President Directs Federal Action on Vehicle Repair
President Trump on June 29 signed a Presidential Memoranda directing federal action to protect Americans’ right to repair their own vehicles and expand access to aftermarket parts, without being accused of circumventing emissions controls.
The Memoranda aims to lower living costs for Americans by ensuring they can fix their own vehicles.
The memorandum directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue guidance within 30 days clarifying what actions individuals may take to fix their own vehicles’ emissions systems, consistent with the Clean Air Act.
It further directs the EPA Administrator to encourage and expedite alternative certification pathways for aftermarket parts, reducing reliance on California’s certification process and providing greater certainty to manufacturers and consumers.
The Memorandum also instructs the EPA Administrator to consider deprioritizing civil enforcement actions against individuals who, in good faith, attempt to fix their own vehicles to their original configuration.
The action comes less than a month after executives from Ford, General Motors and Penske met with the President and discussed vehicle repair policies. According to published reports, the President said in early June, the carmakers were lobbying for legislation that would make it harder for owners to service their own vehicles. “We had the auto industry in yesterday. They don’t want people to fix their car,” Trump said.
In February, EPA released guidance affirming the ability of farmers to lawfully fix their own agricultural and non-road equipment.
NATSO has long advocated for the right of independent repair shops to access the same information, data and tools as OEMs and licensed dealers and for the inclusion of commercial motor vehicles in any right to repair legislation.
On May 21, 2026, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 48 to 1 to advance the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026 (H.R. 7389), which contained an amended version of the REPAIR Act. This amended version codifies sections of two national memorandums of understanding (MOU) signed in 2014 and 2015 between automakers and OEMs and the independent repair industry organizations regarding access to vehicle repair and diagnostic information.
The amended version of the REPAIR Act includes commercial motor vehicles. However, the Energy and Commerce Committee significantly narrowed the scope of the REPAIR Act, which previously included broader provisions related to telematics and direct wireless data access.
Sec. 202 of H.R. 7389 would enact Sections 1 through 5 of the 2014 MOU into law for vehicles weighing under 14,000 lbs. (read the MOU here). For vehicles that weigh over 14,000 lbs., the bill would make Sections 2 through 8 of a 2015 MOU for heavy-duty vehicles enforceable under federal law (click here to view).
Rep. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), the lead sponsor of the REPAIR Act (H.R. 1566) supported by NATSO, expressed his desire for House leadership and his colleagues to expand the REPAIR Act when H.R. 7389 comes up for a vote on the House floor.
NATSO thinks the current language should go further and many long-standing advocates for the REPAIR ACT have expressed calls for lawmakers to modify this narrow language.
“While the version … represents some progress, the legislation considered by the committee does not fully reflect the original REPAIR Act and fails to protect consumers, independent repair shops and aftermarket manufacturers,” Rep. Dunn said during the markup.
NATSO will continue to advocate for modifications to H.R. 7389, which ultimately is expected to become the Energy and Commerce Committee’s portion of the five-year highway reauthorization bill.
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