Chris Woodyard

USA TODAY

More car buyers are falling behind when it comes to payments on their auto loans, a new report says.

The auto loan delinquency rate — borrowers who are at least 60 days behind on their loans — rose to 0.95% in the second quarter, up more than 9% from 0.87% the same quarter a year ago, reports TransUnion, the big credit bureau.

Even with the increase, though, the second-quarter delinquency rate is still below the average of 1.05% seen from 2007 to 2014, which encompassed the recession, TransUnion says. The peak came in the fourth quarter of 2008 when the rate hit 1.59%, and the low was in the second quarter of 2012 when it fell to 0.86%.

"Delinquency rates remain relatively low while auto loan balances keep rising," says Peter Turek, a TransUnion vice president, in a statement.

The amount owed on the average auto loan was $17,090 in the second quarter, up 4.1% from $16,410 in the prior year. Auto loan balances rose in every city, with the biggest increases in Houston and Phoenix.