Deere Agrees to $99M Settlement, Digital Tools in Right-to-Repair Suit

A Long Battle Over Repair Access | How Farmers Were Locked Out

The class action consolidated multiple lawsuits filed beginning in 2022 by farmers who alleged Deere violated antitrust laws by restricting access to proprietary diagnostic software needed to fix increasingly computerized farm equipment. By keeping its fully functional Service ADVISOR tool exclusive to authorized dealers, farmers and independent repair shops were effectively locked out from performing critical repairs, the plaintiffs argued, driving up costs and causing delays during time-sensitive planting and harvesting seasons.

Modern agricultural equipment runs on layers of embedded software that control engine timing, hydraulic systems, GPS guidance, and emissions compliance. When a sensor throws a fault code, the machine often cannot operate until the code is cleared through Deere's proprietary diagnostic platform. Farmers reported waiting days or weeks for an authorized dealer technician to arrive, sometimes at a cost of hundreds of dollars per hour, for repairs they could have performed themselves if the software were accessible.

The U.S. Department of Justice backed the farmers' claims in February, urging the court to let the litigation proceed. A federal judge had earlier rejected Deere's attempts to dismiss the case, writing that the company held “the ultimate control of the repair services market.”

Broader Scrutiny Continues | FTC Lawsuit and EPA Guidance

The class-action settlement does not resolve a separate lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission alongside the attorneys general of Illinois and Minnesota in January 2025, which accused Deere of illegally monopolizing repair services. That case, in which a federal judge denied Deere's motion to dismiss in mid-2025, remains active and could go to trial later this year.

The EPA also weighed in earlier this year, issuing guidance that Deere cannot invoke the Clean Air Act to restrict farmers from repairing their own equipment. Manufacturers had long argued that emissions-related software locks were required under federal clean air regulations, a claim the EPA's guidance explicitly rejected.

Right-to-Repair Movement | From Agriculture to Consumer Electronics

The Deere settlement is the largest monetary resolution in the right-to-repair movement to date and establishes a precedent for how manufacturers of software-dependent equipment must provide diagnostic access. The movement, which began in agriculture and automotive repair, has expanded to consumer electronics, medical devices, and military hardware.

At the federal level, the FTC has made right-to-repair enforcement a priority under its current leadership, bringing cases against companies that restrict independent repair through software locks, parts pairing, or warranty voiding. At the state level, California, New York, Minnesota, and Colorado have all enacted right-to-repair statutes since 2023, with varying scope and enforcement mechanisms.

For Deere specifically, the settlement creates a 10-year obligation that outlasts any single legislative session. If the court approves the terms, farmers will have guaranteed access to digital diagnostic tools through at least 2036, regardless of changes to federal or state law. That duration may prove more significant than the $99 million payout itself, because it addresses the structural problem, not just the financial harm.

Sources

• Reuters reporting on the Deere settlement filing (reuters.com)
• SAN coverage of the Deere right-to-repair accord (san.com)