Debt Stress

Auto Loan Serious Delinquency 90+ Days (NY Fed CCP)

Auto loan balances 90+ days past due, NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel

What is the current Auto Loan Serious Delinquency 90+ Days (NY Fed CCP)?

AUTO LOANS 90+ DAYS DELINQUENT
5.21% ↑ Worsening
of auto loan balances in serious default — within 0.1 points of the 5.3% GFC peak
One year ago
4.83% ↑ Worsening
up 0.4 points since Q4 2024

The auto loan serious delinquency rate (90+ days past due) reached 5.21% of balances in Q4 2024, according to the NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel. Auto loan delinquency is a key signal because car payments are typically prioritized over other debts — when borrowers fall behind on auto loans, it signals severe household financial stress. Source: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax.

Auto loan serious delinquency has climbed to 5.2%, within 0.1 percentage points of the 5.3% peak reached during the Great Recession.

The car payment is the one most households try hardest not to miss. You can lose electricity for a weekend and survive. You cannot lose the car and get to work on Monday.

Which is what makes the latest NY Fed data notable. The share of auto loan balances 90 days or more past due reached 5.2% in Q4 2025. The all-time high in the series is 5.3%, set in December 2010 at the bottom of the post-GFC labor market. We are 0.1 percentage points away.

The composition tells the harder story. Subprime borrowers, who make up roughly a fifth of the auto loan book, are driving nearly all the deterioration — their delinquency rate is running two to three times higher than prime. They are the same households showing strain in Credit Card Delinquency at 2.94% and in The 60-Day Line at 3.03%, where single missed payments hardened into patterns.

Meanwhile lenders are stepping back into the credit box — The Risk Reset shows subprime originations back at 2.58% of new volume, essentially matching their pre-tightening high. New subprime loans underwritten today at current rates into a weakening labor market is how the 5.3% record eventually gets broken.

Source: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel · Latest: 2025-Q4

Explore Further

Is this happening to you?

Is your car payment harder to manage than when you first signed the loan?

How has Auto Loan Serious Delinquency 90+ Days (NY Fed CCP) changed over time?

CSV Chart Card
Auto loan serious delinquency is within touching distance of the GFC peak
Share of auto loan balances 90+ days past due, NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel
Auto Loan Serious Delinquency 90+ Days (NY Fed CCP)
Historical data
Quarterly · NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel
Period Value YoY Change
Q4 2025 5.21% +0.4 pts
Q3 2025 5.02% +0.4 pts
Q2 2025 4.99% +0.6 pts
Q1 2025 4.99% +0.6 pts
Q4 2024 4.83% +0.7 pts
Q3 2024 4.59% +0.7 pts
Q2 2024 4.43% +0.6 pts
Q1 2024 4.41% +0.5 pts
Q4 2023 4.17% +0.4 pts
Q3 2023 3.91% +0.0 pts
Q2 2023 3.82% −0.0 pts
Q1 2023 3.89% −0.1 pts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the auto loan serious delinquency rate?

The auto loan serious delinquency rate measures the share of auto loan balances that are 90 or more days past due. At 5.21% in Q4 2024, it reflects borrowers who are at least 3 months behind on car payments.

Why are auto loan defaults important?

Auto loans are typically prioritized over other debts because losing a car means losing the ability to work. Rising auto delinquency signals severe household financial distress — borrowers have exhausted other options.

Where does this data come from?

This data comes from the NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel, based on Equifax credit bureau records, published quarterly.

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Why does Auto Loan Serious Delinquency 90+ Days (NY Fed CCP) matter?

Auto Loan Serious Delinquency 90+ Days (NY Fed CCP) is one of 91 indicators in the American Distress Index's debt stress layer — the signal that predicted the 2008 crisis two years before delinquency data confirmed it.
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