The Federal Trade Commission has paused the effective date of its new rule designed to protect consumers from illegal tactics such as bait-and-switch and junk fees when purchasing a vehicle amid legal challenges by auto groups. 

In announcing the pause, the FTC cited the National Automobile Dealers Association's petition urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Court to vacate or modify the agency's Combating Auto Retail Scams [CARS] rule, which was slated to go into effect July 30.