Bill would unlock cars' computer codes

June 14, 2002

BY FREDERIC J. FROMMER
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- With more cars relying on computers that only dealers can access for repairs, efforts are building in Congress to force auto manufacturers to share their diagnostic codes with car owners and independent mechanics.

"Consumers shouldn't be in a position where the only place they can take the car is the dealership," said Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., who introduced legislation Thursday aimed at prying open access to the codes. "This is anticompetitive, it's anti-small business and it's anti-consumer. It's a little guy-big guy fight."

Identical legislation has been introduced in the House.

Auto manufacturers began equipping cars with computers in 1996 to meet emission standards but soon began tying other functions of the car, such as air bags and brakes, to computers.

Bob Redding, a lobbyist for the Automotive Service Association, which represents 15,000 independent repair shop owners, said a membership survey found that 10 percent of cars couldn't be repaired because of a lack of codes.

That number is getting higher, he said, as newer cars replace pre-1996 models. "This will shut our guys down," he said.

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