The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has told several automakers – including General Motors – not to comply with a Massachusetts vehicle telematics law.
According to a report by Reuters, U.S. auto safety regulators sent out a letter to automakers stating that they must comply with federal laws, and not a Massachusetts law that requires open remote access to vehicle telematics and vehicle-generated data. Known colloquially as the Right to Repair law, the NHSTA pointed out that any violations of Federal law are not to be tolerated.
“Open access to vehicle manufacturers’ telematics offerings with the ability to remotely send commands allows for manipulation of systems on a vehicle, including safety-critical functions such as steering, acceleration, or braking,” an NHTSA spokesperson said in a prepared statement. “[Bad actors] could utilize such open access to remotely command vehicles to operate dangerously, including attacking multiple vehicles concurrently.”
For reference, the current rendition of the Right to Repair law was put into effect back in 2020 after being cleared by a Massachusetts judge. This hotly contested charter seeks to permit independent repair shops to access a vehicle’s diagnostic data – which is typically sent to directly to dealers and manufacturers – thus allowing owners to seek repairs outside of the dealership network.
It’s worth noting that although the 2020 measure was overwhelming passed by voters – and supported by a majority of enthusiasts and independent shops – some automakers, including GM, have made the argument that the law has the potential to undermine data security. Additionally, they argue that the law is poorly written and impossible to comply with.
In contrast, some manufactures have stated that they intend to disable the vehicle telematics altogether. In response, the NHTSA stated that “this measure has its own adverse impacts on safety.”
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Used, older vehicles get more appealing by the day. These manufacturers are out of their minds.
The idea and goal, as I’ve mentioned repeatedly, is to price transportation beyond the means of the average person. You will then be forced to take public mass transit. It is a long term goal of the greenies. Please understand this is social engineering. GM and the others with EV hummers and other expensive vehicles will be available to the rich and the other less fortunate ones can take the bus. No bus? Move to the inner city and then you can live in an apartment with the masses and take the mugway or bus. Ride your bike if you want. All of this is to drive people out of the rural areas and back into cities. Don’t like it? Too bad. John Kerry and Bill Gates still live in Martha’s Vineyard and have their private jets. You don’t.
It’s not about affordable transportation like Henry Ford, it’s about AOC.
It will take another generation to accomplish this but when you regulate petroleum fuels and use carbon taxes it will happen.
I can only imagine what the costs will be to repair the electrical systems on new EV's. It is bad enough now on ICE vehicles with dealership hourly rates well over $100/ hour. It scares me how easily the newer vehicle's systems can be accessed remotely by the manufacturers.
Don't know how many of you have worked on your own vehicles, but trying to track down electrical issues is my absolute least favorite thing to do on them. It's miserable.
The Moss Ferguson or Massey Ferguson law (or something like that) stated any part specified by the manufacturer to be the only part that could be used would by provided free by the manufacturer. That was when our government cared for the consumer. I would think some Congress person would submit a similar bill/law that would provide the information only manufacturers could access on your vehicle to the consumer for free. I hope so but now the government seems to care for big business not the consumer. They give in to the lobbyists money instead of the voter.
If you were running the repair facility, buying equipment, tools, paying rent, wages, employee benefits, liability insurance, paying for training, information access, uniforms, heat, light, internet service and much more, you wouldn’t think $100 an hour was too much money.
Here is the situation. If the Automakers pass out the info on the cars that means people will tamper with them and the automakers will be held by the EPA and NHTSA for the tampered cars.
Also with the coming EV much of it should not be messes with by any one not trained as unlike a ICE car you touch the wrong thing and you will be fried.
Government regulations have forced automakers to be responsible for emissions up to 100K miles and for tampering with any info they supply. As for EV what choice do they have if they want to sell in states and countries forcing EV products.
Automakers are in a box.
To be honest much of the info is available if you keep with a service that provides tech info for all autos. my buddy pays a fortune a year to get it. But even if it was supplied most people just have the tools or ability to fix any of this anymore.
Much is a code and just change the right part but most could not find the right part if it was in front of them.
Even worse the EPA has highjacked the laws and are applying their own interpolations to them vs how they were pass in the house and senate.
Look up the RPM act and just what the EPA is trying to do to Racing. You are not able to modify any car for racing only.
Other states are also making any changes to an exhaust illegal even if it is a cat back system. You can pass all the emission you like but any non stock part is illegal. How is that going to work if an older system fails and there is no stock system available?
People these laws are getting put in by people and agencies these voted people established. We needs to take a much harder look at who we vote for and what they stand for as are putting these people in office. The automakers would just be fine making ICE trucks and skip EV. Stop blaming them.
I don't even blame the president as he has no clue. these people are running the country not the guy who said we are building a train rail to India over the Pacific. Yes Joe said that the other day.
I think it’s 8 years or 80k miles for major emissions components and 24/24k for the test compliance. Fortunately my free red state doesn’t test vehicle emissions so it’s not an issue unless it causes a performance problem.
Ditto, I’m in a state where you can cut the DPF off your Cummins and splice an inline resistor into the sensor and nobody cares. Funny thing is air would probably be cleaner if they didn’t mandate most of this emmision junk and let the OEM’s find a better way to satisfy both parties
So the “Safety Board” is afraid of “Bad Apples” within the independent car repair community?!?! SERIOUSLY?? Who’s to say that the big corporations or some minion turned demon within the governing bodies, wouldn’t become a “Bad Apple” and wreck havoc amongst all the vehicles that electronically report their own usage data. (Eyeroll) We should be able to repair our own belongings be they cars or roofs! And P.S. please just say gasoline engine.
Classic Federal Government disserving the people.
This is a crappy situation.
If the telematics & OTA updates were opened to everyone, there WILL be bad actors hacking cars.
Count on it.
But not opening it prevents the vehicle owner or independent repair facilities from repairing cars.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Not an easy situation.
Telematics and over the air updates are not required to perform diagnostic work. The lobbyist firm that manipulated Mass voters in a referendum used a fear the big company and support the little guy tactic, while being paid by O'Reilly, Autozone, NAPA, and a large regional tire retailer (VIP tires). All they really want is a way to direct market products and services to owners while eliminating what the lobbyist describes as a monopoly for OEMs for this method, and then use Chinese "cracked" software and calibrations for service programming rather than OEM validated versions when modules and related components are changed. They don't care about Joe's service garage down on the corner, only themselves. Controller Area Networks are hardwired systems, there is always a method available to plug in. OEMs make diagnostic tools, diagnostic software, and service programming available for those who want it and will pay for it which includes owners and independent service providers, even Telsa does.
can anybody tell me how NHTSA makes safer drivers ? drivers have become progressively worse year after year ! Big insurance companies are loving it ! cars and trucks are increasingly becoming over saturated with safety features and overly complex electrical systems ! %100 pure hogwash
Advanced dual mode EVs will be modular with self-diagnostics. The garage will swap modules to fix these repairable vehicles. No need to tap into the data stream.