TOKYO, Nov 21 — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Monday ordered Toyota Motor Credit Corporation to pay US$60 million (RM279.15 million) in consumer redress and penalties for operating an illegal scheme to prevent borrowers from cancelling product bundles that increased their monthly car loan payments, reported German news agency (dpa).
According to the regulator, the company withheld refunds or refunded incorrect amounts on the bundled products and knowingly tarnished consumers’ credit reports with false information.
The CFPB is ordering Toyota Motor Credit to stop its unlawful practices, pay US$48 million to harmed consumers, and pay a US$12 million penalty into the CFPB’s victims relief fund.
“Toyota’s lending arm illegally withheld refunds, made borrowers run through obstacle courses to cancel unwanted services, and tarnished their credit reports,” said CFPB director Rohit Chopra.
“Given the growing burdens of auto loan payments on Americans, we will continue to pursue large auto lenders that cheat their customers.”
Toyota Motor Credit Corporation is the United States-based auto-financing arm of the Toyota Motor Corporation, and is headquartered in Plano, Texas. It is one of the largest indirect auto lenders in the United States, with nearly five million customer accounts and more than US$135 billion in assets as of October 2022.
— Bwenama
