Right to Repair and UTVs: Why Side-by-Side Owners Should Care About Diagnostic Access

A modern side-by-side can cost as much as a new car. It can come equipped with throttle-by-wire, smart suspension, ride modes, digital displays, GPS, cameras, electronic power steering, advanced differentials, and software-controlled systems that would have sounded impossible in the UTV world not that long ago.

But as UTVs get smarter, a new question becomes harder to ignore:

When something goes wrong, do owners have the right tools and information to diagnose and repair the machine they paid for?

That question is already at the center of a much larger right-to-repair fight. While the loudest battles have been in agriculture, automotive, electronics, and motorcycles, side-by-side owners should be paying attention. The same issues that farmers, independent mechanics, and vehicle owners are raising today could eventually matter a lot more in the powersports world.

The Deere Case Put Right to Repair Back in the Spotlight

The latest major right-to-repair headline came from Deere & Company. In April 2026, Deere agreed to a proposed $99 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit involving U.S. farmers and agricultural equipment repairs. As part of the proposed settlement, Deere also agreed to make certain digital tools available for 10 years for the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair of large agricultural equipment, including tractors, combines, and sugarcane harvesters. Deere denied wrongdoing, and the deal still required court approval.

That case matters beyond the farm field because the issue was not simply about wrenches, oil changes, or replacing worn-out parts. The argument centered on software access, diagnostic tools, and whether equipment owners and independent repair providers were being pushed toward authorized dealers for repairs they might otherwise be able to perform. The Federal Trade Commission also filed a separate lawsuit against Deere in 2025, alleging that Deere restricted farmers and independent repair providers from repairing Deere equipment by limiting access to necessary repair software and steering owners toward authorized dealers.

For UTV owners, that should sound familiar.

Maybe your machine throws a fault code. Maybe the dash lights up with a warning. Maybe a sensor, throttle body, ride-mode system, suspension module, or electronic power steering system starts acting up. At that point, the most important tool may not be a socket set. It may be software.

Side-by-Sides Are Becoming Rolling Computers

Today’s side-by-sides are no longer simple machines with basic mechanical systems. They are increasingly controlled by electronics, sensors, and software.

Polaris, for example, describes its DYNAMIX semi-active suspension system as monitoring steering angle, lateral acceleration, vehicle yaw rate, pedal position, and acceleration or deceleration, then adjusting shocks to improve comfort and control. Can-Am’s Maverick R lineup offers high-end technology like Smart-Shox availability, Smart-Lok front differential systems, 10.25-inch touchscreen displays, cameras, and connected display features on certain packages. Honda’s 2026 Pioneer 1000 Deluxe uses throttle-by-wire technology that enables drive modes, smoother throttle response, variable speed control, cruise control, and a speed-limiter key. Yamaha’s Wolverine RMAX lineup uses Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle with selectable D-Mode settings to change power delivery for Sport, Trail, and Crawl situations.

For riders, all of that technology can be a huge win. These systems can make a machine smoother, faster, safer, more comfortable, and more capable.

But there is a tradeoff.

The more a machine depends on software, sensors, control modules, and electronic systems, the more important diagnostic access becomes. A rider can still change the oil, replace the brake pads, inspect the belts, and grease the fittings in the garage. But when the problem is buried inside a fault code, an electronic throttle system, a smart suspension module, or a proprietary diagnostic platform, the repair conversation changes.

That is where right to repair becomes a UTV issue.

Powersports Has Already Been Part of This Debate

Right to repair is not just a tractor issue. It has already touched powersports.

In 2022, the FTC took action against Harley-Davidson and Westinghouse over warranty language that allegedly gave customers the impression that their warranties could be voided if they used independent repair providers or third-party parts. The FTC said the companies had to remove illegal warranty terms, recognize the right to repair, and ensure dealers compete fairly with independent repair providers.

That does not mean every aftermarket part or every independent repair must be covered under warranty. It means manufacturers cannot use misleading warranty language to scare owners away from legal repair choices.

For UTV owners, that distinction matters. Riders should be able to choose qualified repair shops, maintain their own machines, document repairs, use legal aftermarket parts, and understand what their machine is telling them without being locked out of basic diagnostic information.

Dealer Tools, Independent Shops, and the Diagnostic Gap

One of the biggest questions for side-by-side owners is simple:

Who gets access to the good diagnostic tools?

Polaris Digital Wrench is one example often discussed in the powersports world. Diagnostic Systems Associates’ store page for Polaris-related products states that Polaris Digital Wrench software is available only through the Polaris dealer network and cannot be ordered from that website.

That does not mean owners and independent shops have no diagnostic options. Aftermarket diagnostic products exist for powersports, including tools marketed for motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, and side-by-sides. TOPDON, for example, markets its ArtiDiag Moto as a diagnostic tool for motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, and side-by-sides, with support for several major brands.

But the larger issue is not whether some tools exist. The issue is whether owners and independent repair providers have reasonable access to the information, codes, procedures, calibrations, and software functions required to properly diagnose and repair modern machines.

Cars have had OBD-II standardization for decades. Powersports and off-road vehicles are a different world. Access can vary by brand, model, tool, connector, subscription, dealer policy, and software capability. For the everyday rider, that can mean confusion, extra cost, more downtime, or a long haul to the dealer for something that might have started as a simple code.

What UTV Owners Should Actually Want

A reasonable right-to-repair position does not mean every owner should be handed unrestricted access to every piece of factory engineering software.

But UTV owners should be able to request practical access to the tools and parts needed to maintain and repair the machines they bought.

That includes:

Diagnostic trouble codes tell owners which system is reporting a problem.

Clear repair information for common failures, service procedures, and maintenance tasks.

Reasonable access for independent shops, so riders are not forced into a single repair channel.

Calibration and reset procedures for parts replacement.

Service documentation that helps prevent guesswork and unnecessary parts replacement.

The ability to track symptoms, repairs, and recurring issues so owners can make better decisions before throwing money at a problem.

That last point is becoming increasingly important. A UTV owner who can document symptoms, photos, maintenance history, actual repairs, parts replaced, and machine hours is in a much better position when talking to a dealer, an independent shop, a warranty department, or a fellow rider.

This is also where digital tools like TrailIQ can fit into the bigger picture without replacing professional diagnostics. The goal is not to tell riders to avoid dealers or mechanics. The goal is to help owners better understand their machines, track problems, document fixes, and make smarter repair decisions.

Right to Repair Does Not Mean Right to Tamper

There is another side of this discussion that needs to be said clearly.

The right to repair should not be confused with emissions deletes, unsafe modifications, stolen software, or the bypassing of systems that exist for legal or safety reasons.

The EPA’s vehicle and engine tampering policy states that tampering and aftermarket defeat-device prohibitions also apply to nonroad vehicles and nonroad engines. EPA enforcement materials also state that regulations prohibit tampering with and defeating devices for nonroad vehicles, engines, and equipment.

That matters in the off-road world because “right to repair” can sometimes get lumped together with illegal tuning or emissions deletes. They are not the same issue.

Owners can support repair access while still recognizing that emissions tampering, defeat devices, unsafe bypasses, and illegal software modifications are a separate legal and ethical issue.

A fair position is this:

UTV owners should have reasonable access to diagnostic information and repair tools needed to maintain the machines they paid for. That does not mean unrestricted permission to defeat emissions systems, disable safety features, or misuse OEM software.

The Law Is Moving, But UTVs Are Still in a Gray Area

The broader right-to-repair movement is gaining momentum. Colorado passed a law requiring agricultural equipment manufacturers to provide owners and independent repair providers with access to parts, embedded software, firmware, tools, and documentation needed to diagnose, maintain, or repair agricultural equipment.

The U.S. Copyright Office has also addressed exemptions for computer programs that control motorized land vehicles, marine vessels, and agricultural vehicles, for diagnosis, repair, lawful modification, and access to operational data, including diagnostic and telematics data.

But none of this means every UTV owner currently has a simple nationwide right to the same dealer-level diagnostic systems used by every OEM dealer.

That is why side-by-side owners should pay attention now. The debate is moving toward any machine where software controls access to repair, and modern UTVs clearly fit into that future.

Why This Matters to the Everyday Rider

For most SXS Nation readers, this is not about lawsuits or politics. It is about real-world ownership.

It is about the rider who buys a $30,000 machine and wants to understand what a warning light means.

It is about the small-town independent powersports shop trying to help a customer without waiting for dealer-only access.

It is about the family that trailers three hours for a riding weekend and loses the trip because of a code nobody can read.

It is about the farmer, hunter, racer, trail rider, or landowner who depends on a side-by-side and needs it fixed without unnecessary delays.

It is about whether ownership still means control.

As side-by-sides become more advanced, diagnostic access will become more important, not less. The machines are getting smarter. The repair process is getting more digital. And the line between mechanical repair and software access is getting harder to separate.

The Bottom Line

The right to repair is coming for more than just tractors, phones, and cars. It is coming for every industry where software controls the machine, and powersports should not ignore that.

UTV owners do not need unrestricted access to everything an OEM owns. But they do deserve a fair shot at maintaining, diagnosing, and repairing the machines they paid for.

The future of side-by-side ownership should not be a choice between expensive dealer-only access and blind guesswork in the garage.

It should be a future where owners, dealers, independent shops, and manufacturers all have a fair role to play — and where the rider is not locked out of understanding their own machine.

Because when you spend car money on a side-by-side, one question becomes hard to avoid:

Do you really own your machine if you cannot fully diagnose it?