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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The FTC and five states have reached a settlement with Deere & Company over alleged limits on farmers’ access to electronic repair tools. The parties filed a joint motion asking a federal court to enter a stipulated order on July 8, 2026. If the court approves it, the order would give equipment owners and independent repair providers access to covered repair resources on fair and reasonable terms, subject to a rollout schedule. The FTC’s case page lists the matter as pending, so the settlement should not be treated as a final court order already in force.
What was the lawsuit about?
The case focused on access to electronic repair resources, not simply whether farmers could buy ordinary mechanical parts. In its complaint, the FTC and the plaintiff states alleged that Deere controlled access to its fully functional Service ADVISOR repair tool and related resources. According to the complaint, that left farmers and independent repair providers unable to perform some electronic repairs without access through authorized Deere dealers.
The plaintiffs alleged that the restrictions limited repair choices, increased costs, and caused delays—risks that can matter particularly during planting and harvest. Those are allegations, not findings by a court. Deere denied the allegations in the parties’ joint settlement filing, and the proposed settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing. The complaint invoked Section 2 of the Sherman Act, Section 5 of the FTC Act, and state competition laws. The FTC says it files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” a law has been or is being violated; that standard is not a judicial determination. See the amended complaint and the FTC’s January 2025 announcement.
What has happened in the case?
| Date | Event | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| January 15, 2025 | The FTC and Illinois and Minnesota filed the original action. | The agencies and states began the case; filing a complaint did not establish that the allegations were true. |
| February 7, 2025; public lesser-redacted version filed February 19 | The plaintiffs filed an amended complaint naming the FTC and Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. | The amended pleading set out the plaintiffs’ claims against Deere. |
| June 9, 2025 | The court denied Deere’s motion for judgment on the pleadings. | The case was allowed to continue. The denial was not a finding that Deere violated the law. |
| July 8, 2026 | The parties filed a joint motion asking the court to enter a stipulated final order. | The proposed settlement awaits court entry. The FTC’s case page, last updated July 8, 2026, lists the case as “Pending.” |
See the FTC case page and the joint motion and proposed stipulated order. A stipulated order has force of law when approved and signed by the district judge; the July filing itself is a request for that entry.
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What would the proposed settlement provide?
The FTC describes a 10-year agreement requiring Deere to make covered repair resources available to equipment owners and independent repair providers on fair and reasonable terms, with access equivalent to what Deere makes available to authorized dealers. The order materials refer to Deere’s Operations Center PRO Service and define repair resources broadly. The agreement does not mean every person immediately gets access to every tool: the order sets a rollout schedule and applies to resources and equipment covered by its terms.
Covered functions and information
The FTC says the proposed order covers capabilities and resources that include:
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- Reading, clearing, and resetting electronic fault codes.
- Reprogramming electronic components, including pairing newly installed components with equipment.
- Restarting a machine after an emissions-related shutdown, commonly called “limp mode.”
- Viewing and searching technical manuals, troubleshooting solutions, product improvement programs, DTAC solutions, and other useful repair guidance.
Rollout, dealer conduct, and oversight
The order would require Deere to make future repair resources available after it has granted access to more than 50 percent of its dealer locations in the United States. Deere would also have to instruct dealers to promote and sell the covered resources and not discriminate or retaliate against owners or independent repair providers for purchasing or using them or for repairing Deere equipment. The order preserves reasonable business judgment on matters such as service geography, creditworthiness, and legal compliance. It also provides for notice, reporting, and oversight; the FTC says the order’s term may be extended if Deere violates it.
Payment to the states
The proposed order requires Deere to pay $1 million to the plaintiff states for costs and attorneys’ fees. The order specifies that this payment is not a penalty.
What does this mean for farmers and independent mechanics?
If the court enters the proposed order and Deere implements it, owners and independent repair providers are intended to gain access to covered resources they could not previously obtain on the same terms as authorized dealers. That could give a farmer more options for diagnosis, electronic component replacement, and reprogramming, including the choice to use an independent provider or attempt a covered repair themselves.
The practical benefit will depend on the equipment and the task. A repair that requires only mechanical work is different from one requiring electronic diagnosis or programming. For a specific repair, the relevant questions are whether the machine and resource are covered, whether that resource is available under the rollout, what access costs, and how quickly an owner, independent provider, or dealer can complete the work. A model- and year-specific service manual can help with repair reference information, but it is not equivalent to Deere’s electronic repair software and does not establish access under the settlement.
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The agreement does not promise that repairs will be free, that every part will be interchangeable, or that every Deere machine will have identical access on the same date. Its scope is shaped by the covered equipment and resources, fair-and-reasonable terms, rollout provisions, and stated exceptions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does the settlement resolve other Deere repair claims?
No. The proposed order says it does not create, waive, limit, settle, release, or resolve private rights of action, including the separate In re Deere & Company Repair Services Antitrust Litigation. The FTC-and-states matter should not be confused with that private litigation.
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What should readers watch next?
The key legal step is whether the district judge enters the stipulated order. The FTC’s case listing currently says “Pending,” and the July 8, 2026 filing asks the court to enter the order rather than documenting that it has already done so. Farmers checking whether a resource is available for a particular machine should also confirm the applicable rollout and terms rather than assume the proposed agreement has already provided access.
FTC Director of the Bureau of Competition Daniel Guarnera characterized the settlement this way: “Today’s settlement enables farmers to do what they’ve done for generations—fix their own tractors and other farm equipment—without having to pay an authorized John Deere dealer to do it for them.” That is the FTC’s description of the settlement’s intended effect, not a court finding or a guarantee that every repair will be available at no cost.
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