NHTSA Tells Brands to Ignore Mass. Telematics Law

Federal regulators advised automakers to ignore a Massachusetts vehicle telematics law and to instead abide by a federal statute.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration letter to major brands says the state and federal laws related to telematics conflict and that the state one could make vehicles vulnerable to malicious actors.

The Massachusetts law, passed in 2020 after voter referendum approval, requires that carmakers who sell in the state give buyers and independent repairers access to each vehicle’s telematics information for repair diagnosis, allowing for non-dealership repairs.

But the regulator said such access could give criminals entree to remotely command vehicles.

The automotive industry, led by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, sued to block the law.

LEARN MORE: Group Acts to Block Right-to-Repair Law

Originally posted on Auto Dealer Today