Auto Loan Serious Delinquency Rate Was 5.49% in Q2 2026: Auto Loan Delinquency Statistics
In Q2 2026, 5.49% of U.S. auto loan and lease balances were 90 or more days past due, up from 4.99% a year earlier. Federal Reserve Bank of New York Household Debt and Credit Report data, updated quarterly.
What Is the Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in 2026?
The share of U.S. auto loan and lease balances seriously delinquent (90 or more days past due) was 5.49% in Q2 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Household Debt and Credit Report, up from 4.99% a year earlier. The figure is a share of outstanding balances, not of loans or borrowers.
Of 94 quarterly readings since 2003, it is the second highest. The share has been higher than a year earlier for 12 quarters in a row. The share fell from 5.6% in Q1 2026, but the series is not seasonally adjusted, so a one-quarter move is partly seasonal. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% in August 2026, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, but this aggregate auto-loan series does not identify why balances became delinquent.
Key Statistics at a Glance
The American Distress Index currently reads 47.0 (Typical). The composite itself sits higher than 44% of all published quarters since 2005. Auto loan delinquency is a direct input to the index's Delinquency domain. Unlike unsecured credit, an auto loan is secured by a vehicle, so delinquency can put transportation at risk. This aggregate balance measure does not show which households are behind, their payment order, or whether they first drew down savings or missed another bill.
How Does Auto Loan Delinquency Compare to 2008?
The published series starts in 2003 and covers the Great Recession and the pandemic years. Of 94 quarterly readings since 2003, it is the second highest. During the Great Recession era, the share peaked at 5.27% in Q4 2010. Because the measure is a percentage of balances, it does not show how many individual borrowers are behind.
Auto Loan Serious Delinquency Rate, 90+ Days (%)
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Household Debt and Credit Report / Equifax. Quarterly, 2003–present.
Full data: Auto Loan Delinquency indicator page
How Has Auto Loan Delinquency Changed Recently?
The shorter view starts in 2015. The pandemic-era low was 3.86% in Q2 2022. The New York Fed has said the 2020 drop in delinquency reflected forbearance, which kept many accounts showing as current on credit reports, so those readings are not a like-for-like measure of borrowers' finances.
The share has been higher than a year earlier for 12 quarters in a row. In Q4 2019, before the pandemic, it was 4.94%. The series measures delinquent balances. It does not, by itself, establish which policies, prices, interest rates, or household circumstances caused the change.
Auto Loan Delinquency Rate, 2015–Present (%)
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Household Debt and Credit Report / Equifax. Quarterly.
Why Does Auto Loan Delinquency Matter?
Auto loans are secured by the vehicle. Falling behind can put transportation at risk, which can affect a borrower's ability to commute, care for family members, and reach essential services. The series therefore captures a form of debt stress with consequences that unsecured credit does not carry.
What the Measure Can Tell Us
A higher reading means a larger share of outstanding auto loan balances is at least 90 days past due or severely derogatory. It is a stock, so it also holds older delinquent and charged-off balances that lenders keep reporting; the New York Fed's separate transition series tracks balances newly falling behind. It does not reveal a household's payment order, income, savings, or other debts.
How Do Auto Loans Compare to Other Debt Types?
The auto and credit-card readings come from different datasets and denominators. The New York Fed series is the percentage of auto loan balances on credit reports at least 90 days delinquent, including charged-off balances still being reported. The credit card series is the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System's seasonally adjusted delinquency rate (30 or more days past due) for credit card loans still on the books of commercial banks. Their levels are not a like-for-like comparison, so each row below compares a series only with itself a year earlier.
| Debt Type | Current Rate | Q4 2019 | Compared With a Year Earlier | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto loans (90+ days) | 5.49% | 4.94% | up from 4.99% in Q2 2025 | New York Fed / Equifax |
| Credit cards (commercial banks, 30+ days) | 2.9% | 2.6% | down from 3% in Q2 2025 | Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System data retrieved via FRED |
Auto loan data come from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Household Debt and Credit Report and measure balances at least 90 days delinquent; the series is not seasonally adjusted. Credit card data come from Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System series DRCCLACBS, retrieved via FRED, and cover seasonally adjusted delinquency at commercial banks. Both pre-pandemic columns show Q4 2019.
See also Consumer Debt Statistics for the full cross-asset picture including student loans and total household debt.
Recent Quarterly Auto Loan Delinquency Data
| Quarter | Delinquency Rate | Year-Over-Year Change (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | 3.91% | +0.02 |
| Q4 2023 | 4.17% | +0.44 |
| Q1 2024 | 4.41% | +0.52 |
| Q2 2024 | 4.43% | +0.61 |
| Q3 2024 | 4.59% | +0.68 |
| Q4 2024 | 4.83% | +0.66 |
| Q1 2025 | 4.99% | +0.58 |
| Q2 2025 | 4.99% | +0.56 |
| Q3 2025 | 5.02% | +0.43 |
| Q4 2025 | 5.21% | +0.38 |
| Q1 2026 | 5.60% | +0.61 |
| Q2 2026 | 5.49% | +0.50 |
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Household Debt and Credit Report, based on the New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax. "Serious delinquency" is defined as 90+ days past due or severely derogatory. The series is quarterly and not seasonally adjusted, so each row is compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current auto loan delinquency rate?
The auto loan serious delinquency rate (90+ days past due) was 5.49% of balances in Q2 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Household Debt and Credit Report, up from 4.99% a year earlier.
How does auto loan delinquency compare to the 2008 financial crisis?
The rate was 5.49% in Q2 2026. During the Great Recession era it peaked at 5.27% in Q4 2010. Of 94 quarterly readings since 2003, it is the second highest. All figures measure the share of outstanding balances at least 90 days delinquent. They do not measure the number of delinquent accounts or borrowers.
What can the auto-loan delinquency series say about causes?
The delinquency series records outcomes, not causes. It shows what share of balances is at least 90 days past due, but it cannot determine whether vehicle prices, interest rates, loan terms, income changes, or another factor caused any movement. Because it includes charged-off balances that lenders keep reporting, a higher reading on its own does not show that more people are newly falling behind.
What happens when you default on an auto loan?
Auto loans are secured by the vehicle. Depending on the contract and state law, a lender may repossess the vehicle after default, and a borrower may still owe the leftover balance after the vehicle is sold. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's repossession guidance explains these outcomes and advises borrowers to check state-specific rights.
Where does auto loan delinquency data come from?
The primary source is the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Household Debt and Credit Report, based on its Consumer Credit Panel with Equifax. The report is published quarterly. The auto series shown here is the percentage of outstanding auto loan and lease balances at least 90 days delinquent.
Data Sources and Methodology
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Household Debt and Credit Report
The quarterly report is based on the New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel with Equifax. It covers mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, student loans, and other consumer debt. This page uses the share of auto loan balances at least 90 days delinquent.
Federal Reserve Board Credit Card Delinquency (DRCCLACBS)
Seasonally adjusted delinquency rate on credit card loans for all commercial banks, reported quarterly by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and retrieved via FRED. Used here as context; it is a different measure from the New York Fed auto series.
Delinquency Rate Methodology
The NY Fed reports the percentage of outstanding auto loan and lease balances that are 90+ days delinquent or severely derogatory (not the percentage of borrowers). The New York Fed does not say the series is seasonally adjusted. Because it is a stock, it can reflect new delinquencies, slower cures, and older charged-off balances that lenders keep reporting.