estimated this market’s US potential at up to $92 billion, attracting competition from manufacturers to insurers. “The most important thing is to show people their own breadcrumbs,” Siegel concludes, advocating for data transparency for consumers. For car owners like Marc Ferrelli, the situation is straightforward and unfavorable. Recounting his car purchase, he mentions a dealer inquiring if he had friends in Rhode Island for address purposes, highlighting the lengths to which data and location are already being considered. This ongoing fight to repair cars underscores a critical intersection of technology, consumer rights, and data control in the modern automotive landscape.
