Meineke Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Meineke franchisees defaulted on 23.2% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 32 of 138 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is higher than the General Automotive Repair industry average of 7.6%.
- 23.2%SBA default rate32 of 138 loans
- 138loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 7.6%General Automotive Repair averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 4th lowestindustry rankof 4 General Automotive Repair brands
| SBA default rate | 23.2% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 138 |
| Loans charged off | 32 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | General Automotive Repair |
| Industry average | 7.6% |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 4 Meineke SBA borrowers failed to repay — more than double the General Automotive Repair average of 7.6%.
What is the Meineke franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Meineke is a General Automotive Repair franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Meineke franchisees: 138 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 32 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019138
- Charged off32
- Charge-off rate23.2%
- General Automotive Repair franchise benchmark7.6%
- Brand vs industry3.0x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$348,420
- New SBA loans since 202093
- Early charge-offs since 20204
How does Meineke compare with other General Automotive Repair franchises?
The table sets Meineke's charge-off rate beside its General Automotive Repair peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable. A cell in red is more than twice the industry benchmark.
| Measure | Meineke | General Automotive Repair | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 23.2% | 7.6% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 138 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 32 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $348,420 | — | — | — |
What has Meineke SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Meineke franchisees have taken 93 new SBA 7(a) loans. 4 have already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are worth noting. Most SBA failures take longer to develop.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 4 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 9 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2011 | 12 | 3 | 25.0% |
| FY2012 | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| FY2013 | 15 | 5 | 33.3% |
| FY2014 | 16 | 6 | 37.5% |
| FY2015 | 26 | 6 | 23.1% |
| FY2016 | 9 | 1 | 11.1% |
| FY2017 | 22 | 7 | 31.8% |
| FY2018 | 15 | 3 | 20.0% |
| FY2019 | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 19 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 25 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 11 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 18 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 10 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 5 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 5 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Meineke's figure rests on 138 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 138 resolved loans, the sample is large enough that a single default barely moves the figure. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Meineke figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Is Meineke in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Meineke's SBA 7(a) default rate was 23.2% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (32 of 138 loans charged off) — the highest of 4 General Automotive Repair brands tracked here. A default rate this far above the General Automotive Repair average of 7.6% is a signal worth investigating further before investing.
Frequently asked
- What is Meineke's franchise failure rate?
- Meineke franchisees defaulted on 23.2% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 32 of 138 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is higher than the General Automotive Repair industry average of 7.6%.
- How does Meineke compare to other General Automotive Repair franchises?
- Meineke's 23.2% SBA default rate is higher than the General Automotive Repair industry average of 7.6%. See every General Automotive Repair franchise ranked on the General Automotive Repair industry page. General Automotive Repair franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Meineke franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 23.2% (32 of 138 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/meineke/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)