- John Deere accepts a $99 million settlement in a class action lawsuit
- Lawsuit covers the right to repair for farmers on their own equipment
- It must also make its tools available to third parties for 10 years
Agricultural giant John Deere could face a big bill after the apparent end of a long-running lawsuit over the right to repair its farm equipment.
The company has agreed to pay a ‘historic settlement’ of $99 million to a fund for farms and individuals who participated in a class action against it.
John Deere will also have to ensure that its digital diagnostic, maintenance and repair tools are available to third parties for 10 years after some farmers were reportedly forced to hack their own equipment in an attempt to fix problems.
The article continues below
Right to repair
“As we continue to innovate industry-leading equipment and technology solutions supported by our world-class dealer network, we are equally committed to providing customers and other service providers with access to repair resources,” said Denver Caldwell, company vice president, Aftermarket & Customer Support.
“We are pleased that this decision allows us to move forward and remain focused on what matters most – serving our customers.”
The payout, which still needs to be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, will specifically be available to affected claimants who paid John Deere authorized dealers for major equipment repairs from January 2018 onwards.
That will see them recover about 26% and 53% of the overcharge damages, court documents said, much higher than typical payouts from such lawsuits.
Right-to-repair lawsuits have become increasingly common in recent years, mainly among customers of technology products such as laptops and smartphones, with several US states, including Oregon and California, also passing similar legislation.
This led to Apple announcing its support in a move that surprised many, making it much easier (and cheaper) to repair broken iPhones or MacBooks away from official Apple stores.
Even the US Army has thrown its weight behind the idea, with both Democrats and Republicans backing a move from May 2025 to allow the Army to have the right to repair its own equipment.
The European Union has its Right to Repair Directive coming into force on 31 July 2026, which will mean manufacturers must legally include access to spare parts, repair manuals and remove technical or contractual barriers to independent repair. It will also look to cut down on so-called “parts pairing”, where software-side “marrying” of components can sabotage third-party exchanges, such as a printer rejecting a refilled ink cartridge.
Via Driven
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
