Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) introduced the Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act Thursday.

The House version of the bill (HR 2057) was introduced by Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) and currently has 56 co-sponsors.

The Right to Repair Act would require vehicle manufacturers to provide to all repair shops the access codes, repair instructions, tools, equipment, and other information necessary to diagnose, service and maintain their vehicles. Proponents say the legislation would give vehicle owners the freedom to choose repair shops for their vehicles and allow independent repair shops to compete on a level playing field with other facilities. Although much of the discussion involves car owners, the bill would apply to all vehicles, including heavy-duty commercial trucks.

"The Right to Repair Act will allow consumers greater choice of where to take their cars for repairs and maintenance work," Brownback said. "This legislation is also beneficial for smaller, independent auto repair shops that are currently unable to access some information about the cars when that data is held exclusively at the dealership."

Because vehicles are becoming increasingly sophisticated with virtually every system either monitored or controlled by computers, servicing these vehicle systems to keep them in safe working condition requires ready access to complete and accurate information, tools and software from the car companies.

"By introducing right to repair legislation, Sens. Boxer and Brownback have taken important action to ensure that American car owners will continue to have access to a competitive auto repair marketplace, thus ensuring that repair costs don't price vehicle ownership above the heads of many Americans," said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA).

More info: www.righttorepair.org