President Trump signed a presidential memorandum Monday expanding the right for Americans to fix their own vehicles.
The memorandum directs the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to issue guidance clarifying what actions individuals may take to fix their own vehicles’ emissions systems, consistent with the Clean Air Act. It also directs the EPA to encourage and expedite alternative certification pathways for aftermarket parts to reduce reliance on California’s certification process.
Additionally, the memorandum instructs the EPA administrator to consider deprioritizing civil enforcement actions against individuals who, in good faith, attempt to fix their own vehicles to their original configuration.
During a press conference EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin outlined the administration’s goals. “Mr. President, this is a presidential memo to the Environmental Protection Agency, a presidential memo supporting the freedom to fix. Americans have the freedom to fix their vehicle. President Trump insists upon it.”
Zeldin said the administration will shift its enforcement focus. “We are not going to be going after people who are fixing their own vehicle, like past the administrations have. Additionally, we have been the concerned — President Trump has been concerned about aftermarket parts — cheap knockoff, aftermarket parts coming into the United States, harming small businesses, harming Americans — this presidential memo puts an end to it.”
The White House issued a fact sheet stating that the only certification process currently recognized under the Clean Air Act is run by the California Air Resources Board. The fact sheet claims the process routinely takes well over a year to complete, driving up costs, limiting supply and reducing consumer choice.
“Also, the only third-party certification for these aftermarket parts, it’s CARB in California, a process that’s backlogged and faulty,” Zeldin said. “So, we’re gonna break that monopoly, and no longer will CARB be the only third party certifier for these aftermarket parts. Again, President Trump is insisting on fixing it. This presidential memo does that.”
Trump discussed the motivation behind the memorandum during the press conference and signing. “I mean, think about it. It came to my attention, because they noticed they were arresting people for fixing their car. They were arresting people. That’s not even believable. Anyway, so it’s Right to Fix, and I think it’s really common sense,” Trump said.
Trump added: “Some of these people are better mechanics than the mechanics in the shop. They’re telling the mechanic in the shop how to fix their car or their truck. We signed the truck one a little while ago. So I’m gonna sign this, and I’ll be happy about it. You rule by common sense to a large extent.”
The White House framed the action as a measure to lower the cost of living by cutting regulations, claiming the previous administration’s environmental regulatory burdens caused the average cost of vehicles to soar. Zeldin noted that the administration previously addressed agricultural equipment repair.
“President Trump was calling me up on a Saturday night when his idea first came to his head, and he says, He wants to do a press conference right away to get this over the top. February 2nd, we signed a Right to Repair for our farmers so that they could repair their tractors and their non-road equipment and this is covering everyone else,” Zeldin said.
Aftermarket Intel tracks the signals shaping the global automotive aftermarket — news, trends and executive-level insight. Visit https://aftermarketintel.com. To share news, data, or strategic perspectives, contact Editor Mark Phillips at mark@lpnewmedia.com or connect on LinkedIn here.
