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Deere’s repair drama keeps compounding
John Deere’s long-running repair dust-up just got a fresh price tag: a proposed $99 million settlement that’s now headed for preliminary court approval. The class action says Deere used its proprietary diagnostic software like a velvet rope, letting authorized dealers in while keeping independent repair shops — and frustrated farmers — stuck outside.
Why investors should care
This isn’t just about mechanics with greasy hands and broken tractors. The complaint says Deere’s setup raised repair costs and made it harder for farmers to get equipment fixed during planting and harvesting, when every hour counts. In other words, if your machine is down in the middle of the season, “please hold” is not exactly a business model.
The bigger legal headache
And the settlement doesn’t close the book. The FTC plus the attorneys general of Illinois and Minnesota already filed their own case in January 2025, accusing Deere of unfair competition under the FTC Act and Sherman Act. So even if this settlement gets the green light, Deere still has a government-sized problem sitting on the docket.
Big picture: Deere may be best known for tractors, but right now it’s also becoming a case study in how repair access can turn into a very expensive legal and PR mess.