Auto Sales & Finance

Auto Sales Abuses

Consumers trying to buy a car are vulnerable to a host of predatory sales practices including high-pressure sales tactics, overpriced and often worthless add-ons, and deception through the use of electronic contracting. Dealers may misrepresent a car’s mileage, condition, prior use, and features, or purport to sell a consumer a car at a certain price with certain financing, only to revoke the deal a few days later and demand different terms (yo-yo sales). NCLC works to bring transparency and fairness to auto sales.

More Perfect Union: We Uncovered the Secret Scheme Trapping Americans in Car Loans

February 26, 2026

A recent investigation into auto lenders found companies making billions even as they set customers up to fail.

Read More about: More Perfect Union: We Uncovered the Secret Scheme Trapping Americans in Car Loans
September 12, 2022
October 1, 2017

Recent

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Bankrate: How predatory but legal auto loans are systematically taking advantage of people with subprime credit

March 4, 2026

More Perfect Union: We Uncovered the Secret Scheme Trapping Americans in Car Loans

February 26, 2026

What States Can Do to Protect Consumers From Unsafe and Unreliable Cars

January 23, 2026

Compendium of State Lemon and Warranty Laws for Used Cars

January 15, 2026

Letter to DOJ and AAMVA Regarding the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS)

November 20, 2025

California Legislature Sends Bill to Make New and Used Cars More Affordable to Governor Newsom

September 11, 2025

2025 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

October 21, 2024

Digital Library: 12 Ways to Recover Even When Lemon Used Cars Are Sold “As Is”

September 16, 2024

High Level Principles Regarding Connected Cars

May 23, 2024

Comments & Letters

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Letter to DOJ and AAMVA Regarding the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS)

November 20, 2025

High Level Principles Regarding Connected Cars

May 23, 2024

Consumer Group Comments Urging CFPB to Continue and Expand its Auto Data Collection Project

March 25, 2024

Ban Forced Arbitration in Autonomous Vehicle Contracts

July 24, 2023

Petition for Rulemaking Concerning the Finality of a Car Purchase (Yo-Yo Financing)

May 17, 2023

Comments to Treasury on Credits for Clean Vehicles

November 4, 2022

Comments to the FTC Addressing Auto Sale Add-ons, Price and Financing Disclosures, Yo-Yo sales, and More

September 12, 2022

Group Letter to the FTC Addressing Auto Sale Add-ons, Price and Financing Disclosures, Yo-yo sales, and More

September 12, 2022

Group Letter to the Colorado Motor Vehicle Dealer Board

January 23, 2019

Reports

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Time to Stop Racing Cars: The Role of Race and Ethnicity in Buying and Using a Car

April 15, 2019

Auto Add-Ons Add Up: How Dealer Discretion Drives Excessive, Arbitrary, and Discriminatory Pricing

October 1, 2017

Imperfect Competition in Auto Lending: Subjective Markup, RacialDisparity, and Class Action Litigation

December 1, 2006

Driving Out of Poverty in Private Automobiles

January 30, 2002

Issue Briefs

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What States Can Do to Protect Consumers From Unsafe and Unreliable Cars

January 23, 2026

Compendium of State Lemon and Warranty Laws for Used Cars

January 15, 2026

2025 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

October 21, 2024

Testimony

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Testimony During “Examining Discrimination in the Automobile Loan and Insurance Industries”

May 1, 2019

Press Releases & News

View All for Press Releases & News
Bankrate: How predatory but legal auto loans are systematically taking advantage of people with subprime credit

March 4, 2026

More Perfect Union: We Uncovered the Secret Scheme Trapping Americans in Car Loans

February 26, 2026

California Legislature Sends Bill to Make New and Used Cars More Affordable to Governor Newsom

September 11, 2025

Digital Library: 12 Ways to Recover Even When Lemon Used Cars Are Sold “As Is”

September 16, 2024

Broad Coalition of 104 Organizations Tell Congress to Support FTC CARS Rule

April 10, 2024

Consumer Advocates Applaud FTC for Moving Forward with CARS Rule

December 12, 2023

Consumer Advocates Applaud Members of Congress for Supporting FTC Auto Dealer Rule

June 22, 2023

NBC News: “The cost of owning a car keeps rising, but a price drop could be on the horizon”

April 8, 2023

Op-ed in Colorado Politics: A chance to fix Colorado’s broken consumer protection laws

March 14, 2023

Find a Car Program

Across the country more than 100 nonprofit organizations work to ensure that low wage working families are able to get a car in order to find and keep a job. Do you need a car or want to donate one? Find a program in your state.

Learn More

From the NCLC Digital Library

Automobile Fraud

NCLC’s treatise on odometer tampering, lemon laundering, and concealment of salvage or other adverse history. Winning investigation and litigation techniques for obtaining punitive damages, rescission, treble damages, or $10,000 statutory damages, and attorney fees.

Read Chapter One