Feds tell carmakers to ignore Massachusetts' 'Right to repair' law

BOSTON - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is telling automakers to ignore Massachusetts' new "Right To Repair" law.

The state law is meant to give independent mechanics access to diagnostic data in new cars. But the feds claim sharing that data would make it easier for criminals to steal data, or take control of cars remotely.

"A malicious actor here or abroad could utilize such open access to remotely command vehicles to operate dangerously, including attacking multiple vehicles concurrently," the NHTSA said. "Vehicle crashes, injuries, or deaths are foreseeable outcomes of such a situation."

The law was supposed to go into effect June 1.

Earlier this year, Attorney General Andrea Campbell defended the voter-approved measure from a lawsuit that tried to stop it from being implemented..

"The people of Massachusetts deserve the benefit of the law they approved more than two years ago," she said in a statement.