FTC settlement requires Deere to expand diagnostic and repair access

John Deere says farmers and ranchers will have greater access to the diagnostic software and repair tools needed to maintain and repair their equipment under a new agreement that resolves the company’s long-running antitrust case with the Federal Trade Commission and five states.

Announced July 8, the settlement formalizes access for farmers and independent repair providers to the same repair resources already available to its authorized dealer network. The agreement closes the FTC lawsuit filed in early 2025 while placing Deere under regulatory oversight for the next 10 years.

The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, had accused Deere of using its proprietary software tools and dealer network to monopolize the repair markets for its large tractors and combines.

According to the plaintiffs — including attorneys general in Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin — Deere’s practices have forced farmers to rely exclusively on its authorized dealers for critical repairs, limiting competition and driving up costs. At the center of the lawsuit was Deere’s Service ADVISOR, a software tool available only to authorized Deere dealers. The plaintiffs argued that this tool is essential for diagnosing and repairing electronic issues in modern Deere equipment and that a stripped-down version made available to customers and independent repair providers, known as Customer Service ADVISOR, lacked critical functionality.

The settlement “is good news for our customers and for the future of how Deere equipment is supported,” said Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support for John Deere. “Producers and equipment operators demand flexible and world class capabilities enabling the maintenance and repair of their machines; we are and will continue to deliver on that expectation.”

Under the settlement, Deere must make available to farmers and independent repair providers software capabilities that allow them to read and reset fault codes, reprogram electronic components, restart equipment following emissions-related shutdowns, and access technical manuals and troubleshooting information. The agreement also requires Deere to make future repair tools available as they are introduced across its dealer network and prohibits retaliation against customers or independent repair shops that use those resources.

National Farmers Union, which filed a formal complaint with the FTC in 2022, welcomed the settlement.

“Farmers Union championed this win from the beginning, and we are happy to see the settlement provide farmers with what they should have had all along: the right to repair their own equipment,” NFU President Rob Larew said. “Today’s action didn’t happen by accident. Farmers across the country refused to stay quiet about this injustice. This settlement belongs to them.”

Larew said the organization will continue pushing for a nationwide right-to-repair law that guarantees farmers long-term access to the tools, parts, and information needed to repair their equipment.

The agreement follows months of mounting legal pressure over repair access.

In April, a federal judge granted preliminary approval to a separate $99 million class-action settlement that would compensate eligible farmers who claimed Deere’s repair restrictions led to inflated repair costs. That proposed settlement also includes provisions requiring Deere to expand access to repair tools over a 10-year period.

The new FTC agreement applies specifically to Deere’s agricultural equipment and gives regulators the authority to monitor the company’s compliance over the next decade.

“We’ve said from the beginning that our focus is on helping customers keep their machines running when and how they need them,” Caldwell said. “This agreement bolsters that commitment, and we’re confident it will make a real difference for the people who depend on our equipment every day.”

The announcement comes during a period of broader change at Deere. Over the past two years, the company has announced multiple rounds of layoffs at manufacturing facilities in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, and other locations as farm equipment demand softened following record sales during the post-pandemic boom. Deere has said the workforce reductions were intended to align production with lower customer demand rather than reflect the company’s long-term outlook.

With the FTC litigation now resolved, Deere says it will continue investing in diagnostic tools, technology, and services that give customers more options to maintain their equipment themselves or through the repair provider of their choice while continuing to support its dealer network.

“We share the Administration’s and the states’ desire to put farmers first while preserving Deere’s ability to support American agricultural productivity, equipment safety and innovation,” Caldwell said.

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