Restoring America

Conservative values, National renewal

Give small businesses the ‘right to repair’

By Andrea McGee

Published May 2, 2024 6:00am ET

Give small businesses the ‘right to repair’ — FILE - In this June 17, 1994, file photo, a white Ford Bronco, driven by Al Cowlings carrying O.J. Simpson, is trailed by Los Angeles police cars as it travels on a freeway in Los Angeles. Simpson, the decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76. (AP Photo/Joseph Villarin, File)

Have 230,000 small businesses reached the end of the road? That possibility is becoming more likely by the day.

These small businesses are independently owned and operated auto repair shops, the kind that dot street corners from the biggest cities to the most rural communities. Yet they’re finding it increasingly difficult to fix newer cars for the simple reason that auto manufacturers won’t let them, even though competition is best for vehicle safety and consumers’ pocketbooks.