At issue is an update to the Massachusetts right-to-repair law enacted by voters a year ago that expanded access to data related to vehicle maintenance and repair. The updated law required makers of vehicles sold in the state to equip vehicles that use telematics systems — which collect and wirelessly transmit mechanical data to a remote server — with a standardized, open-access data platform, beginning with the 2022 model year. It also gave vehicle owners and independent repair shops access to real-time information from the telematics, such as crash notifications, remote diagnostics and navigation.
Weeks after the law was passed, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation filed suit in federal court to block the law, calling it “unenforceable because it is unconstitutional and because it conflicts with federal laws.” The group, of which Subaru is a member, also asked the court to “temporarily and permanently enjoin enforcement” of the law.
U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Woodlock had been expected to issue a ruling as early as this week. However, on Oct. 22, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed a motion seeking to introduce Subaru’s blocking of Starlink as evidence in the case, arguing that it contradicted claims by the alliance on behalf of its members that disabling telematics systems such as Starlink or General Motors’ OnStar was a “practical impossibility.” Woodlock has yet to issue an opinion in the case.
In July, the Biden administration weighed in on the broader issue of right to repair, urging the Federal Trade Commission to issue rules on repair restrictions by all manufacturers across industries. In Massachusetts, automakers could face potential fines of up to $10,000 per vehicle for violating the updated right-to-repair law, if it is upheld in court.
