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Deere Reaches $99 Million Right-to-Repair Settlement With Farmers

The deal marks progress in the right-to-repair fight over software-controlled farm equipment.

Attendees climb down from a John Deere X9 combine, with Predictive Ground Speed Automation, during CES 2026, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
FILE - A person walks on an X9 1100 combine at the John Deere booth during the CES tech show, Jan. 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Overview

  • Deere filed the proposed accord Monday in federal court in Chicago, creating a $99 million fund for farms and farmers in the class action.
  • The fund covers people who paid John Deere–authorized dealers for repairs to large machines starting in January 2018.
  • Deere agreed to provide the digital tools needed to maintain, diagnose, and repair its tractors and harvesters for 10 years, giving farmers and independent shops access to software, manuals, and diagnostics.
  • The settlement still needs approval from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and Deere says it involves no finding of wrongdoing.
  • A separate FTC antitrust lawsuit remains active after a 2025 ruling, with regulators alleging Deere restricted repair options and access to essential tools.