Key facts
- John Deere has settled a right-to-repair lawsuit with the FTC and five U.S. states.
- The settlement requires Deere to provide farmers and independent repair shops access to diagnostic software and repair tools for 10 years.
- The company will pay $1 million to cover legal costs for the states involved.
- The agreement aims to enable farmers to repair their own equipment, reducing costs and downtime.
- The settlement resolves allegations of restricting farmers' access to repair resources without admitting wrongdoing.
John Deere has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and five U.S. states, resolving a significant right-to-repair lawsuit. The agreement, announced on July 8, 2026, aims to provide farmers and independent repair shops with greater access to diagnostic software, repair tools, and technical resources for agricultural equipment.
Under the terms of the settlement, John Deere must provide independent shops the same diagnostic software and repair tools that are available to its authorized dealers for a period of 10 years. The company will also pay $1 million to cover the legal costs incurred by the participating states. The FTC had alleged that Deere's restrictions on repair access led to higher costs and limited farmers' ability to maintain their own machinery, which often relies on complex computerized systems.
Deere stated that the settlement resolves claims from a 2022 complaint without any admission of wrongdoing. The company emphasized its ongoing commitment to supporting customer access to repair resources and investing in technology for equipment maintenance. Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support, affirmed the company's dedication to providing customers and service providers with necessary repair resources.
This settlement is part of a broader national movement advocating for the right to repair, which seeks to ensure consumers and independent technicians can fix products they own, from farm equipment to consumer electronics. Advocates argue that expanded repair access allows for faster fixes, reduces costly downtime, and enables the use of independent repair shops, ultimately giving owners more control over their property.
The agreement still requires approval from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Separately, John Deere had previously paid $99 million to settle class-action litigation concerning equipment repairs.