Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly
Tennessee HB475: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, relative to motor vehicles.
Status: Chaptered, May 18, 2026
Fiscal Summary NOT SIGNIFICANT Bill Summary ON MARCH 2, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 608, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, prohibit the motor vehicle commission ("commission") from denying an application for a license, or revoking or suspending the license, of a manufacturer, distributor, distributor branch or factory branch or officer, agent or other representative because such person has failed to deliver motor vehicles within 60 days of a dealer's order due to an act of God, a work stoppage or delay due to a strike or other labor action, a lack of available manufacturing capacity, a freight embargo, or other cause or material issue over which the person has no control. Present law authorizes the commission to deny an application for a license, or revoke or suspend the license, of a manufacturer, distributor, distributor branch or factory branch or officer, agent or other representative because such person refused to deliver to a motor vehicle dealer having a franchise or contractual arrangement for the retail sale of new and unused motor vehicles sold or distributed by the person, a motor vehicle publicly advertised for immediate delivery within 60 days after the dealer's order was received. Present law provides the grounds for which the commission may deny an application for a license, or revoke or suspend the license, of a manufacturer, distributor, distributor branch, factory branch or officer, agent or other representative. This amendment adds to those grounds by authorizing the commission to deny an application for a license, or revoke or suspend the license, of a manufacturer, distributor, distributor branch, factory branch or officer, agent or other representative who has engaged in any of the following actions: Required, coerced, or attempted to coerce
What the bill says
An act of God, a work stoppage or delay due to a strike or other labor action, a lack of available manufacturing capacity, a freight embargo, or other cause or material issue over which the manufacturer, factory branch, factory representative, distributor, or wholesaler, distributor branch, or distributor representative has no control. As it relates to such exceptions, the manufacturer, distributor, distributor branch, or factory branch has the burden of proof; SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-17-114(c), is amended by adding the following new subdivisions: (26) Required, coerced.