ACA Responds to House Passage of Right to Repair Provisions

Auto Care Association President and CEO Bill Hanvey issued a statement urging lawmakers to strengthen the provisions as the legislation moves forward.
May 21, 2026
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The Auto Care Association issued a statement in response to the House Energy and Commerce Committee's passage of right-to-repair provisions.

The ACA praised the inclusion of heavy duty trucking provisions and increased Federal Trade Commission enforcement authority, but the updated legislation doesn't address the manufacturer monopoly on wirelessly transmitted vehicle data, keeping it in the hands of dealerships and out of independent repair shops.

The ACA also raised issues with the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding, a voluntary agreement formed by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, Coalition for Auto Repair Equality, and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Global Automakers that asked manufacturers to make any tools, software, and repair information shared with dealerships available to independent repair shops on "fair and reasonable terms." In the years since its signing, the ACA argues, the memorandum has become severely outdated after more than a decade of technological changes. The organization also emphasized its support for the passage of the REPAIR Act.

Auto Care Association President and CEO Bill Hanvey's full statement reads:

This afternoon, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to pass legislation that includes automotive right-to-repair provisions. While this new provision falls short of establishing all of the fundamental protections that American vehicle owners and independent auto shops need amidst growing repair barriers and rising costs, we appreciate the Committee taking an important step forward in the process. The language that includes heavy duty trucking and new enforcement authority for the Federal Trade Commission is welcomed and critical. We look forward to working with House and Senate leaders to improve this language as it moves to the floor. As we've said before, the 2014 MOU needs to be meaningfully updated to reflect transformative changes to the industry and technology. We firmly believe that giving independent shops access to wirelessly transmitted repair and maintenance data, as reflected in Rep. Neal Dunn’s bipartisan REPAIR Act, offers the best approach to fully protecting America’s 270,000+ independent repair shops and 239 million vehicle owners.

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