The turmoil that has roiled the housing market is also making waves in the auto loan industry.

Although auto loans have fixed interest rates -- compared with the adjustable mortgage rates that have pummeled homeowners -- many consumers are finding that they have taken on more debt than they can handle to purchase their cars as well.

Delinquencies on indirect auto loans, which are made through a third party and constitute roughly 90 percent of car loans, reached more than 3 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, the highest rate in at least 17 years, according to the American Bankers Association.

Delinquencies are defined as payments that are more than 30 days past due.

The reasons for that rapid rise are varied, and evidence suggests that the delinquencies affect a broad swath of economic classes.

Some are the result of home owners with ballooning mortgages making choices about which bills they can afford to pay."

The auto industry is not exempt from the current stress that's out there in the economy," said Carol Kaplan, spokeswoman for the ABA. "If you're going through it right now, you're not alone."

Lenders suggest that customers call them as soon as their bills start making them nervous. Americans Well-Informed on Automobile Retailing Economics, an industry trade group that includes the American Financial Services Association and the National Automobile Dealers Association, said warning signs include avoiding looking at bills and difficulty saving money.

Consumers should also realize that although they may have signed the paperwork for the loan at the car dealership, the transaction is financed by a third-party lending institution. Check your paperwork to find out whom to call.