Americans are at $ 1.7 trillion on vehicle debt – Jalopnik

Good morning! It is Thursday, September 18, 2025, and this is the morning shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from all over the world, in one place. Here you will find the most important stories that make Americans drive and make ends meet.

In the edition of this morning, Americans drown in an absurd amount of vehicle debt, says goodbye to the Ariya in the US, Polestar says that 7 actually comes for 6 and Toyota reminds more than half a million cars for a problem with the Gauge Cluster.

Cars are almost more expensive to buy than they have ever been, and to be honest, so is just about everything else. Yet people does not prevent them from making the nearly $ 50,000 pony on average that is needed to buy a new car, and that ensures that many people go into hell of many debts. This is not really something new.

Americans have always borrowed money to buy cars, but there are some worrying trends to look at, and the total total of car-related debts is in itself stunning: $ 1.66 trillion, according to a new report from the Consumer Federation of America. By Road & Track:

According to the report, the average car payment in the States is now around $ 745, with average loan amounts of a total of more than $ 41,000; Almost 20 percent of the buyers have made payments of more than $ 1000 per month. The loan conditions also crawl back to the rates that are comparable to those before the large recession, with one in five buyers that stretched out at a period of seven years. We have even seen the return of the eight-year loan, which has almost disappeared after the Sub-Prime Credit Crisis.

Speaking of the big recession, car buyers are also in default of their payments in ways we have not seen since 2008. Delinquences on payments are almost the same as pre-crisis figures and have dramatically surpassed the rates during Covid. An analysis of the Consumer Credit Panel of the New York Fed showed that in 2024, buyers had twice as much chance of paying out on payments in 2024 with an above-average credit score (620-679). This applies in particular to buyers aged 18-29, who, according to the report, fall more in serious delinquency (90 days late or longer) than older generations. The recovery also rose by 43 percent from 2022 to 2024, which represents the highest rates since 2009.

Also don’t think that this is just a problem for crazy new car buyers. The car prices used rose in June by 6.3% on an annual basis-the continuation of a trend that started during the pandemic. Adding the debt problem is the fact that one in four trade -in vehicles has negative equity, according to R&T. That is, uh, not great.

I’m not sure if there is an easy way out, but it all feels like bubbles For me. Hold your ass, friends. It’s going to be bumpy.

As soon as the Nissan Ariya came to our coast, it left. The Japanese automaker has decided to dilute its American electric line -up thanks to the import rates of President Trump, his murder of the federal EV tax credit of $ 7,500 at the end of September and the overall delay of the EV sales.

According to a memo for dealers, Nissan will pause American market production of the compact electric crossover for the 2026 model year. Who knows what will come next? Probably nothing, but you never know, I think. By Automotive news:

“This decision enables the company to allocate resources and to optimize its EV portfolio while the Automotive landscape continues to evolve,” Nissan said in the memo.

The 15 percent import rate of the Trump administration has damaged the profitability of the Japanese EV in the US, a person with knowledge of the decision told Automotive News.

[…]

A Nissan spokesperson said that no decision was made about whether the Ariya would return as a 2027 model.

The Ariya was invoiced as Nissan’s shot on repayment after the EV pioneer lost his early lead in the segment of Tesla and others.

However, the crossover has difficulty distinguishing itself from the competition and has required price discounts and stimulation support since the deliveries started in 2022.

However, I do not want one of my Nissan Leafheads (trademark in anticipation) to worry about one freaking second. That little croup crossover -ding is not going anywhere. Of course, production is already reduced due to a problem with a battery supplier, but look at it! It is so cute and cheap.

Before someone is crazy, Polestar is still dedicated to blossom his 6 roadster in the future – it just wants to concentrate on the many practical 7 compact crossover first. I know. Figures are difficult. That’s why I am a writer.

CEO Michael Lohscheller says that in the future the Swedish-Chinese company will build the 6 (but not when), adding that the architecture will share with the Poetar 5 Sedan. The 7, which will be built in Slovakia, is for sale in the US from 2028. Automotive news:

The Polestar 6 dates from a debut from 2022 when it was first shown as the O2 concept. Polestar confirmed the production, later that year in China, and said that the Polestar 6 would arrive in 2026.

However, import tariffs and the end of federal stimuli have made the American future and attitude of the brand uncertain. The Polestar 5 will also be built in China.

Lohscheller told Automotive News Europe in July that the decision to press back the Polestar 6 in favor of the Polestar 7 was simple.

“I want to go faster to the compact SUV segment, where there is a lot of volume and a lot of money,” said Lohscheller. “I love the Polestar 6, but I had to repeat it in terms of timing.”

I really think it’s time for car manufacturers to drop the entire numbered rollout. It just doesn’t work. It is not creative and it makes things confusing when things like this happens.

Even Toyota and Lexus, bastions of reliability, are not insensitive to recall actions. The double car manufacturers remember around 591,000 of their vehicles equipped with 12.3-inch digital meter clusters that have an annoying habit to be empty. That is not exactly ideal if you want to know what’s going on with your car. By Engine -boning:

The specific problem is that the screen is empty when starting vehicles. According to Toyota’s release, the vehicle’s management can lead to not a possibly important malfunction information without seeing the screen and this can lead to or otherwise cause a crash. It is unclear whether the screens are emptied while the vehicle is moving.

Models are mentioned the Toyota Venza, Crown Signia, RAV4, GR Corolla, 4runner, Camry, Grand Highlander, Tacoma and Highlander. Lexus models include the LS, RX and TX series vehicles. No specific model year or trim level is mentioned in the release that was sent from Toyota, but the 12.3-inch digital dashboard was offered on most of the vehicles mentioned in 2023.

The problem with the Digital Dash -Blanco does not seem to be a fully extended problem in the field via a short search on the web on Toyota’s Safety Recall Bulletin number (25 TB08), but we do see that it happens at approximately 2023 and 2024 models. Switching the vehicle in and out again does not seem to resolve the problem temporarily.

To solve the problem, the programming of the screen must be updated or it must be completely replaced by a Toyota Tech. The service may not take more than a few hours, and the automaker says that all affected owners will be informed by November.

History.com

It is high time that the US built a parking structure that is larger than this one. It is a good thing that we have the largest parking space in the world. If you want to learn more about this losing Canadian shopping center and its huge parking lot, go to History.com.

When it comes to the pipes, John Popper could be the best to ever do it. Few guys have even been able to edges like him.