Several recent auto dealership settlements and consumer refund programs are now paying money back to car buyers who were overcharged, misled about financing, or billed for add-ons they never agreed to. The two largest active programs come from federal and state actions against Lindsay Automotive Group in Virginia and Maryland and against Leader Automotive Group in Illinois. If you bought from one of those chains during the covered period, a claims administrator should contact you; you do not need to file a lawsuit of your own to be paid.
Lindsay Automotive Refunds in Virginia and Maryland
On April 2, 2026, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia signed a stipulated order resolving a joint complaint by the Federal Trade Commission and Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown against Lindsay Automotive Group. The order identifies more than $75 million in consumer charges potentially eligible for refunds and adds a $3.1 million civil penalty paid to the Maryland Attorney General’s office.1FTC. FTC Maryland Attorney General Secure Full Refunds Additional Penalties Against Lindsay Auto Group2Maryland OAG. Attorney General Brown Announces Settlement With Lindsay Dealerships and Its Owners and Officers
Who Qualifies
The covered period runs from April 2020 through December 2025, and the covered dealerships are Lindsay Chevrolet of Woodbridge, Lindsay Ford of Wheaton, and Lindsay Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram.1FTC. FTC Maryland Attorney General Secure Full Refunds Additional Penalties Against Lindsay Auto Group You may be eligible for a refund if you fall into any of the following groups:
- You paid more than the advertised price at Lindsay Ford.
- You are a Maryland resident and paid more than the advertised price at Lindsay Chevrolet or Lindsay Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram.
- You were charged at Lindsay Ford for add-on products you did not agree to purchase.
The government’s complaint said 88 percent of Lindsay buyers between 2020 and 2023 paid more than the advertised price, averaging over $2,000 extra per vehicle, and 68 percent of surveyed consumers were billed for at least one add-on they did not consent to or were falsely told was required.3FTC. FTC Maryland Attorney General Act To Stop Lindsay Auto Falsely Touting Low Prices Overcharging Common add-ons included guaranteed asset protection (GAP), tire and rim protection, and extended service contracts. Buyers were also told, in many cases, that they had to finance through the dealership to get the listed price, even if they already had a pre-approved loan from a credit union or other lender.
How the Refund Process Works
A third-party claims administrator will contact consumers who appear eligible. The Maryland Attorney General’s office said it will send notices to potentially eligible buyers, who must then answer a short set of questions and return the forms to claim their refund. If you believe you qualify but have not received a notice, or if you have moved since your purchase and are concerned the notice will not reach you, you can call the Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 410-528-8662.2Maryland OAG. Attorney General Brown Announces Settlement With Lindsay Dealerships and Its Owners and Officers
Going forward, the consent order permanently bars Lindsay from misrepresenting vehicle prices, availability, or financing requirements, and the dealerships must obtain express, informed consent before adding any fees or products to a purchase.1FTC. FTC Maryland Attorney General Secure Full Refunds Additional Penalties Against Lindsay Auto Group
Leader Automotive Refunds in Illinois
On December 19, 2024, the FTC and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a proposed $20 million settlement with Leader Automotive Group and its parent company, AutoCanada. Of that total, $200,000 goes to the State of Illinois and the remainder is designated for consumer refunds administered by the FTC.4Illinois Attorney General. Attorney General Raoul and FTC Announce Proposed $20 Million Settlement With Leader Automotive Group5FTC. FTC Illinois Take Action Against Leader Automotive Group Overcharging Deceiving Consumers
The settlement covers buyers at Leader’s ten Illinois dealerships. According to the government’s complaint, nearly 80 percent of customers were charged for add-ons such as GAP coverage, service contracts, exterior coatings sold under the “Xzilon” brand, and “LoJack” GPS devices without authorization or after being told the items were required.6FTC. Leader Automotive Group et al You may also be eligible if you bought a vehicle advertised as “certified pre-owned” and paid a certification fee of up to $2,995 for work the dealership did not actually perform, or if you bought a Canadian-market vehicle whose warranty was voided by U.S. importation without that fact being disclosed.4Illinois Attorney General. Attorney General Raoul and FTC Announce Proposed $20 Million Settlement With Leader Automotive Group
Because the FTC is administering the consumer fund, eligible buyers should expect contact from the agency or its appointed administrator rather than from the dealership. The settlement does not resolve claims against James Douvas, Leader’s former U.S. vice president of operations, in his individual capacity; the FTC filed a separate $216 million suit against him, which a federal judge in Chicago allowed to proceed and which remained active as of mid-2025.7Automotive News. Dealer VP Deceptive Charges
The Auto Parts Antitrust Class Action Is Closed
If you have heard about the auto parts price-fixing class action and wondered whether you can still file, the answer is no. In re Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation (Case No. 12-md-02311, E.D. Mich.) covered buyers and lessees of new vehicles and qualifying replacement parts between 2002 and 2018 in 30 specified states and the District of Columbia, and produced $1.2 billion in settlements across five rounds.8Repairer Driven News. 3 Tier 1 Suppliers Agree To Pay $3.15M in Latest Round of Auto Parts Class Action Settlements The claim deadline passed on January 7, 2023, distribution payments to authorized claimants went out in September 2025, and the administrator, Epiq, is no longer accepting claims.9Auto Parts Class. Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation
Asbury Automotive: No Refund Program Yet
An FTC administrative case against Asbury Automotive Group — focused on three Texas-based David McDavid dealerships and alleging that Black consumers were charged an average of $298 more and Latino consumers an average of $214 more than non-Latino White consumers for the same add-ons — is unresolved.10FTC. FTC Takes Action Against Auto Dealer Group Asbury Automotive Discriminating Against Black Latino An FTC attorney moved in June 2025 to drop the discrimination allegation after a presidential executive order directed federal agencies away from disparate-impact theories, and the administrative hearing had been pushed to at least March 2026.11Automotive News. Trump FTC Asbury Disparate Impact No consumer refund program exists in this case at this time.
What to Do If You Think You Were Overcharged
If you bought from Lindsay or Leader during the covered periods, the most important step is to make sure the administrator can find you. Keep your purchase paperwork, note the dealership name and purchase date, and confirm your current mailing address with the Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division (410-528-8662) for Lindsay matters, or watch for FTC correspondence for Leader matters.
If you bought from a different dealership and recognize the pattern — an advertised price you could not actually get, a demand that you finance through the dealer, or charges for GAP, service contracts, tire and rim coverage, or similar products that you did not knowingly agree to — the FTC has signaled that more enforcement is coming. On March 13, 2026, the agency sent warning letters to 97 dealership groups nationwide about advertised prices that leave out mandatory fees, phantom rebates most buyers do not qualify for, financing conditions tied to the headline price, mandatory add-ons, and advertising of vehicles that are not actually available.12FTC. FTC Warns 97 Auto Dealership Groups About Deceptive Pricing13Hanzo. The FTC Just Named 97 Dealerships for Illegal Advertising14ABA Banking Journal. Fifth Circuit Vacates FTC’s CARS Rule15California Lawyers Association. California Combating Auto Retail Scams CARS Act Signed Into Law
Preserve your sales contract, financing documents, and any screenshots of the advertised price. Those records are what a claims administrator or investigator will ask for, and they are what makes the difference between a notice you can act on and one you cannot.