What Is the Right to Repair Law in Massachusetts?

The Massachusetts right to repair law requires vehicle manufacturers to give independent repair shops and vehicle owners the same diagnostic information, tools, and repair documentation they provide to their own franchised dealerships. Voters first approved the rule in 2012 and expanded it in 2020 to cover the wireless telematics data that newer vehicles transmit to manufacturer servers. A separate bill that would extend similar rights to smartphones, laptops, and other consumer electronics is pending in the legislature but has not become law.

What Manufacturers Must Provide

Under Chapter 165 of the Acts of 2013, every manufacturer selling vehicles in Massachusetts must make the same diagnostic and repair information available to independent shops and owners that it gives its dealer network.¹ That includes repair procedures, technical service bulletins, and access to the on-board diagnostic (OBD) port where a technician plugs in a scan tool to read trouble codes. Manufacturers also have to sell the same diagnostic tools and software their dealers use, and they cannot charge independent shops more for them than they charge dealers.

The 2020 ballot measure added Section 2(f) to M.G.L. Chapter 93K. For model year 2022 and later vehicles, manufacturers must equip the vehicle with a standardized, interoperable, open-access platform for all mechanical data the vehicle sends wirelessly.² Owners access that data through a mobile application and can authorize an independent repair shop of their choice to receive the same stream. Authorized shops can also send commands to in-vehicle components for maintenance and diagnostic purposes, for the duration of the repair or whatever period the owner agrees to. The platform has to be standardized across a manufacturer’s makes and models and administered by an entity independent from the manufacturer.

Dealers in Massachusetts must give prospective buyers a written notice explaining the telematics system and the owner’s data access rights before the sale is complete.³

Which Vehicles and Data Are Covered

The law reaches standard passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating above 14,000 pounds.² Several categories are excluded from the definition of “motor vehicle” under Chapter 93K:

Rail vehicles that operate only on a rail line
Recreational vehicles and auto homes equipped for habitation
Ambulances, buses, motor coaches, and trackless trolleys used for hire or school transportation
Highway maintenance equipment used exclusively for road construction or repair, or designed primarily for off-road use
Motorcycles as defined in M.G.L. Chapter 90
Custom-built heavy-duty commercial vehicles, which are exempt from the OBD access requirements even though standard heavy-duty vehicles over 14,000 pounds are covered¹

There is also a security carve-out. Manufacturers can withhold the specific diagnostic information needed to reset immobilizer systems or security-related electronic modules, because making anti-theft reset codes freely available would create a theft risk.² Everything else, from engine performance metrics to brake sensor readings to transmission data, has to be accessible.

Where Telematics Enforcement Stands After the Automaker Lawsuit

The telematics expansion sat in legal limbo for years. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing most major automakers, sued in federal court arguing that the Massachusetts mandate conflicted with federal safety and clean air regulations. Manufacturers largely did not build the required open platforms while that litigation was pending.

In early 2025, U.S. District Judge Denise Casper dismissed all remaining claims brought by the automakers. As of March 2025, the Alliance had not filed a notice of appeal. Massachusetts can now move forward with enforcement, meaning the open-access platforms that were supposed to be in place since model year 2022 should finally materialize, though practical rollout timelines remain unclear.

What You Can Do If a Manufacturer Won’t Comply

Violations of the right-to-repair mandates count as unfair or deceptive practices under M.G.L. Chapter 93A, the state’s broad consumer protection statute.⁴ That opens two separate enforcement paths.

Attorney General Enforcement

The Massachusetts Attorney General can investigate complaints and sue manufacturers that refuse to provide the required data, tools, or documentation. When a court finds a knowing violation, it can impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation plus the state’s reasonable investigation and litigation costs, including attorney’s fees. The Attorney General can also seek an injunction ordering immediate changes, and if a manufacturer then violates that injunction, the penalty rises to up to $10,000 per violation.⁵

Private Lawsuits

You don’t have to wait for the Attorney General. Chapter 93A, Section 11 lets any person engaged in trade or commerce who suffers a financial loss from an unfair or deceptive practice sue directly. A successful plaintiff recovers actual damages, and when the court finds the violation was willful or knowing, those damages increase to between two and three times the actual loss. The court must also award reasonable attorney’s fees and costs to a winning plaintiff, which removes a major financial barrier for smaller shops going up against a manufacturer.⁶

The 2020 telematics measure added its own penalty: a manufacturer that denies access to mechanical data can be liable for treble damages or $10,000 to the vehicle owner, whichever applies. Chapter 93A claims generally have to be brought within four years of the violation.

How to File a Complaint

Complaints about a manufacturer refusing to provide required repair data or tools go to the Attorney General’s Consumer Advocacy and Response Division (CARD). There are three ways to submit:⁷

Online, through the complaint form on mass.gov under the Attorney General’s office
By mail, by downloading and printing the complaint form and sending it to the Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Advocacy and Response Division, One Ashburton Place, 18th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
In person, at any Attorney General’s office location, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The consumer hotline at (617) 727-8400 is staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., for questions or to request a form by mail. After you file, avoid submitting duplicate complaints or extra documentation until the office contacts you.

Does the Law Cover Phones, Laptops, or Appliances?

Not yet. The existing Massachusetts right to repair law applies to motor vehicles only. Senate Bill 189, filed in the 2025–2026 legislative session, would extend similar protections to consumer electronics, requiring manufacturers of devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops to provide documentation, replacement parts, and diagnostic tools to owners and independent repair shops.⁸

Under the bill, parts and tools would have to be offered on terms at least as favorable as those given to the manufacturer’s own authorized repair providers, including any discounts or rebates. Documentation and software updates would be free, with an exception only for the actual cost of printing and mailing a physical copy. Violations would be treated as unfair or deceptive practices under Chapter 93A, matching the enforcement regime for the automotive law.⁸ The bill proposes an effective date of January 1, 2026, but it still has to pass both chambers and be signed by the governor. Until that happens, electronics manufacturers in Massachusetts are not bound by the right-to-repair rules that apply to carmakers.

1
General Court of Massachusetts. Chapter 165 of the Acts of 2013
2
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93K Section 2
3
Mass.gov. Motor Vehicle Telematics System Notice Requirement
4
Mass.gov. The Massachusetts Consumer Protection Law
5
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A Section 4
6
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A Section 11
7
Mass.gov. File a Consumer Complaint
8
General Court of Massachusetts. Senate No. 189 – An Act Relative to Digital Right to Repair