Trump Learns Right to Repair Battle from Ford, GMMANDEL NGAN - Getty Images (MANDEL NGAN - Getty Images)President Trump recently said Ford and GM asked him to restrict owners' right to repair, a long-standing battle between the two sides that he vowed to resolve.Ford CEO Jim Farley responded to Trump's comments, defending his company's stance in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.Despite a 2014 voluntary memorandum in which major automakers agreed to share diagnostic and repair information with owners and independent shops, the agreement is non-binding and has no enforcement mechanism.In a recent Oval Office meeting to discuss upgrading coal plants, President Donald Trump mentioned a June 3 visit he had with representatives from Ford, General Motors, and Roger Penske, the race team owner and leader of an auto-dealer empire. They had met to discuss Right to Repair laws with the president, who made it sound like this was the first time he had heard of such legislation, calling it "strange" and claiming that automakers "don't want people to fix their car."Trump also made some comments about people he knew in his youth who "weren't too good at arithmetic" but could "fix an engine blindfolded." It wasn't clear what specific legislation the president was referencing, as there are multiple bills in Congress that aim to preserve an owner's right to repair their vehicle. Trump wasn't specific about any solution, either, but said the federal government would "get it all straightened away."San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers - Getty Images (San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers - Getty Images)Ford CEO Jim Farley RespondsIn a brief video interview, the Detroit Free Press got a response from Ford CEO Jim Farley about Trump's comments. Farley defended the automaker's desire to restrict Right to Repair, couching them as safety-related, saying that he can fix a 1973 Ford Bronco, but if someone wants to fix a new Bronco at home, it "would put people's lives at risk." In his response, Farley also noted that Ford doesn't want owners doing warranty work at home, although that's not really at the core of Right to Repair. Plenty of owners want to be able to repair and maintain their vehicles themselves both in and outside of the warranty period.AdvertisementAdvertisementFarley also said owner repairs have to be done at a reasonable cost, but he didn't elaborate on what that means in terms of Right to Repair. If anything, that could be an argument for more affordable access to the specialized tools necessary to diagnose and work on modern cars.Hear Ford CEO Jim Farley respond to Trump on repairs https://t.co/kKeZHdRUDo— Detroit Free Press (@freep) June 10, 2026Ford has been in the news recently with an ad campaign designed to steer Ford owners to its dealers for service and repair instead of independent shops. This comes as car owners are keeping their vehicles longer than ever, with the average vehicle age now at 13 years. Data from Cox Automotive also shows that dealer service revenue has declined 12 percent since 2018. This reduction in turnover of the national fleet has obvious financial implications for automakers selling vehicles and their dealers working on and servicing them.Automakers Cite Safety and Security as ConcernsAlong with the safety claims, automakers—through the Alliance for Auto Innovation lobbying group—point out that there are security ramifications associated with allowing access to computers in vehicles. There is an argument to be made there, as connected vehicles raise the possibility of bad actors gaining access to and potentially controlling vehicles, either locally or remotely.Boston Globe - Getty Images (Boston Globe - Getty Images)Consumers argue that they're being locked out of even the diagnostic information on vehicles, which manufacturers consider proprietary information, the intellectual property that separates one company from another. That argument makes more sense than the safety or security reasoning and is likely the main driver of companies' opposition to Right to Repair.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis is not the first time Right to Repair has come up in relation to the auto industry. A 2014 memorandum of understanding signed by groups representing the major automakers agreed to provide private owners and independent repair facilities with the diagnostic and repair tools and supporting information needed to work on vehicles produced from 2002 on. It also stated that manufacturers would provide access to onboard computer systems from the 2018 model year on. If a manufacturer did not supply such information or access, it had a provision for an owner or independent repair facility to challenge the automaker, giving the company 30 days to reply.There were a few caveats, including that the memo does not apply to telematics systems or immobilizers, and that manufacturers would not be compelled to divulge any trade secrets. (Given the memo's broad definition of a trade secret, that's a potentially large loophole.) There is no stated enforcement mechanism and nothing legally binding about this memorandum, however, and this access is not being provided consistently.➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029
