WASHINGTON — The Transportation Department yesterday extended the deadline for auto dealers to submit their Cash for Clunkers deals, giving them more time to make sure they get repaid under the popular $3 billion government rebate program.

Dealers now have until noon today (6 a.m. Hawai'i time) to submit the necessary paperwork, instead of 8 p.m. yesterday (2 p.m. in Hawai'i).

All sales under the program were still scheduled to end yesterday.

The change came after government computers set up to handle the filings buckled under a flood of dealers trying to send in their sales agreements at the last minute.

Under the original plan, those deals that weren't submitted on time wouldn't be repaid, leaving many dealers fearful that they would be left on the hook for clunker sales they made.