Deere oh Deere: Tractor repair row heads for $99M settlement
FTC lawsuit lingers, while encouraging signs point to Iowa bill succeeding too
Agriculture manufacturing giant John Deere has agreed to a proposed $99 million settlement following a class action lawsuit in Illinois.
One of several similar legal challenges underway across the US, the lawsuit brought against John Deere pertains to farmers' longstanding concerns over the company's rigid maintenance rules, which plaintiffs say prevent farmers from repairing their own equipment.
Customers are often forced to rely on John Deere-approved specialists – the only outfits to which the company provides crucial repair and diagnostic software.
REG AD
Plaintiffs argue these authorized dealers charge artificially inflated prices, in turn harming farmers' incomes.
REG AD
John Deere has agreed to the preliminary settlement, which is still subject to a fairness assessment and final approval, after initially denying the antitrust allegations first leveled against it by the class in 2022.
Settlements do not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.
If the settlement receives court approval, the $99 million, plus interest, will be distributed to class members based on total labor hours spent on repairs since January 10, 2018.
Crucially, it would also require John Deere to make available the software and diagnostic tools needed for farmers to make their own repairs or seek analogous services from independent repair providers at competitive prices.
Further, the settlement would secure customers' access to future repair resources after they have been made available to over 50 percent of official John Deere dealers.
By December 31, 2026, it would also ensure customers can perform reprogramming and diagnostic functions through John Deere Operations Center PRO Service in offline mode, as well as access and view the same repair tools as the company's Dealer Technical Assistance Center (advanced, remote repair tooling).
"This Settlement is an excellent result for the Class, providing substantial injunctive and monetary relief while avoiding the extensive risks and uncertainties of continued litigation," wrote co-lead counsel in documents [PDF] submitted to the US District Court.
"As we continue to innovate industry-leading equipment and technology solutions supported by our world-class dealer network, we are equally committed to providing customers and other service providers with access to repair resources," said Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support at John Deere.
REG AD
"We're pleased that this resolution allows us to move forward and remain focused on what matters most – serving our customers."
Deere in the headlights
The class action in Illinois is just one of the right-to-repair cases John Deere is battling at present.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), together with the states of Illinois and Minnesota, filed a similar lawsuit against the company in January 2025, which remains ongoing and is currently in the discovery phase.
Its goals are similar to those of the Illinois class action in that it aims to make repair resources available to owners, but it also seeks clarity on whether the company violated antitrust law, as well as whether it violated a 2023 memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Right-to-repair advocates over at iFixit are also supporting legislative proposals in Iowa that aim to compel all large agricultural equipment manufacturers to release their repair resources to customers, not just John Deere.
A right-to-repair bill passed in an 18-5 vote in the Iowa House Agriculture Committee in February.
Following the vote in the US's second-largest agricultural state, iFixit said: "We think it's got a good chance of passing." Only Colorado has passed right-to-repair laws specific to farming equipment. ®