Car complaints, housing disputes top the list of consumer grievances, report finds

(InvestigateTV) — Auto-related issues topped the list of consumer complaints reported to state and local consumer protection agencies for the tenth consecutive year, according to a new report from the Consumer Federation of America.

The CFA report examined the top 10 consumer complaint categories submitted to state and local consumer protection agencies. The agencies surveyed handled more than 310,000 consumer complaints in 2024 and recovered more than $890 million in relief for consumers.

Katie McCann, administrative and advocacy associate at CFA, said the agencies featured in the report are committed to helping consumers recover money lost to unfair practices.

“The state and local consumer agencies who are resolving the complaints that we featured in this report — they are passionate about making sure that when consumers are treated unfairly or when their wallets are taken advantage of, consumers have someone to turn to and someone who is going to take up their case and work hard to get their money back,” McCann said.

Auto-related complaints — including new and used car sales, leases, auto repairs and other vehicle issues — ranked first.

“This is a huge issue because people need their cars to get to work, to pick up their kids from school, to get their groceries,” McCann said.

Housing ranked second, driven largely by landlord-tenant disputes. Professional services, including contractor and housing repair complaints, ranked third. Retail issues — including online marketplaces — ranked fourth, and financial services ranked fifth. Fraud and scams ranked sixth.

The remaining categories in the top 10 include utilities, healthcare, travel and transportation, and food and hospitality.

McCann said consumers who encounter similar problems should contact their state or local consumer protection agency and file a complaint.

“Your complaint might feature in a huge lawsuit down the road that might not only give you a refund but everyone who was wronged by that corporation,” McCann said. “Consumers do have power. They have power in the form of these state and local consumer protection agencies who are fighting on their behalf.”

McCann said the $890 million recovered by participating agencies reflects the impact consumer complaints can have.

“That’s not chump change — that’s an amazing amount of money that’s back in consumers’ wallets after these unfair and deceptive practices,” McCann said.