August 8, 2021
It doesn’t take long on the social media platform of your choice to find someone who is happy with Tesla vehicles but upset by their service experience.
However, Tesla’s policy may prevent nearby garages from carrying out standard diagnostics or repairs, and this may soon change thanks to the federal directive on the right to damages. President Biden is expected to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to develop rules to ensure that manufacturers do not interfere with consumers’ ability to repair goods in independent stores or work on goods themselves, Bloomberg reported in July 2021. According to the report, Biden’s directive should specifically mention cell phones and Department of Defense contractors. The inclusion of tractors is also expected (John Deere was the stumbling block), creating a model for a national auto repair right policy.
Third parties are often unable to work on tractors because manufacturers retain control over diagnostic software and proprietary tools. New car owners face a similar situation, but Tesla is especially hard on independent repair shops. Those who tweak, tweak, or simply open powerplants to clear Tesla’s face movements, for example, their car encounters a slower charging rate.
On the other hand, Tesla stores relied on their own trial and error to keep roadsters running due to lack of support from the company, even though Tesla now appears to have opened up more to these vehicles. Apple has faced some of the same scrutinies over the years, explaining Tesla’s similar tactics. Tesla sees itself as a tech company, not a car manufacturer, and specifically follows Apple by hiring staff and implementing policies modeled on the electronics giant.
Massachusetts became a pioneer in protecting the right to repair vehicles bypassing a right-to-repair law in 2012 and expanding it to include data last year. Biden’s directive could pave the way for similar laws to be passed at the federal level.