Advocacy

Right to Repair

We publicly champion your right to repair — independent of any manufacturer program.

Permobil

Medical & mobility · Last assessed 6/9/2026

F

Score breakdown

Parts Availability 25
Schematic Access 45
Repairability 30
OEM Pricing 35
Software Freedom 30

Why this grade

Permobil restricts parts to authorized vendors only, arguing its power wheelchairs are medical devices requiring trained dealers. PIRG's 'Stranded' report documents that Permobil will not sell controllers to clients (only to dealers) and will void the warranty if it finds a customer obtained a controller; programming/configuration software is dealer-restricted. In Colorado testimony on HB22-1031 (the first U.S. non-vehicular right-to-repair law, signed 2022) Permobil opposed owner/independent repair access. PIRG's survey found 62% of wheelchair users wait 4+ weeks and 40% wait 7+ weeks for repairs, with parts/service waits the top complaint (channel dominated by Numotion/NSM). Mild offsets: some Permobil service manuals are publicly available (e.g., F3 Corpus PDF), and Colorado (2022) and California (2023) now legally mandate parts/tools/manual access, so the legal floor is rising.

Methodology & version

Five dimensions — parts availability, schematic access, repairability, OEM pricing, and software freedom — are scored 0–100 and weighted equally; the letter grade is the average (A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60). This assessment is current as of 6/9/2026 and cites its sources below. It covers the Medical & mobility category and is not a claim about every device the maker ships.

Read the full grading method →

Sources