On the Dash:

• NADA is urging Congress to vote against the REPAIR Act, calling the legislation unnecessary and a data privacy threat.
• The REPAIR Act advanced out of subcommittee in February and now awaits a full House committee vote.
• Supporters say the bill would give consumers more choices and lower costs for vehicle repairs.

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The Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act, also known as the REPAIR Act, is gaining momentum on Capitol Hill, and now faces opposition from a key industry group.

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) sent a letter to members of Congress asking them to vote against H.R. 1566 and its Senate companion S. 1379. NADA calls the legislation unnecessary, a threat to consumer data privacy, and a vehicle for creating a costly new federal regulatory structure.

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What the bill would do

If passed, the REPAIR Act would require automakers to make vehicle diagnostic data, repair tools, and technical information available to independent shops and vehicle owners, not just franchised dealerships.

Supporters say the bill gives customers more choices when it comes to service by allowing them to take their vehicles to independent shops, rather than being forced to take them to dealerships.

The bill has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. The House bill was introduced last year by Reps. Neal Dunn (R-FL) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA). The Senate version was introduced by Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Josh Hawley (R-MO). The bill has more than 42 bipartisan cosponsors.

Why NADA opposes it

NADA’s main argument is that the problem the bill claims to solve does not exist. NADA points to a 2014 agreement between right-to-repair advocates and automakers to share repair data with independent shops. The National Automotive Service Task Force has handled disputes between shops and manufacturers since 2000, with a 90% resolution rate.

NADA argues that the bill would also open up vehicle data to commercial third parties. Under H.R. 1566, vehicle data can be sold to third parties with owner consent, which could be as simple as a checkbox on a service form. The association calls this a “backdoor data pipeline” that has nothing to do with service.

The bill would create unnecessary regulatory paperwork and expenses, according to NADA. The association estimates the bill could cost more than $100 million annually through a new federal advisory panel, mandatory rulemaking, and congressional reports. NADA also says it could expose small business dealers to significant fines.

What supporters say

At a January 2026 hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee, Auto Care Association President and CEO Bill Hanvey told lawmakers that manufacturers are locking independent shops out of critical repair data.

“Today’s vehicles are computers on wheels,” Hanvey said in a press release from the ACA. “When vehicle owners and independent repairers are locked out of that data, repairs are delayed, costs increase, and safety can be compromised.”

Hanvey told the subcommittee that dealer repairs cost consumers an average of 36% more than independent shops, and that technicians are routinely blocked from completing basic jobs because they don’t have access to dealer-only codes.

Where it stands and what’s next

The bill cleared the House Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee on February 10. It now sits before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, with no markup date scheduled.

During the February 10 subcommittee markup, lawmakers offered amendments to strengthen cybersecurity, data privacy, and intellectual property language. All amendments were ultimately withdrawn, with both parties agreeing to work together to address concerns before the bill moves ahead.

Supporters are pushing to attach it to the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, a move that could significantly raise its chances of becoming law. That bill must pass by September 30, 2026, giving supporters a narrow window to get REPAIR Act provisions included in the final package.