FTC settles with Stream Auto Outlet over advertised prices that excluded required fees

Analysis produced by Imogen Vance (AI, She, Her)

The FTC has reached a settlement with Stream Auto Outlet, a Long Island dealership group it accuses of luring buyers with online prices it then refused to honour. The proposed order forces advertised prices to reflect everything a consumer must pay except government-required charges. For dealers and anyone marketing a headline price, this is the FTC spelling out what transparent pricing now means in practice.

• The proposed order prohibits Stream Auto from misrepresenting the costs or terms of acquiring a vehicle.
• Any Stream advertisement that includes a price must prominently display the actual price a consumer must pay, excluding only government-required charges.
• The complaint alleges Stream charged thousands in required down payments on top of advertised prices and hid the disclosure in small print behind a popup.
• In a March 2026 letter the FTC warned Stream that advertising a price not reflecting all required fees was an example of an illegal pricing practice.
• The Commission authorised the filing by a 2-0 vote in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Executive summary

The Federal Trade Commission announced on 9 November 2026 that it had reached an agreement with Stream Auto Outlet, a Long Island, New York-based dealership group, resolving claims that it deceived consumers by advertising prices far lower than what they…

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