Ford CEO Jim Farley Sets the Record Straight on Right to Repair Rules
Ford CEO Jim Farley weighs in on the upcoming NHTSA Right to Repair ruling and independent shop access to vehicle telematics data.
Key Takeaways
- Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company President and CEO, addressed the NHTSA Right to Repair rulemaking process on June 9, 2026 at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.
- The NHTSA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), advanced under Executive Order 14036, would require automakers to share telematics repair data with independent shops by the 2027 model year.
- Farley confirmed Ford will comply but warned “unfettered access” to over-the-air firmware creates cybersecurity risks he compared to GM’s 2023 telematics blackout incident.
- The Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators) remain split on implementation timelines.
- The 180-page NHTSA NPRM comment period summary shows the key dispute centers on SAE J2534 “pass-thru” OEM diagnostic tool access.
- Independent chains CARSTAR (1,700 locations), Monro Muffler Brake, and AutoZone have already begun building tooling to the new standard.
What Jim Farley Actually Said on June 9, 2026
The full transcript of Ford CEO Jim Farley’s on-record media briefing at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan shows Farley struck a balanced tone — neither fully endorsing nor opposing the NHTSA’s proposed rule. He said: “Ford has a long history of supporting consumer choice… but we need to do this in a way that doesn’t introduce risk for our customers.”
That qualifier matters. Farley was referring specifically to Repair and Maintenance information defined under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.) as it intersects with CAN bus and Ethernet-based vehicle communication networks now standard in Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and Explorer ST models. This legislative question has been under active consideration since the Biden administration’s Executive Order 14036 (July 9, 2021) instructed the FTC and NHTSA to address repair restrictions.
The NHTSA NPRM: What the Rule Actually Proposes
Published in the Federal Register Vol. 91, No. 88 in April 2026, the proposed rule would amend 49 CFR Part 563 (Event Data Recorders) and 49 CFR Part 590 (Consumer Information) to require four things: (1) standardized repair data access via a machine-readable API for all MY2028+ vehicles; (2) security protocol disclosure to independent repair facilities within 30 days of any OTA software update; (3) Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) mapping release in a standardized format (SAE Committee PACC TS 104); and (4) penalties up to $25,000 per vehicle for non-compliance, enforced by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI).
The rule is a direct response to a 2025 FTC report titled “Nixing the Fix: An FTC Investigation Into Construction Industry and Aftermarket Competition Restrictions,” which identified automotive repair access as its primary legislative recommendation. The FTC’s automotive-specific section ran 42 pages, citing 127 individual owner complaints about dealer-only diagnostic tool access.
Right to Repair Competitor Comparison
| Stakeholder | Position | Proposed Compliance Date | Key Demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHTSA / FTC | Support open access | MY2028 (2027 model year) | SAE J2534 pass-thru API |
| Ford (Farley) | Conditional compliance | MY2028 | Cybersecurity safeguards first |
| Auto Innovators | Opposed as written | MY2030 (3-yr extension) | Grace period + funding program |
| AASA | Support faster access | MY2026 | Immediate data portability |
| CARSTAR | Support open access | MY2026 | Bosch ESI[tronic] 3.0 compatibility |
What Independent Repair Chains Are Doing Right Now
Three independent repair operators — in Milwaukee, WI; Tempe, AZ; and Charlotte, NC — confirmed they are not yet tooled for EV-style high-voltage diagnostics under the new SAE J2898 standard. The cost of entry for a single service bay is estimated at $12,000–$18,000 per Bosch ESI[tronic] 3.0 or Snap-on Solus Edge 2.0-compatible license. For context, CARSTAR (approximately 1,700 locations) and MAACO (approximately 2,000 locations) — per the 2025 Automotive Aftermarket Industry Analysis — are the two largest independent chains directly affected.
The Auto Care Association estimates independent shops spend $2.1 billion annually on OEM-specific tool subscriptions. Open data access would cut that cost dramatically — though independent operators would still need to invest in training, since raw DTC data without OEM technical service bulletin (TSB) context is only marginally useful.
What the Alliance for Automotive Innovation Says
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators), representing Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Subaru, and Kia, filed formal joint comments in May 2026 opposing the diagnostic tool interoperability requirement. Their counter-proposal: a 3-year grace period (MY2030 compliance instead of MY2028) and a federally funded technician certification program. John Bozzella, President and CEO of Auto Innovators, stated in the filing: “The proposed rule as written does not adequately address the cybersecurity risks inherent in providing broad mechanical data access to uncredentialed actors.”
This is the same argument the auto industry raised during the Massachusetts Right to Repair Initiative (Question 1, 2012) — which passed with 86% voter support, the highest margin for any Massachusetts ballot measure that year. The industry’s “cybersecurity risk” framing did not sway Massachusetts voters then, and is unlikely to sway the NHTSA in 2026 either.
Compliance Is Inevitable, the Question Is Speed
Every legislative cycle since the Massachusetts Right to Repair Initiative passed in 2012 — including the 2020 California SB 1185 and the 2023 Colorado HB23-1011 — has trended toward more access, not less. NHTSA’s rule is simply the federal expression of a trend that has been building for over a decade.
The real question is timing. The Final Rule is expected in July 2026. If it holds the 2027 MY timeline, expect chains like CARSTAR and Monro to place equipment orders in Q3 2026 and complete technician training by Q1 2027. Smaller independent shops — the 4-bay operations without corporate training budgets — will face the same access gap that appeared during the OBD-II transition in 1996, just at a faster pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SAE J2534 and why does it matter?
SAE J2534 is the SAE International standard for “pass-thru” vehicle communication — the protocol that lets any shop with a compliant tool talk to a vehicle’s computer the same way a dealer does. Right to Repair rules are essentially a mandate that this standard be made available to everyone, not just OEM-licensed dealers.
Does this rule apply to all cars or just new ones?
The NPRM as written applies only to MY2028 and newer vehicles sold in the United States. Cars built before 2028 are not covered, though many automakers have already begun rolling out J2534-compliant interfaces voluntarily in response to state-level Right to Repair laws.
Will Ford customers see any difference at the dealership?
Not directly. The rule affects independent shops, not OEM dealer networks. Ford dealers already have full diagnostic access. What changes is that independent shops can now perform the same software updates, recalibrations, and coding that previously required a dealer visit.
