Permobil
Medical & mobility · Last assessed 6/9/2026
Score breakdown
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.
Sources
- Colorado HB22-1031 Consumer Right To Repair Powered Wheelchairs (signed law)
- CPR: Permobil 'only provides parts to authorized vendors' (HB22-1031 coverage)
- U.S. PIRG Education Fund — 'Stranded' (Permobil controller/warranty + wait-time
- CALPIRG: California grants powered wheelchair owners the Right to Repair
- STAT News: wheelchair repair delays under Numotion/NSM