Money More Americans than ever are struggling to pay their car loans as overall debt rises in US February 15, 2019 Kris Kinkade, The Motley Fool Comments Off on More Americans than ever are struggling to pay their car loans as overall debt rises in US Americans collectively owe about $13.54 trillion, an amount 21 percent higher than the $12.7 trillion owed in 2008 during the the Great Recession.