It looks like John Deere owners can soon feel free to fix their own machines.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with . 鈥 commonly known as John Deere 鈥 that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
The manufacturer has faced for years for withholding the software needed for repairs and forcing customers to use authorized dealers instead of independent ones. Based in Illinois, Deere also runs a Wisconsin manufacturing plant, Horicon Works, in Dodge County. Other factories are in Iowa, North Dakota, Kansas and several southern states.
This marks the second right-to-repair settlement Deere has reached this year, following a separate with farmers in April. Though the class-action compensated consumers, the FTC鈥檚 settlement instead requires Deere to make its repair services available to equipment owners and independent shops.
The FTC and attorneys general from Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin brought the antitrust lawsuit in January 2025, arguing that Deere had illegally restricted farmers and independent shops that might otherwise service them from repairing farm equipment such as tractors. Deere also makes engines and equipment for forestry, landscaping and construction.
Under the order filed in Illinois, Deere will now be required to make diagnostic and repair tools available to equipment owners and independent repair shops, not only its own network of authorized dealers. It also prevents Deere dealers from retaliating against equipment owners or repair shops who choose to fix their own equipment instead of paying for Deere鈥檚 services. The order is headed to Judge Iain D. Johnston for his approval.
鈥淔armers shouldn鈥檛 have to go to a dealership to have repairs made to their farm equipment,鈥 said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul. 鈥淭his settlement will mean that farmers have more options in many circumstances in which repairs are needed to their John Deere equipment.鈥
Deere must pay $1 million collectively to the five states for antitrust enforcement costs and will be subject to strict compliance oversight for the next 10 years.
In the complaint, the FTC argued that Deere provides a service software tool to authorized dealers but does not provide the full version to equipment owners or independent shops. Deere had said the lawsuit was baseless, denied that its distribution of service tools was anticompetitive and argued that it could not monopolize services since it does not directly provide them.
Deere maintained its commitment to independent repair in a statement Wednesday, adding that the agreement with the FTC reinforces its innovation of more flexible repair options.
鈥淭his is good news for our customers and for the future of how Deere equipment is supported,鈥 said John Deere vice president of aftermarket and customer support Denver Caldwell.
Right-to-repair has become an increasingly common issue over the years, especially for with consumers complaining that even simple repairs can only be done by company-authorized dealers.