BOWIE, Md. — The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has added a "Right to Repair — Report Your Issue" form to its website (tireindustry.org), a tool "designed to amplify the voices of shop owners and technicians nationwide."
The tool will empower professionals to report instances where they face barriers to diagnosing or repairing vehicles, critical data that will protect everyone's right to repair, TIA said.
The association aims to document the real-world impacts of auto makers restricting access to both wired (OBD-II) and wirelessly (telematics) generated diagnostic and repair information.
"We hear about the growing frustration from shop owners and technicians who are unable to repair vehicles due to lack of access to essential tools, codes, or data," TIA CEO Dick Gust said. "This online tool will help us compile the evidence needed to advocate for a fair and transparent repair environment."
According to TIA, the form gathers key information about repair challenges, including:
• Vehicle specifics (make, model and year);
• Maintenance attempt details — What repair was being performed and if diagnostic codes were accessible;
• Barriers encountered, such as lack of proper tools, unavailable OEM documentation, refusal to sell parts or required software updates;
• Current vehicle status — whether the repair was completed or the vehicle remains inoperable.
Form submissions will remain confidential and identifying information will not be disclosed when case studies are presented on Capitol Hill, TIA said.
"If we don't document these challenges, it will be impossible to build the case for protecting our Right to Repair," TIA Vice President of Government Affairs Roy Littlefield IV said. "The form allows responses to be anonymous, giving everyone in the industry the opportunity to be heard without concerns of repercussion."
