President Trump signed a presidential memorandum establishing a right to repair for vehicles, with the administration saying it will not go after people who fix their own cars and trucks. The move is framed as protecting the ability of owners and independent shops to carry out repairs without unnecessary barriers, a theme the White House has pushed in recent months.
At the center of the action are aftermarket parts, the components used to service and repair vehicles outside of the original manufacturer's supply. Officials said the administration is concerned about cheap knockoff aftermarket parts coming into the United States, arguing that low quality imports harm small businesses and American consumers who rely on dependable components.
The key regulatory change concerns certification. According to the administration, the California Air Resources Board, known as CARB, had been the only third party certifier for these aftermarket parts, through a process officials described as backlogged and faulty. The memorandum ends CARB's status as the sole certifier, a step the White House characterized as breaking a monopoly over who can approve the parts.
Officials presented the measure as a continuation of an earlier effort. On February 2, the administration signed a right to repair action for farmers that covered tractors and other non-road equipment, allowing them to fix their own machinery. The new memorandum is intended to extend that same principle beyond agriculture to other vehicles and their owners.
Trump described the policy as a matter of common sense, arguing that vehicle owners and independent mechanics should be free to repair their own vehicles rather than be constrained by a single certifying body. He suggested that some owners understand their cars and trucks better than the shops, casting the change as a practical fix rather than a sweeping regulatory overhaul.
The action fits into a broader right to repair agenda that the administration has advanced this year, building on the earlier farm equipment step. Officials said the aim is to support small repair businesses and consumer choice, though the practical effect will depend on how alternative certification pathways are set up to take over the role CARB had held on its own.