Only because John Deere designed their tractors to require poking around the ECU to replace a hydraulic sensor. They could build that failure mode into a million places if they wanted.<p>What if your next car from GM said &quot;Oh the oil light came on. You&#x27;ll need to go to the dealer for an oil change so they can have the engine control unit turn the oil light off.&quot;<p>Suddenly an easy fix turns into something protected by the DMCA, and we&#x27;re just supposed to be OK with it?<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.wired.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;02&#x2F;new-high-tech-farm-equipment-nightmare-farmers&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.wired.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;02&#x2F;new-high-tech-farm-equipment-ni...</a> for anyone who hasn&#x27;t seen the John Deere story:<p>&gt; The family farmer who owns this tractor is a friend of mine. He just wanted a better way to fix a minor hydraulic sensor. Every time the sensor blew, the onboard computer would shut the tractor down. It takes a technician at least two days to order the part, get out to the farm, and swap out the sensor. So for two days, Dave’s tractor lies fallow. And so do his fields.