#John deere draft control software#

“But the claims here seem more focused on allegations that Deere is not making available software that may be useful in repairs. The statute’s language “seems primarily focused on insisting that equipment makers don’t tell customers, such as in a product manual, that the customer must absolutely use a Deere dealership for service,” Tenpas said.

īut Ron Tenpas, a former assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, said that the language may not be so clear. The attorney said, “It is clear that federal law requires that … people will be able to take to a shop or person of their choosing for repairs and that John Deere and all the manufacturers have to show they’re meeting a whole set of requirements for certification,” including this requirement of the maintenance instructions for purchasers. “There are a number of different types of repair that farmers simply don’t have access to do themselves and the emissions control system and the emissions module is a big part of that.” A former attorney in the Office of General Counsel at the EPA and expert on the Clean Air Act, who did not want to be quoted by name without more facts on the case, analyzed the advocates’ allegations and agreed with their interpretation of the law. “This is a strategy of repair monopolization that we’ve seen Deere engage in for a long time,” said O’Reilly. In recent months, John Deere has faced down shareholder scrutiny, a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, and is named in 17 class action lawsuits regarding their limits on repairs. The tractor giant has long faced complaints from farmers and their advocates over the company’s restrictions on who can repair their machines. The EPA declined to comment on potential enforcement matters and did not immediately offer comment on the veracity of the allegations. PIRG, a consumer protection group, and, which advocate for legislation protecting consumers’ ability to repair and modify products they own, are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate Deere for the alleged violations and, if found in violation, bring the company into compliance. By denying farmers and independent technicians the source codes and other software necessary for repair, advocates say the tractor giant is in violation of the law - and has been since the regulation was first finalized in 2004. The Clean Air Act requires companies to provide the necessary information, including software, to repair emissions control systems in vehicles and confirm that the company is doing so in annual EPA certification filings, the advocates say.

Consumer advocates are alleging that John Deere & Co., the nation’s largest tractor maker, has repeatedly violated the Clean Air Act by limiting repair of its machines' emissions control systems solely to authorized John Deere dealerships.