CFPB Consumer Complaint Profile
Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.
Consumers have filed 12,455 complaints with the CFPB against this company, a record that maps out how disputes over credit, billing and collections tend to unfold.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 12,455
- Total complaints
- 0
- Last 12 months
- 99.9%
- Timely response
- 55
- States affected
The verdict
Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. ranks #53 of 3,848 financial companies by CFPB complaint volume, with 12,455 complaints on record. Its on-time response rate is 99.9%, ahead of the 93% median among companies with 100+ complaints.
- #53
- of 3,848 companies by volume
- 99.9%
- answered on time
- Vehicle loan or lease
- most-complained product
- 55
- states with complaints
Percent of CFPB complaints answered within the regulator's expected window. Industry benchmark sits at 95%.
Reading this profile
Complaints by Product
Top Issues
Complaints by Year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 147 |
| 2013 | 329 |
| 2014 | 557 |
| 2015 | 756 |
| 2016 | 854 |
| 2017 | 1,241 |
| 2018 | 1,327 |
| 2019 | 1,225 |
| 2020 | 1,914 |
| 2021 | 2,667 |
| 2022 | 1,438 |
Complaints by State (Top 15)
Company Responses
What the CFPB Complaint Record Shows for Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.
Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. carries 12,455 complaints in the CFPB's database, 0 of them filed within the past 12 months. Consumers spanning 55 states and territories have weighed in, giving this a nationwide footprint. "Vehicle loan or lease" tops the product-level breakdown by a clear margin, marking it as the area of greatest consumer friction. Inside that category, "Managing the loan or lease" comes up most often - worth a look for anyone trying to spot the company's recurring pain point.
99.9% of CFPB-forwarded complaints against Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. get a reply inside the Bureau's 15-day window. That is at or above benchmark levels, a sign the company handles intake and escalation well. Consumers formally disputed the company's response in 28.1% of resolved cases, a signal of how often the initial resolution failed to satisfy the complainant. Of complaints that were resolved, 7% closed with some form of monetary or non-monetary relief to the consumer.
How to read complaint counts
Complaint counts alone do not tell the full story, larger institutions with more customers will naturally generate more complaints in absolute terms. The more informative signals are the direction of the yearly trend shown above, the state-level concentration (which hints at regional servicing issues or regulatory exposure), and the ratio of monetary-relief closures to closed-without-relief outcomes. Taken together, these fields give consumers a reasonable empirical basis for deciding whether to escalate a dispute, and give researchers a starting point for investigating institutional patterns.
Educational data summary, not financial or legal advice. Individual complaint outcomes vary. Consumers should consult a qualified attorney or financial advisor for guidance on a specific dispute.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CFPB complaints does Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. have?
12,455 complaints have been filed against Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. with the CFPB overall - 0 of them in the past year.
Does Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. respond to complaints on time?
Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.'s CFPB timely-response rate is 99.9%. This is considered excellent.
What product generates the most complaints for Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.?
Among all products tied to Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc., "Vehicle loan or lease" accounts for the largest share of complaints (full breakdown above).
What is the most common complaint issue with Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.?
"Managing the loan or lease" is the single most frequently cited issue in complaints against Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. - see all issues and counts above.
How do I file a complaint against Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.?
You can file a complaint against Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. directly with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The CFPB will forward your complaint to the company and work to get you a response, typically within 15 days.
In how many states have consumers complained about Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.?
The CFPB has recorded complaints against Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. from 55 separate states and territories, including jurisdictions beyond the 52 with a dedicated state page here - Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and APO/FPO military postal codes among them.
Similar Companies
Matched by complaint volume nationwide and by product category - a different peer set than the sibling-portal links below.
Similar complaint volume (~12,455)
Also handles Vehicle loan or lease
Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database CFPB Consumer Complaint Database Data through March 2026
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.