John Deere has agreed to a major right-to-repair settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and the attorneys general of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The proposed 10-year order requires Deere to provide farmers and independent repair businesses with repair resources equivalent to those available to authorized John Deere dealers, including critical software functions.
The agreement was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on July 8, 2026. Deere agreed to comply with its provisions while the court considers the order, although the agreement must be approved and signed by the judge before it carries the full force of a court order.
FTC Deere Repair Settlement
The dispute centered on the increasingly digital nature of agricultural equipment repair.
The FTC filed its original lawsuit in January 2025, alleging that Deere restricted access to the fully functional diagnostic software needed to complete certain electronic repairs. According to the complaint, those restrictions left many equipment owners dependent on authorized dealers, contributing to higher repair costs and service delays during time-sensitive planting and harvest seasons.
Regulators argued that Deere’s control over its repair software allowed the company to maintain monopoly power in what the lawsuit described as restricted repair services for John Deere agricultural equipment. Deere denied the allegations and entered the settlement without admitting that it violated federal or state law.
Dealer-Level Diagnostic Access
Under the agreement, farmers and independent repair providers must receive access to resources capable of performing several functions that were previously associated with authorized dealer systems.
These include reading, clearing and resetting electronic fault codes, installing software and pairing replacement electronic components, restarting equipment after certain emissions-related shutdowns, and accessing technical manuals and troubleshooting information.
The required information also covers Deere Product Improvement Programs and DTAC solutions, which can contain repair guidance that is not always available through a standard operator manual or basic diagnostic application.
The order also attempts to prevent Deere from complying with the agreement today while introducing a more advanced dealer-only system later. Future repair resources must be offered to equipment owners and independent shops once equivalent resources become available at more than 50 percent of Deere’s authorized U.S. dealer locations.
Authorized dealers will be instructed to promote and support the available repair products. They will also be prohibited from discriminating or retaliating against customers who choose to repair their own equipment or work with an independent technician.
Modern Tractor Software Repairs
The right-to-repair debate is sometimes presented as a simple question of whether a farmer can replace a broken component. Modern machinery makes the issue considerably more complicated.
According to the FTC complaint, a large tractor or combine can contain more than 20 electronic control units. These controllers manage functions ranging from engine operation and emissions treatment to transmissions, hydraulics and harvesting systems.
A farmer may be physically capable of replacing a sensor, valve or controller, but that does not necessarily complete the repair. The new component may need to be calibrated, paired with the machine or programmed with the correct software before the equipment will operate normally.
The central issue was therefore not whether farmers were legally allowed to use their own tools. It was whether they could obtain the digital capabilities needed to finish the repair and return the machine to service.
John Deere PRO Service
John Deere had already begun expanding its self-repair offering before the settlement. In July 2025, the company introduced Operations Center PRO Service, an enhanced digital repair product designed to give customers access to diagnostic functions, trouble-code management and controller reprogramming.
Deere has presented the FTC agreement as a continuation of its existing commitment to customer repair access rather than a reversal of its previous position. The company said the settlement would reinforce access, transparency and repair flexibility for farmers and ranchers.
The order does not require Deere to transfer ownership of its intellectual property. Diagnostic resources may still be distributed through licenses, subscriptions or purchases. However, the pricing and conditions must qualify as fair and reasonable.
Factors used to evaluate those terms include what Deere dealers pay for comparable resources, the cost of maintaining the product, prices charged by competing equipment manufacturers and whether farmers and independent repair businesses can reasonably afford the access.
John Deere Dealer Competition
The settlement does not eliminate the need for authorized dealers.
Dealers will remain important for major engine, transmission and hydraulic repairs, warranty work, specialized field service and jobs requiring factory-trained technicians. Many farmers will continue using dealerships because they value their experience, facilities and access to parts.
What changes is the source of that advantage. Dealers will increasingly need to win repair business through technical expertise, response time and service quality rather than through exclusive access to essential software.
That is a healthier model for the agricultural equipment market. A customer should be able to choose the dealer when the dealer offers the best solution, not because the machine cannot be returned to operation without a dealer-controlled digital authorization.
Why the Deere Settlement Matters
The most important part of the agreement may not be the immediate release of diagnostic capabilities. Its strongest provision is the requirement that future tools remain available outside the dealer network.
Agricultural machinery software develops quickly. Without a future-access requirement, a manufacturer could release one compliant product and then move its dealers to a newer, more capable platform. The 50 percent dealer-network threshold makes that strategy more difficult.
The reporting requirements are equally important. Deere must submit reports every 60 days during the rollout and annual compliance reports throughout the 10-year term. Those reports must include information about repair-tool pricing, licensing terms, customer complaints, newly released tools and allegations of dealer discrimination.
The remaining question is whether access will be practical. A diagnostic tool can technically be available while remaining commercially inaccessible because of its price, activation process, hardware requirements or lack of training.
The settlement will succeed only if farmers and independent technicians can purchase the tools, understand the information and complete real repairs without unnecessary intervention. Repair times, software availability and the number of successfully completed independent repairs will matter more than the existence of a subscription page.
The agreement could also influence other agricultural equipment manufacturers. Deere is one of the largest and most technologically advanced companies in the sector. Once dealer-equivalent electronic repair access becomes an enforceable expectation for one major brand, competing manufacturers may face pressure to offer similar capabilities before regulators or courts require them to do so.
Settlement Payment and Oversight
Deere must pay a combined $1 million to the five participating states for legal costs and attorneys’ fees within 30 days after the court enters the order. The agreement specifically states that the payment is not a penalty.
The FTC and participating states will supervise compliance for 10 years. The term may be extended if Deere violates the order.
John Deere Brand Facts
John Deere traces its history to 1837, when blacksmith John Deere developed his first successful self-scouring steel plow in Grand Detour, Illinois. Deere & Company is now headquartered in Moline, Illinois and operates across agriculture, turf equipment, construction, forestry, precision technology and financial services.
In fiscal 2025, Deere reported worldwide net sales and revenues of $45.684 billion, including $38.917 billion in equipment net sales. Full-year net income reached $5.027 billion.
Its Production and Precision Agriculture segment generated approximately $17.31 billion in fiscal 2025 net sales, representing about 45 percent of Deere’s equipment operations. Small Agriculture and Turf generated approximately $10.22 billion, or about 26 percent of equipment net sales.
