STATEMENT   January 15, 2025

Deere & Company Responds to Complaint from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission

Contact:
Jen Hartmann
Global Director of Strategic PR and Enterprise Social Media
PublicRelations@JohnDeere.com

MOLINE, Illinois (January 15, 2025) – John Deere today provided the following response to a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that John Deere withheld self-repair capabilities from farmers and independent repair providers in violation of competition laws. 

This lawsuit, filed on the eve of a change in Administration, ignores the Company’s long-standing commitment to customer self-repair and the consistent progress and innovation we have made over time, including the launch of Equipment Mobile in 2023 and the previously announced launch of new capabilities for John Deere Operations Center later this year.  The complaint is based on flagrant misrepresentations of the facts and fatally flawed legal theories, and it punishes innovation and procompetitive product design.  John Deere will vigorously defend itself against this baseless lawsuit.

As FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson (soon to be the FTC’s Chairman) explained in his dissenting statement, the lawsuit “appears to be the result of brazen partisanship,” “lends to the suit the stench of partisan motivation,” and appears “taken in haste to beat President Trump into office.”  Commissioner Ferguson went on to state that “we simply do not have the evidence to file this Complaint with any real confidence of our ultimate chance of success.”  Commissioner Melissa Holyoak joined in Commissioner Ferguson’s dissenting statement, both of whom voted against the filing of the complaint. 

“It is extremely disappointing that three Commissioners of the FTC chose to file a meritless lawsuit on the eve of the transition to a new Administration,” said Denver Caldwell, Vice President of Aftermarket and Customer Support.  “Our recent discussions with the Commission have revealed that the agency still lacked basic information about the industry and John Deere’s business practices and confirmed that the agency was instead relying on inaccurate information and assumptions.” As Commissioner Ferguson recognized, “the Commission should not expend taxpayer resources on lawsuits on the basis of an evidentiary record as underdeveloped as this one.”  In fact, as recently as last week, John Deere was still receiving questions from the agency. 

Consistent with Deere’s announced plans for the launch of additional self-repair capabilities (as explained below), and at Commission Staff’s invitation to enter settlement discussions, the parties were engaged in active negotiations over a potential resolution to the investigation when the FTC filed the lawsuit.

As our equipment has become more technologically advanced, Deere has introduced a number of new innovations, tools, and resources to equip customers and independent repair technicians with the maintenance and repair needs of our equipment. 

Deere remains fully committed to ensuring that customers have the highest quality equipment, reliable customer service and that they, along with independent repair technicians, have access to tools and resources that can help diagnose, maintain and repair our customers’ machines. Deere’s commitment to these ideals will not waiver even as it fights against the FTC’s meritless claims.

Recent Announcement

Earlier this week, John Deere announced another significant step forward in supporting customers" ability to maintain and repair their machines across the agricultural and construction industries. The latest addition to Deere's suite of digital solutions will further empower customers and independent repair technicians by, among other things, enabling them to reprogram Deere-manufactured electronic controllers.

These new capabilities will be integrated into the John Deere Operations Center™ and will offer more comprehensive solutions for diagnosing and repairing equipment while ensuring machine reliability, safety, and compliance.

"John Deere has a long-standing commitment to enhancing our customers' ability to repair their equipment. Consistent with that commitment, we've continued to deliver new and enhanced solutions designed to improve that experience" said Denver Caldwell, Vice President of Aftermarket and Customer Support. "As our equipment has become more technologically advanced, so too have the repair tools needed to advance customer capabilities. We are committed to offering customers the best equipment ownership experience, both in the form of world-class dealer support and extensive self-repair resources. This offering advances our goal of minimizing customers' unplanned downtime and enables them to be more productive and profitable in their operations."

For years, John Deere has invested in enhanced solutions and is excited to take the next step as we continue to gather feedback from customers through the development process to complete our pilot. The customer and independent repair technician pilot will set the stage for launch in the U.S. and Canada by the second half of 2025.

Commitment to Repairability

For decades, John Deere has empowered customers to take control of their repair and maintenance needs, from publishing operator, diagnostic, and technical manuals, to selling parts over the counter to customers and independent repair shops to developing digital tools like Customer Service ADVISOR™. John Deere's latest expansion will offer a more user-friendly, centralized platform for self-repair. As a leader in agricultural and construction technology as well as customer support, John Deere is committed to further enhancing machine ownership for a new generation.

Expanding Existing Tools and Resources

In addition to the new solution, John Deere has an expansive suite of tools currently that support customers throughout their machine ownership journey, including:

  • John Deere Bookstore for viewing operators' manuals for free and purchasing technical manuals;
  • Quick Reference Guides and instructional videos for maintenance tips;
  • Deere.com for finding and purchasing parts online;
  • John Deere Operations Center™ for managing farm data, maintenance, and machine information;
  • Customer Service ADVISOR™ for digital manuals, and for clearing and refreshing codes, taking diagnostic readings, and performing limited calibrations; and
  • Equipment Mobile is a free app that serves as a one-stop-shop for machine information including operators and parts manuals, maintenance plans, quick reference information, trouble code lookup, and software updates on select 4G connected machines.

Innovating to Enhance Machine Ownership

John Deere is an industry leader in self-repair resources for customers and remains committed to future investments that enable customer and independent repair technicians to improve machine uptime. Recent enhancements demonstrate the ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, empowering equipment owners and improving machine ownership worldwide. John Deere will continue to innovate, making it easier for customers to work on their machines and their systems to keep them up and running when they need them the most.