March 19th, 2026

Why the FTC’s Warning to 97 Dealership Groups Matter for the Entire Industry

Automotive News quotes Jeffrey A. Greenbaum in an article about the Federal Trade Commission’s announcement on March 13th to 97 dealerships warning them about six “illegal” advertising practices. Under this warning, dealerships must advertise the actual price a consumer will pay, with the exception of required government charges such as taxes.

Greenbaum explains that this is significant because “they’re saying that they’re going to take the position that if you give a price that doesn’t include absolutely everything… other than essentially government‑required charges, you’re engaging in a deceptive or unfair practice.” He goes on to note that this could be “highly problematic for auto dealers,” and that the FTC has long been focused on deceptive pricing and “junk fees" for a while. We can see this in the deceptive fee rule that took effect last year, which required event ticketing and lodging businesses to list the total price more prominently. With this new announcement the FTC is sending a strong warning to dealers not to assume they are exempt from its transparent pricing requirements.