Incoming Toyota North America CEO Oversaw Company that Defrauded Thousands of Customers
WASHINGTON — Toyota North America this week named Mark Templin as its incoming CEO. Templin will start his new role on January 1, 2027.
According to Templin’s LinkedIn page, from 2016 to 2025 he oversaw Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC). In November 2023, TMCC agreed to pay $60 million to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for alleged illegal lending practices. After Toyota donated $1 million to President Trump’s inauguration and a lobbyist intervened on Toyota’s behalf, then-CFPB head Russell Vought reversed the settlement.
“This is a slap in the face to Toyota drivers,” said Adam Zuckerman, senior clean vehicles campaigner with Public Citizen’s Climate Program. “Not only did Toyota allegedly defraud thousands of its own drivers; it is now rewarding the person who was in charge at the time. By promoting Mr. Templin, Toyota is giving a massive middle finger to drivers in its largest market.”
According to the CFPB, thousands of customers complained that Toyota dealers had lied to them, selling them expensive optional services that the company claimed were mandatory. These service bundles averaged between $700 to $2,500 per loan. Toyota then made it nearly impossible for consumers to cancel those bundles, sending 118,000 calls to a dead-end cancellation hotline designed to prevent customers from cancelling.
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