The National Grange is the nation’s oldest general farm and rural public interest organization representing nearly 200,000 Grange members affiliated with 2700 local, county and state Grange chapters. We call on Congress to pass the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (HR 2057) in order to protect individual vehicle ownership rights, especially for residents of farming, tribal and rural communities.
Grange members believe American motorists should have the right to choose how, where and by whom their cars, trucks, motorcycles and other motor vehicles are maintained and repaired. We believe consumers are entitled to full access to all of the repair information for the vehicles they purchase.
However, vehicles are becoming more sophisticated than ever before; virtually every system is either monitored or controlled by computers. Millions of vehicle owners could potentially be forced to return to dealerships for service because their preferred, local repair facilities have been denied access to computer codes and service information from the vehicle manufacturers.
Motorists in rural communities where there are few dealerships are particularly vulnerable. They often travel more than 60 miles per day to work, generating significant wear and tear on their vehicles. Without Right to Repair, they could be forced to tow their vehicles longer distances, adding significant cost and time to repairs and reflecting poorly on their job attendance. Instead, they may decide to forgo important vehicle repairs which could jeopardize their safety and the safety of others.
With record numbers of dealerships closing, many motorists are performing their own repairs or are turning to local repair shops for service. In order for these shops to be able to serve those in their community, they must also have full access to the codes and information necessary to diagnose and repair all types of vehicles.
The National Grange encourages our members and all Americans to visit the web site — www.righttorepair.org — or to send a letter to each of their Congressional representatives, urging them to support the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (HR 2057).
Leroy Watson, Legislative Director
National Grange of the
Order of Patrons of Husbandry
1616 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 628.3507 ext. 114
E-mail: lwatson@nationalgrange.org
Letters to the Editor
December 16, 2009
Rural communities stranded without Right to Repair Act
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