Car dealerships caught in the Federal Trade Commission’s crosshairs no longer get the courtesy of anonymity. The agency, which recently sent warning letters to 97 dealerships over advertising tactics it considers illegal, has now published the full list of names. Some of the biggest retail groups in the country are on it, alongside small independent lots. If you have shopped for a car recently, there is a decent chance your local store made the list.
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How We Got Here
Just over a week ago, word got out that the FTC was cracking down on dealerships nationwide over dubious, borderline shady marketing and advertising tactics. At the time, the agency had disclosed that warning letters went out to 97 stores under review, but the names stayed private. That has changed. The FTC has now made the list public, putting every flagged dealership on notice in front of customers, competitors, and regulators alike.
Here’s the part that matters for the dealerships involved. These letters are not official citations. They are warnings, plain and simple. The FTC is essentially telling each store that it knows what is going on and that it is watching. But make no mistake, being publicly named by a federal consumer protection agency is its own kind of penalty, even without a formal charge attached.
What the FTC Says These Stores May Have Done
According to the list of practices laid out by Christopher Muffarige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, the flagged dealerships may have engaged in at least one of five advertising activities the agency considers illegal.
The first is advertising prices that exclude mandatory fees or add-ons, the classic bait number that grows once you sit down at the desk. The second is promoting discounts that are not actually available to most buyers. The third involves conditioning advertised pricing on dealer financing or requiring extra purchases that never appeared in the ad. The fourth is failing to disclose required down payments. And the fifth is advertising vehicles that are unavailable or simply do not exist at the dealership.
And that’s where it gets complicated for the stores involved. According to compliance attorneys, these rules cover everything a dealership puts out, from printed materials to social media posts, and even what salespeople say to customers on the floor. A verbal pitch can be used against a store just like a misleading banner ad.
Who Made the List
The roster, based on reporting by Automotive News, is not limited to obscure corner lots. It includes some of the largest dealer groups in America, including AutoNation, Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, Hendrick Automotive Group, Lithia Motors, Sonic Automotive, Group 1 Automotive, Ken Garff Automotive Group and Ken Ganley Automotive Group. Even exotic retail is represented, with Prestige Imports Lamborghini Miami appearing among the names.
The full list of 97 dealerships warned by the FTC:
Aaron Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram; Adzam Inc. dba Doug’s Lynnwood Mazda; AutoNation Inc.; Autopia Motorcars; Benson’s Ingram Park Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram; Berkshire Hathaway Automotive; Best Price Dealer; Bud Clary Auto Group; California Beemers Inc.; California Motors Direct; Capital Auto Mall Premier; Cardinale Automotive Group; Cardinal Buick-GMC; CarHub; Cincy Automall; City Kia of Greater Orlando; Clay Cooley Auto Group (Clay Cooley Enterprises); Encore Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram; Fayetteville Dodge-Ram; Findlay Automotive Group; Ford of Elizabethton; Frisco Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram; Gettel Automotive; Gilroy Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram; Greenway Auto Group; Group 1 Automotive Inc.; Hanna Imports; Hardin Buick Pontiac GMC; Hayes Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep of Gainesville; Headquarter Hyundai; Hendrick Automotive Group; Hiley Automotive Group; Holman; Honda of Downtown Chicago; Honda of Manhasset; Houston Direct Auto; Huntley Ford; Hyundai of El Cajon; Hyundai Stockton; Integrity Automotive (MCS Integrity Co. Inc.); Jack Phelan Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram; Jeff Wyler Automotive; Jim Keras Automotive; John Sisson Mercedes-Benz; John Sisson Motors; John Sisson Nissan; Ken Ganley Automotive Group; Ken Garff Automotive Group; Killeen Hyundai; King of Jamaica Auto Inc.; Lancaster Mitsubishi; Leader Automotive Group; Legend Auto Sales; Liberty Nissan; Lithia Motors Inc.; Lokey Automotive Group; Mac Haik Auto Group; McGrath Acura of Downtown Chicago; McGrath Acura of Libertyville; McGrath Arlington Kia; Miami Lakes Chevrolet; Midlands Volkswagen of Columbia; Morgan Auto Group LLC; Nissan of Cool Springs; Noller Auto Group (Laird Noller Automotive Inc.); NorthStar Kia; Old Orchard Nissan; Orr Auto Group; Ourisman Automotive Group; Page Honda of Bloomfield; Page Toyota; Prestige Imports Lamborghini Miami; Rairdon’s Honda of Burien; Red McCombs Motors Ltd.; Route 23 Nissan; Route 46 Auto Group; Safford Automotive Group; Sanford Imports; Serra Chevrolet-Buick-GMC of Nashville; Serra Honda; Serra Kia of Trussville; Serra Toyota; Serramonte Subaru; Seth Wadley Auto Group; Sonic Automotive; South Shore Nissan; Southern Team Automall; Stream Auto Outlet; Superior Ford Inc.; Supreme Motors LLC; Titanium Motors Inc.; Universal Nissan Orlando; Vancouver Toyota; Victory Mitsubishi; Visalia Hyundai; Wagner Kia of Shrewsbury; and Zeigler Automotive Group.
Why This Matters for Car Buyers
Every one of the five practices on the FTC’s list lands squarely on the customer’s wallet. A price that quietly excludes mandatory fees is not a price, it is a lure. A discount most buyers cannot actually get is not a deal, it is a trap. And a car that does not exist on the lot is the oldest trick in the book.
This is where the story turns into something bigger than 97 letters. By publishing names instead of keeping the warnings quiet, the FTC is signaling that the era of polite, behind-the-scenes enforcement may be ending. Dealerships now know that the next round of scrutiny could come with their name attached, and that everything from a Facebook post to a salesperson’s pitch is fair game.
The FTC has been escalating its efforts against dealership misconduct for some time. Previously, the agency targeted car dealership scams with a new rule, and later delayed implementation of the CARS Rule amid legal challenges.
For drivers, the takeaway is blunt. The advertised price is supposed to be the price, the discount is supposed to be real, and the car is supposed to exist. Ninety-seven dealerships just learned, very publicly, that the federal government intends to hold them to that standard. The rest of the industry should assume it is being watched too.
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