Massachusetts voters approved the Right to Repair law by an 85 percent to 15 percent margin during the Nov. 6 general election.
Like this article? Sign up to receive our weekly news blasts here.“Voters sent a clear message to automakers: It’s my car; I paid for it; and I’ll get it fixed where I want and not where some big corporation tells me to,” said Art Kinsman of the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition committee. “Right to Repair is about true ownership. When you buy a car from a manufacturer’s dealer, you ought to have the information necessary to fix that vehicle. Technology should never leave the rights of car owners behind.”
In Massachusetts, it is now illegal for automakers to withhold repair and diagnostic information for passenger cars, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, larger trucks and construction vehicles.
Kinsman said members of the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition will be vigilant following Tuesday's vote to ensure there is complete compliance with the law and that independent repairers and car owners will have the resources they need to ensure they receive the full benefit of the law.
Passage follows the Massachusetts legislature’s unanimous passage, and the governor’s signing, of a first-in-the-nation Right to Repair law this summer. The Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition said it remains committed to working with lawmakers and all associated parties to ensure that any reconciliation of the ballot question with existing law is done with careful thought and consideration of the wishes of Massachusetts voters and car owners.
Supporters of Right to Repair hope the victory in Massachusetts will spur a national agreement. Currently at the federal level, the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (HR 1449) was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Todd Platts (R-PA) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY) and has 52 co-sponsors.
For more information about the Right to Repair Act, visit www.righttorepair.org and www.massrighttorepair.com.
