Consumer complaint received 2026-03-12 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Lease
Issue: Problems at the end of the loan or lease — Termination fees or other problem when ending the lease early
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I am filing a complaint regarding the incorrect classification of my completed vehicle lease as an early termination, which has resulted in an improper deficiency claim of {$34000.00}. The lease maturity date was XX/XX/year>. I returned ( grounded ) the vehicle on XX/XX/year>, only three days prior to the lease maturity date. The vehicle was returned to the dealership where the lease originated. The dealership accepted the return and confirmed that returning the vehicle a few days before maturity was acceptable. The vehicle was returned at the dealerships earliest available lease return appointment during XXXX week, which was the appointment they provided. I returned the vehicle in good faith to ensure it was returned before the lease maturity date and to avoid any late-return penalties. At the time of return, all lease payments had been fully made and the account was current. The company has also confirmed that there were {$0.00} excess wear charges. The only legitimate charges that should apply at lease maturity are the standard {$390.00} disposition fee and any applicable excess mileage charges. Approximately two months after returning the vehicle, the company reported the lease to credit bureaus as delinquent and an early termination. I filed a prior complaint regarding that issue. More recently, I received a letter stating that because the lease was classified as an early termination, the company claims I owe {$34000.00} and that the vehicle would be sent to auction with me responsible for any deficiency balance. This classification is incorrect. I did not terminate the lease early, stop payments early, or default on the lease. The vehicle was simply returned three days before the scheduled lease maturity date, which was accepted by the dealership. The dealership has confirmed they have never encountered a situation where returning a vehicle only a few days before maturity results in an early termination deficiency claim. It appears the account was misclassified because the grounding date occurred a few days before the lease maturity date, which triggered an internal early termination code rather than processing the return as a lease maturity. I have contacted the company multiple times and formally disputed the balance, but representatives have stated that returning the vehicle a few days before the maturity date qualifies as an early termination under California law. This was never disclosed at any point during the lease return process, and the dealership confirmed that returning the vehicle at that time was acceptable. The company is currently attempting to pursue a {$34000.00} deficiency balance and potential auction, even though the lease was fully paid and returned essentially at maturity. I am requesting that the company : -Reclassify the lease return from early termination to lease maturity -Cancel and remove the {$34000.00} deficiency balance -Stop any auction or deficiency recovery actions -Issue a corrected final lease-end statement reflecting only the normal lease-end charges ( disposition fee and any mileage charges ) This appears to be an administrative classification error rather than an actual early termination of the lease.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation