Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.
An association representing automakers filed a lawsuit Friday that seeks to overturn Maine’s new “right to repair” law that gives Mainers access to their vehicle’s diagnostic information.
The law, which Maine voters approved in a 2023 referendum, took effect in early January and requires vehicle manufacturers selling cars in the state to provide drivers with access to wireless diagnostic and repair information through a “mobile-based application.” It also requires Maine’s attorney general to create an independent entity that administers access to the vehicle data.
Supporters of the new law said it provides consumers with more transparency and choices. Vehicle owners who are denied access to their vehicle’s information can seek civil damages of at least $10,000. Massachusetts is the only other state with a similar law, though the Bay State’s 2020 measure has faced legal scrutiny.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court Friday that names Attorney General Aaron Frey as the defendant, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing automakers including Toyota, General Motors and Ford, said Frey has not yet established the independent entity and that automakers “have no ability even to start to comply” with the law.
“This is an example of putting the cart before the horse,” the group that is based in Washington, D.C., and represents major automakers said in a statement.
The lawsuit also argues Mainers already could access their diagnostic information at any repair shop and have their car repaired by any shop they choose, but representatives of the more than 1,600 independent repair shops in Maine that supported the “right to repair” law previously said the catch is dealerships could still require vehicle owners to pay money for the additional data.
Frey spokesperson Danna Hayes said the office does not comment on pending litigation.
