FTC settlement forces John Deere to open repair tools to farmers and indie shops

The FTC and attorneys general from Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin have reached a right-to-repair settlement with Deere & Co. that requires the tractor maker to hand its diagnostic and repair software over to equipment owners and independent shops, not just its authorized dealer network. The deal resolves an antitrust suit filed in January 2025 that accused Deere of using its control over service tools to lock customers into dealer repairs. The order, still pending approval from Judge Iain D. Johnston, also bars dealers from retaliating against owners who fix their own machines, imposes ten years of compliance oversight, and requires Deere to pay $1 million to the five states for enforcement costs.

The complaint centered on a familiar mechanism: Deere gave authorized dealers a full-featured service software tool while withholding the complete version from owners and independents, effectively forcing farmers to wait and pay for dealer service on machines they own. Deere denied wrongdoing throughout, arguing it couldn’t monopolize repair services it doesn’t directly provide, but publicly framed the settlement as a win for customers and its own push toward more flexible repair options.

This is Deere’s second right-to-repair concession this year, following a $99 million class-action settlement with farmers in April. Unlike that payout, the FTC deal is structural — it mandates access rather than compensation — making it a notable data point in the broader right-to-repair fight that has spread from consumer electronics into heavy agricultural and industrial equipment.