RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – The California/Nevada/Arizona Automotive Wholesalers Association (CAWA) is today celebrating what it called "a victory for consumers and the automotive aftermarket alike" as a bill in California aimed at attempting to block access to important information for replacement vehicle keys in certain automobiles has been defeated. Failing to pass the California Assembly Floor yesterday by a vote of 29 to 25 with 41 votes needed to pass, SB 750, which is sponsored by BMW, sought to exempt automakers from providing electronic key code information to locksmiths, requiring motorists to contact the automaker to get a replacement key for their vehicle.
Under the leadership of CAWA, industry advocates and AAA say they successfully communicated concerns about motorists being inconvenienced and often stranded in dangerous situations because they were not able to obtain a replacement key from a locksmith due to automaker’s refusal to provide this information. This helped convince legislators to vote against SB 750. In addition, CAWA argued that this bill is anti-consumer and anti-competitive, which the association believes resonated with many legislators.
“The key is much more than the instrument that enables one to start their vehicle,” stated Steve Sharp of WORLDPAC and CAWA chairman. “The key is coded with security information that is tied into the vehicle’s computer system and will disable a number of auto components including, in some cases, the transmission, making the vehicle immobile as well as preventing a vehicle from being started after certain major repairs.”
CAWA successfully argued that the aftermarket industry has developed a system for key coding and vehicle programming that the majority of vehicle manufacturers follow to ensure both the security of the vehicle as well as access to the independent repair industry. SB 750 would have interfered with the ability to have a vehicle serviced outside of the manufacturer’s network, and this in turn would create a potential hardship for the consumer as well as create anti-competitive forces for the independent automotive repair industry.
“SB 750 is eligible and may be brought up again by the Assembly, so CAWA will continue to remain vigilant in our lobbying and grassroots efforts to defeat this anti-consumer, anti-competitive measure,” added Rodney Pierini, CAWA president and CEO.
