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Business Profile

Used Car Dealers

AutoTrader.com

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Used Car Dealers.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for AutoTrader.com's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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AutoTrader.com has 6 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 115 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 43 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

    Sort by

    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/15/2025

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      This company is nothing but a bait and switch, use false advertising, false claims to induce a sale from consumers. This site is not for the retail consumer it's best for auto dealers doing business with other auto dealers. Everyone know of the sleazy car salesman and this is the description except online. Before tendering payment, I was not told any of the above, they requested a lot of paperwork that I did not yet have, with a times limit telling my add would not be visible. There were over ***** cars listed, as if anyone can sell there. Then I got offers from Autotrader for a lowball, scum price with a time limit, then another offer even lower than the first to try and create a sense of urgency and make me believe my car will never get anything better. I wrote, called shortly after I completed the ad, no one responded. I tried to speak to a manager, they are not American so very rude and refused to assist and to remove the ad, but he stating "we didn't guarantee anything", as if I did not already know that. The point is they took my money for no reason. They could have just made the offer without taking my money which is what they should do. That money means a lot more to me than it does to them. I am demanding a refund. No consumer should be taken for any amount of money due to the bait and switch, dirty car salesman tactics.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/05/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I had this account for less than a week. $90 for one week and I cant seem to get the application to work ************ continues to tell me that I have messages that are unread, but I do not. I cannot reschedule a test drive.And of course they cant give me a refund with the exception of $23.All in all, it is a scam and I will be going through my credit union to dispute the charge Avoid this company at all costs it is not worth your time more effort, and definitely not your money.*****, this claim is only symbolic because of course as you can read they do not answer complaints on the BBB

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/01/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Autotraders website is crawling with scammers. People set up fake profiles in order to sell their vehicle history reports. They make phony appointments making the seller think theyre interested in buying their vehicle, then they tell them they want a report and provide a link. They make their account inactive and cut off communication. Access to chat history is cut off once the ad expires too, making it too difficult to recall who you already communicated with. They dont do enough to prevent fraud.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/01/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      [985003f4-b65e-42ea-89eb-6169835cb6ba]^5000.0195

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/18/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I listed for vehicle for private sale on autotrader.com for a fee of $79.00. The autotrader.com platform advertises that it verifies perspective buyers. In the first couple days of advertising, I only got inquiries from accounts who were trying to scam me. The scammers on the platform attempted to route me to external website to steal my credit card number by buying a fake vehicle report. The autotrader.com platform is fluttered with scammers and they do a poor job vetting out perspective buyers. I have requested a refund from autotrader.com as they have failed to deliver a honest selling platform. They refuse to give me a full refund despite me escalating my concerns to supervisors.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/15/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I purchased an ad with Autotrader to sell until it runs for $49. Now they switched their policy and are wanting $70 every 40 days! What a scam! This is a breach of contract.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/16/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      We decided to sell our vehicle and so to avoid having to filter through possible scam messages via free avenues like ******** marketplace, we paid $50 to list our car on AutoTrader due to it explaining how they protect buyers/sellers, do due diligence to protect those that go on the site, etc. However, from the first moment the ad went live, all I got was scam messages. What was the $50 for, then? What are you even doing to protect customers from that? If I wanted scam messages - would've just posted it for free. This wasted my time during work days, fielding and answering messages I thought were legitimate. I paid for a service that was useless and did not do what I was promised. I ended up just closing the ad today and calling in to let them know they have a ton of scammers they are allowing on their site - they declined giving me a refund stating they do not have a refund policy for whatsoever for anything - which is concerning as it shows they do not stand by their customers nor their service.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/23/2025

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I am a private buyer trying to purchase a vehicle for personal use through Autotrader.com. I verified my identity by uploading my drivers license and completing facial recognition, as required. I began contacting a few private sellers to ask questions about their vehicles.Suddenly, my account was blocked and I received a vague message saying I violated community standards. No details were provided, and I have not engaged in any suspicious or prohibited activity. I am not a dealer or reseller just a regular buyer who needs to communicate with sellers before making a purchase decision.I reached out to Autotrader via email, but the only response I received was that they are unable to provide further service. I believe this action is unjustified and request BBBs assistance in resolving the issue.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/14/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I placed a ad on Autotrader.com and payed for the ad to run until the vehicle soled. Thay changed policy's and are now limiting it to a 40 day ad. I do not agree with these new terms. I have been emailing them and also called them with no help provided. Thay say this new change is to help the customers but it's just to collect more fees. Thay cancled my account because I do not agree with the new terms. No option to put the real reason it was closed just 4 options to choose from when closing and thay picked one them self's. If thay really want to help customers there would be more options under reason for closing including a custom option. I did not receive the service I payed for. I do not agree with new term so thay cancle my account.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/10/2025

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      a buyer on this platform sent me a fake cashier's check. I informed customer service about this and they did nothing to help. all scammers on this website

    AutoTrader.com is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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