Subprime auto loan delinquencies hit their highest level since 2008 in late 2025. If you’re struggling with your Westlake Financial payment, you’re not alone — and there are real options available before anything drastic happens. Here’s what they are, who qualifies, and what to say when you call.
Westlake Financial is one of the country’s largest subprime auto lenders, serving borrowers with bad credit, no credit, open bankruptcies, and past repossessions — people that most banks turn away. That gives them more experience with financial hardship than almost any other lender. These are the questions borrowers ask most, answered plainly.
1 Can Westlake Financial really skip or defer one of my payments? Yes — payment deferral is available in hardship situations, but you must call to request it. It doesn’t happen automatically. ▼
2 How late does a payment have to be before Westlake moves toward repossession? Technically they can act after a single missed payment, but most accounts see contact attempts before any repossession action. Don’t wait to find out. ▼
3 Can I lower my monthly Westlake payment without refinancing? Sometimes — a temporary hardship arrangement or loan modification can reduce the monthly amount. You have to ask and explain your situation specifically. ▼
4 Does Westlake refinance its own loans? Not typically — Westlake originates loans but doesn’t offer standard in-house refinancing. Most borrowers refinance through a credit union or a different lender once their credit improves. ▼
5 Can I get a Westlake loan even with a bankruptcy or past repossession on my record? Yes, with conditions. Open and discharged bankruptcies are allowed under Westlake’s Standard and Gold programs. A prior Westlake repossession is a harder barrier, but not always automatic disqualification. ▼
6 I already have a Westlake loan. How do I manage my account and make payments? Through the MyAccount portal at myaccount.westlakefinancial.com or the Westlake MyAccount mobile app. Phone payment is also available but may carry a processing fee. ▼
7 What happens to my credit report if I work out a hardship arrangement? It depends on what’s agreed. A properly documented deferral or payment plan should not trigger a delinquency on your report — but get the agreement in writing before assuming anything. ▼
8 Westlake’s collection calls are stressing me out. What are my rights? The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects you — calls must stop at certain hours, and collectors cannot use threats they can’t legally carry out. You can put your concerns in writing. ▼
Westlake is a subprime lender that works with high-risk borrowers every day — which means they’ve seen every kind of hardship and they have established processes for handling them. What they don’t do is offer these proactively. You have to ask.
A deferral pushes your current month’s payment to the very end of your loan term. Your loan’s maturity date extends by one month, and some additional interest may accrue — but your car stays with you, your account stays current, and the delinquency clock stops. This is the most commonly granted short-term hardship option.
To request it: Call (888) 739-9192 during business hours, ask to speak with the account management or hardship department, and explain your situation. Be specific — “I had a medical emergency and my income dropped this month” works better than “I can’t pay.” Have your account number ready.
For longer financial disruptions — job loss, disability, separation — Westlake may agree to a temporary arrangement where you pay a reduced amount for a set period. This is evaluated case by case. Borrowers who’ve successfully negotiated this describe going in with a clear picture: “I lost my job, I have a start date at a new job on [date], and I can pay $X per month until then.”
The mistake most people make is calling without a plan. Show up to that conversation with a specific number you can pay and a specific timeline — it signals good faith and makes approval far more likely than a general cry for help.
In some cases, Westlake may extend the remaining loan term, which stretches the balance over more months and reduces what you owe each month. This increases the total interest you pay over the life of the loan, but it keeps the account in good standing and makes the monthly number workable. Not every account qualifies — it depends on how long you’ve been making payments and the current status of the account.
Ask specifically: “Is there a way to modify my loan term to reduce the monthly payment?” Don’t assume this is on the table unless you ask — representatives don’t typically offer it unprompted.
If you’ve decided you genuinely cannot keep the car and repossession looks unavoidable, voluntary surrender is better than waiting for an involuntary repo. You return the vehicle on your terms, on your schedule — which prevents repossession fees (towing, storage, auction processing) from being added to what you owe. It still shows as a repossession or default on your credit report — but the financial hit is smaller because you avoid the extra fees.
Before going this route, explore every option in this guide first. Losing transportation often triggers further financial instability, and the car is almost always worth keeping if there’s any way to do it.
Westlake uses four lending tiers based on credit profile. Understanding which tier you’re in — or could qualify for — matters both for getting a loan and for understanding what relief options look like for your account type.
| Program | Credit Score | Key Feature | Loan Term | APR Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | No minimum | Accepts bankruptcies, thin credit, hard-to-prove income | Up to 72 months | Up to 29.99% |
| Gold | 600+ | Better rates, larger loan amounts; similar to Standard re: flexibility | Up to 72 months | Varies |
| Platinum | 700–749 | Prime and near-prime; no prior Westlake repossessions | Up to 72 months | Competitive |
| Titanium | 750+ | Lowest rates; down payment may be waived | Up to 72 months | From 4.99% |
Scroll the table sideways on mobile to see all columns. APRs, eligibility requirements, and loan amounts are subject to change — verify directly with Westlake or a participating dealer before applying.
Payment deferral gets misunderstood. It is not forgiveness — it’s a scheduling change. Here’s the full picture so there are no surprises.
When Westlake grants a deferral, your current month’s payment is moved to the very end of the loan. If you have 30 payments left, you’ll now have 31 — with the deferred payment sitting at the back. Your loan’s maturity date shifts forward by that same amount. Interest continues to accrue on your balance during the deferred period, so the total you pay over the life of the loan increases slightly. But the account remains current, no delinquency is reported (if the arrangement is documented), and you keep your car. For one month of breathing room, this is usually a good trade.
Call (888) 739-9192 and ask for the account management department or hardship team. When you get through, say something like: “I’m calling proactively because I’m experiencing a financial hardship this month and I want to request a payment deferral before my due date. I’d like to discuss moving this month’s payment to the end of the loan.” Give them your account number, explain the hardship briefly (job loss, unexpected expense, medical bill — be specific but concise), and confirm what the deferral will do to your loan end date and interest. Ask for written confirmation before hanging up.
- Calling too late. Once you’ve already missed a payment, the deferral conversation becomes a reinstatement conversation — different process, potentially more difficult. Call before the due date.
- Not getting it in writing. Verbal agreements in auto loan servicing are hard to enforce. Ask for an email confirmation of the deferral terms before the call ends.
- Assuming it covers insurance. A deferred car payment does not defer your insurance obligation. If your policy lapses, Westlake can move toward repossession on that basis alone, even if payments are current.
Westlake serves borrowers who can’t qualify elsewhere — which means many of their loans carry high APRs that make financial sense at the time of purchase but become a burden over years. Refinancing with a different lender is the most reliable way to lower your monthly payment permanently.
Repossession is the outcome everyone wants to avoid — and the good news is that it’s almost always preventable if you act before the account goes significantly delinquent. Here’s the real sequence of events.
- Missed payment: The day after your due date, you’re technically in default. Westlake begins contact attempts — phone, often multiple times a day.
- Notice of default: A formal written notice outlining what you owe and the deadline to bring the account current.
- Grace period: Your contract specifies whether a grace period applies and how long it lasts. Read it — not all contracts include one, and customer service representatives have reportedly misrepresented this to borrowers in the past.
- Repossession order: If the balance isn’t brought current, Westlake can assign repossession to a third-party company. In some documented accounts, this has happened as early as 48 days past due.
- Post-repossession: The vehicle is auctioned. If the sale price doesn’t cover the outstanding balance plus fees, you’re responsible for the remaining deficiency balance — which Westlake or a debt buyer can pursue in court.
Call (888) 739-9192 before your payment is late and ask for a deferral or hardship arrangement. That one call, made in time, has kept cars in driveways for people in far worse situations than yours. After the fact — once repossession has happened — you may be able to get the car back by paying the full amount owed plus fees within a specified window (this is called “reinstatement”), but that window is narrow and expensive. The cost of one call is zero. The cost of waiting is potentially much higher.
- You have the right to retrieve your personal belongings from the vehicle — contact the repossession company promptly.
- You must receive a notice of sale before the vehicle is auctioned, and the sale must be conducted in a “commercially reasonable” manner.
- You can dispute the deficiency balance if you believe the vehicle was sold below market value or fees were improperly added.
- If you believe Westlake violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or misrepresented reinstatement amounts, file a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint — this is a documented area of CFPB attention for this lender.
Call (888) 739-9192 today — right now if you’re reading this. Ask for the hardship department and request a payment deferral. Explain your situation in one or two sentences: what happened, when your income recovers, and what you’re asking for. This is a routine call for Westlake’s customer service — they handle it constantly. The worst thing that can happen is they say no and you haven’t lost anything. The best thing is a confirmed deferral that buys you 30 more days. Do not ignore the due date and hope for the best.
This is a refinancing conversation, not a hardship call. If you’ve been making payments for 6+ months and your credit has improved at all, spend 20 minutes getting prequalified for refinancing at a credit union or through a comparison tool — use soft-pull options so your score isn’t affected. If you got your Westlake loan at 20–25% APR and now qualify for 12–14%, the monthly payment drop on a typical loan is real money. If refinancing isn’t an option yet, ask Westlake specifically about term extension — stretching remaining payments over a longer period lowers the monthly amount, though it increases total interest.
One missed payment is recoverable — but the clock is running. Call (888) 739-9192 and find out exactly what it takes to bring the account current: that’s the missed payment plus any late fee. Ask whether a deferral is still available even though the payment is already late — some accounts qualify even after the fact. Ask specifically: “What is the exact amount I need to pay today to stop any repossession action and bring this account to current status?” Get that number, confirm it in writing, and pay it. Then set up autopay through the MyAccount portal to prevent this from happening again.
Probably. Westlake’s Standard program has no minimum credit score requirement, no minimum income requirement, and accepts open and discharged bankruptcies. You’ll be looking at higher APRs under the Standard program — potentially in the high teens or higher — but the vehicle is attainable and the loan, managed well, builds credit. Pre-qualify online at westlakefinancial.com without impacting your credit score — you’ll see what vehicles you’re approved on and can personalize your payment options before setting foot in a dealership. Westlake works through a network of over 50,000 dealer partners nationwide.
Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, debt collectors cannot call before 8 AM or after 9 PM your local time. They cannot contact third parties about your debt (except to locate you), and they cannot use false or misleading information — including telling you your car will be repossessed tonight when no repossession is actually scheduled. Keep a log of every call: date, time, what was said, representative ID if given. If anything said on those calls turns out to be false or threatening beyond legal bounds, file a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint and consider contacting a consumer law attorney — many take FDCPA cases on contingency, meaning no upfront cost to you. The CFPB has already taken enforcement action against Westlake for collection practices and continues to monitor the space.
Go to myaccount.westlakefinancial.com (or open the Westlake MyAccount app) and note three things: your current balance, your exact payment amount, and your payoff amount. Having these numbers in front of you when you call prevents confusion and signals to the representative that you’re engaged with your account. While you’re in the portal, check whether autopay is set up — many missed payments happen simply because autopay wasn’t activated at the start of the loan.
Don’t call and say “I can’t pay.” Call and say “I’m calling to request a payment deferral because [specific reason], and I’d like to discuss moving this month’s payment to the end of the loan.” Specific requests get faster answers. If you want a hardship arrangement, say: “I need a temporary payment reduction for [X months] while I get back on my feet — can you tell me if that’s something available on my account?” Have your account number, the name of the representative, and a pen ready to write down whatever they tell you.
Ask for written confirmation of any agreement before you hang up. “Can you send that confirmation to my email on file?” is a reasonable request for any arrangement — deferral, reduced payment, extended timeline. If they say they can’t email it, ask what documentation you’ll receive and when. Keep your own notes of every call with date, time, representative name, and what was agreed. This protects you if the agreement isn’t honored on your credit report later.
- Credit union refinancing: Check whether you now qualify. Even a few months of on-time Westlake payments can move your score enough to get a meaningfully better rate elsewhere.
- Dial 2-1-1: The national social services helpline connects you to local programs — including transportation assistance funds — that most people never find through a standard search.
- Community action agencies: Many counties have community action agencies that offer emergency financial assistance for car payments, insurance, and transportation costs for low-income households. Search “community action agency [your county]” to find yours.
- CFPB complaint: If Westlake misrepresents your options, makes false statements about repossession, or fails to honor a documented agreement, file at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. This creates a record and typically prompts a faster response from the lender.
- Legal aid: If a repossession has already happened and you believe it was improper, contact your state’s legal aid office — many offer free consultations for auto lending disputes.
This is an independent informational guide and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Westlake Financial Services or any organization mentioned. Program terms, eligibility criteria, interest rates, contact information, and policies change frequently — verify all details directly with Westlake Financial before making any financial decisions. Legal rights vary by state; consult a qualified attorney or consumer law advocate for advice specific to your situation. Statistics referenced reflect publicly available research data from the Federal Reserve, CFPB, Fitch Ratings, and Center for Responsible Lending as of the dates cited in each source.