The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with John Deere that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.

The Illinois-based manufacturer has faced complaints for years for withholding the software needed for repairs and forcing customers to use authorized dealers instead of independent ones.

This marks the second right-to-repair settlement Deere has reached this year, following a separate $99 million class-action settlement with farmers in April. Though the class-action compensated consumers, the FTC鈥檚 settlement instead requires Deere to make its repair services available to equipment owners and independent shops.

The FTC and attorneys general from Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin brought the antitrust lawsuit in January 2025, arguing that Deere had illegally restricted farmers and independent shops that might otherwise service them from repairing farm equipment such as tractors. Deere also makes engines and equipment for forestry, landscaping and construction.

Under the order filed in Illinois, Deere will now be required to make diagnostic and repair tools available to equipment owners and independent repair shops, not only its own network of authorized dealers. It also prevents Deere dealers from retaliating against equipment owners or repair shops who choose to fix their own equipment instead of paying for Deere鈥檚 services. The order is headed to Judge Iain D. Johnston for his approval.

鈥淔or too long, Arizona farmers and independent mechanics have been at the mercy of Deere鈥檚 monopoly over repair tools, forced to wait 鈥� and pay 鈥� for authorized dealers just to fix broken tractors and other equipment,鈥� Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement Wednesday.

Deere must pay $1 million collectively to the five states for antitrust enforcement costs and will be subject to strict compliance oversight for the next 10 years.

In the complaint, the FTC argued that Deere provides a service software tool to authorized dealers but does not provide the full version to equipment owners or independent shops. Deere had said the lawsuit was baseless, denied that its distribution of service tools was anticompetitive and argued that it could not monopolize services since it does not directly provide them.

Deere maintained its commitment to independent repair in a statement Wednesday, adding that the agreement with the FTC reinforces its innovation of more flexible repair options.

鈥淭his is good news for our customers and for the future of how Deere equipment is supported,鈥� said Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support.

Right-to-repair has become an increasingly common issue over the years, especially for tech products, with consumers complaining that even simple repairs can only be done by company-authorized dealers.

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Representative Derek Wulf, a Republican representative and a farmer/rancher from Black Hawk County, who floor managed the bill, said the legislation is necessary to make sure Iowa farmers can maintain their operations without depending on dealerships.

鈥淭oday, farmers are being told that they don鈥檛 have the right to fix their equipment they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for. Think about that 鈥� you buy it, you depend on it, but when it breaks, you鈥檙e locked out,鈥� said Wulf. 鈥淩ight-to-repair鈥� legislation is about drawing a line in the sand,鈥� Wulf said. 鈥淚t says, 鈥榠f you bought it, you own it. You have the right to fix it, modify it, and keep it running without asking permission.鈥� Farmers built this country on independence and grit and self-reliance, now they鈥檙e being told they need a password and a corporate blessing to turn a wrench.鈥�

Iowa Farmers Union Response

Iowa Farmers Union praised Iowa House passage of the legislation. 鈥淔armers Union has been a longtime advocate of right to repair issues,鈥� said Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union and a fifth-generation farmer.  鈥淔armers are facing rising costs across the board, including repair costs. Allowing farmers to fix their own equipment is common sense. Farmers have a passion for growing things on their farms. This bill allows us to fix our own equipment as efficiently and as quickly as possible during busy planting and harvesting seasons.鈥� 

Farmers have traditionally repaired their own farm equipment, which has been complicated by proprietary diagnostic software.

鈥淚f the farmer has the skill and purchases a perfectly good replacement part, nothing should stand in their way of making their own repair and getting back to work,鈥� Lehman said.  鈥淪oftware gatekeepers should stay off the farm unless invited.鈥�

The next steps depend on timing. The Iowa Senate has yet to consider a companion bill, and with time winding down, the legislation may not reach the governor鈥檚 desk this session.

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The money, which will be deposited into a class settlement fund and paid to plaintiffs, resolves a 2022 multi-district complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for northern Illinois with no finding of wrongdoing. The litigation alleged that Deere monopolized the repair service market by intrinsically tying machinery sales to its own repair services so that farmers or independent dealers could not do the work themselves. 

In the lawsuit, plaintiffs claimed Deere intentionally made 鈥渃rucial software and repair tools inaccessible to farmers and independent repair shops.鈥� By cornering the repair market, the filing alleged Deere could artificially inflate prices without competition.

鈥淛ohn Deere is indisputably the biggest player in agricultural machinery markets in the United States. Deere wields significant economic power in the market for large tractors and combines in North America and has a larger market share than that of the next two biggest tractor makers, Case New Holland and Kubota Corp., combined,鈥� the lawsuit reads.

The consumer interest advocacy Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) called the $99 million settlement 鈥渁 relatively minor financial penalty鈥� for its actions in a response statement to the news, estimating 鈥渢hat repair restrictions from all manufacturers combined cost farmers $4.2 billion per year.鈥� 

The settlement agreement also requires Deere to make tools available to 鈥渆nable farmers and IRPs [independent repair shops] to diagnose and repair problems without having to use the services of an authorized dealer.鈥�

These tools must be available for at least one decade based on the agreement.

鈥淭he most important thing is for farmers to be able to fix their stuff,鈥� said Nathan Proctor, senior director of U.S. PIRG鈥檚 Right to Repair campaign. 鈥淲e look forward to seeing how Deere works to remove the remaining barriers to repair 鈥� and we promise to continue to advocate for farmers to be treated fairly by every equipment maker.鈥� 

Notably, the Federal Trade Commission鈥檚 2025 antitrust lawsuit against Deere alleging the same actions remains ongoing. Last June, a federal judge rejected Deere鈥檚 attempt to dismiss that case, ruling that the company must answer government allegations for cornering the repair market. 

In a statement, Denver Caldwell, Deere鈥檚 vice president of aftermarket and customer support, said this about the settlement: 鈥淎s we continue to innovate industry-leading equipment and technology solutions supported by our world-class dealer network, we are equally committed to providing customers and other service providers with access to repair resources.鈥�

Caldwell highlighted John Deere鈥檚 Operations Center Pro Service initiative as one way Deere is doing that. The tool lets farmers and independent machine shops access and clear trouble codes, diagnose, reprogram, calibrate, repair and protect their equipment.

The $99 million settlement will be used to pay attorneys, lead plaintiffs and litigation expenses, among other logistical expenses. After that, the rest will be divided among eligible farmers impacted by the practices after 2018. Claim forms will be made available at some point at聽.

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The new platform, called Operations Center PRO Service, offers expanded self-repair capabilities across John Deere鈥檚 agriculture, turf, construction and forestry equipment lines. Among its features are machine diagnostics, access to repair manuals, software reprogramming for electronic controllers, and step-by-step troubleshooting guides.

鈥淲hether you want the support of your professionally trained and trusted John Deere dealer, to work with another local service provider, or to fix your machine yourself, we鈥檝e created additional capabilities for you to choose the option that best fits your needs,鈥� said Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support.

The tool will be available through an annual license starting at $195 per machine. It replaces the company鈥檚 previous platform, Customer Service ADVISOR, which will be phased out over the next year.

婷婷激情五月天 owners and independent service providers can access the platform through Deere鈥檚 Operations Center, using the machine鈥檚 serial number to register equipment. While some features require a data link connection and are limited at launch, Deere said more updates will be added over time.

Operations Center PRO Service is available to customers in the U.S. and Canada.

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The FTC is concerned the OEM has withheld key information and diagnostic tools from farmers and independent repair shops, reports Bloomberg. 

According to the filing: 

鈥淒eere鈥檚 increasingly sophisticated agricultural equipment requires a software tool to diagnose and repair problems that relate to electronic functions, and only Deere has the information and knowledge to create this essential tool. By making this tool available only to Deere dealers, Deere forces farmers to turn to Deere dealers for critical repairs rather than complete the repairs themselves or choose an [independent repair shop] that may be cheaper, closer, faster, or more trusted.鈥�

The suit goes on to claim that Deere鈥檚 business practices are unlawful and have inflated farmers鈥� repair costs and 鈥渄egraded farmers鈥� ability to obtain timely repairs, which is especially critical in times of planting and harvesting.鈥� 

The state of Illinois and state of Minnesota join the FTC as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. 

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The investigation, which began in 2021, is focused on repair restrictions placed on equipment hardware and any software, filings show. The probe was made public last week after data analytics company Hargrove & Associates Inc moved to quash an FTC subpoena associated with the case.
Deere said in a statement to Agriculture Dive that it is 鈥渃ooperating with the FTC鈥� and cannot provide further comment during an ongoing investigation.

The FTC is investigating whether Deere violated Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits companies from misleading consumers or engaging in unfair practices that affect commerce. Nathan Proctor, PIRG鈥檚 U.S. senior right-to-repair campaign director, said in a statement the investigation is 鈥済ood news for farmers.鈥�

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Continuing their push, the Farmers Union advocates for legislation at both national and state levels that would enable farmers to repair their own equipment. Recent successes include Colorado’s adoption of right-to-repair laws, alongside federal efforts such as the Agricultural Right to Repair Act. A national law could save U.S. farmers up to $4.2 billion annually, factoring in reduced costs and downtime, as highlighted in a report by PIRG based on data from the National Farmers Union (NFU).

Despite opposition from equipment manufacturers citing EPA regulations and the Clean Air Act, the EPA clarified last year that these laws do not justify restricting independent farm equipment repairs. While John Deere has recalled certain manuals in response to the EPA’s warning, some emissions system repairs may still necessitate authorized technicians.

Both the Montana Farmers Union (MFU) and the NTU remain steadfast in their advocacy, anticipating further legislative advancements and regulatory changes by entities like the FTC to ensure comprehensive repair rights for farmers nationwide.

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On October 18, the House of Commons passed C-244, An Act to amend the Copyright Act (diagnosis, maintenance and repair), sponsored by Liberal Member of Parliament (MP), Wilson Miao. With support from all parties, the bill passed third reading in the House and will be considered by the Senate later this fall.

In his final speech on the proposed legislation, MP Miao did acknowledge the advocacy of the sector, stating:

鈥淪ome witnesses at the standing committee raised concerns over health and safety, cybersecurity and environmental risks that may result from the circumvention of TPMs and the repair of products. They asked for the exclusion of certain categories of products from the application of Bill C-244. I sincerely appreciate that these industry representatives voiced their concern during the study of this bill for our legislative process.

The Copyright Act is a law of general application, the purpose of which is to grant exclusive rights over creative works. It is more desirable that these concerns be addressed in regimes that already regulate those categories of products. Bill C-244 would not prevent these regimes from regulating repairs or addressing issues that may arise in the repair of certain products.鈥�
With passage through the House, senators will have an opportunity to evaluate the legislation through committee meetings and offer amendments.

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Apple customers would have access to parts and tools for three years after the date of manufacture for most of Apple鈥檚 product lineup.

Apple聽is now backing a California right-to-repair bill, a major shift in the company鈥檚聽聽and a potential boon for the environment, according to a letter obtained by CNBC.

California Senate Bill 244 would require manufacturers such as Apple to allow customers to fix their broken or damaged devices. It was introduced by state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman in March. Eggman has put forward other right-to-repair bills in the past, saying that expanded right-to-repair legislation would 鈥済ive consumers the choice to save some money.鈥�

In a Tuesday letter to Eggman鈥檚 staff, Apple鈥檚 policy team concurred but said the company would not support the bill if it allowed repair shops to turn off Apple鈥檚 anti-theft remote locks, which often make it impossible to repair or activate old computers that have been sold.

鈥淲e support SB 244 because it includes requirements that protect individual users鈥� safety and security, as well as product manufacturers鈥� intellectual property. We will continue to support the bill, so long as it continues to provide protections for customers and innovators,鈥� the company鈥檚 lobbyists wrote in the letter seen by CNBC.

Apple also said that it would continue to support the bill as long as repair shops were required to disclose 鈥渢he use of non-genuine or used parts.鈥�

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鈥淚n their opposition to Right to Repair legislation, equipment manufacturers and dealers have invoked EPA regulations and the CAA 鈥� specifically related to tampering with emissions control systems 鈥� as justification for their need to restrict repair,鈥澛燣arew stated. 鈥淲e are asking the EPA to clarify that manufacturer-imposed restrictions on independent repair are not required by the CAA.鈥�

In a direct response to the NFU, Administrator Regan noted that the CCA highlights Congress鈥� concern regarding attempts by manufacturers to impede the ability to repair equipment. Administrator Regan also highlighted parameters of the CCA which prohibit manufacturers from dissuading the use of independent repairers.

鈥淭he Clean Air Act makes no distinction between repair by a manufacturer versus another party. Actions that qualify as repair or replacement are allowed under the Clean Air Act regardless of who makes them,鈥澛爏aid Administrator Regan. 鈥淢oreover, nothing in the Clean Air Act or the EPA鈥檚 regulations limits a manufacturer鈥檚 ability to provide service tools and information to consumers and independent repair facilities for the purpose of repairing their equipment.鈥�

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