Unable to pay off car loan

Hi, I'm in dire need of legal advice. A car lending company is pressuring me to settle my car loan account. As background, I entered into this car loan through my previous employer who has ties with this company. My loan was approved and I had been using the car for one year and 2 months. Eventually I was forced to resign because of my alleged performance issues. If I didn't resign, my employer would have terminated me eventually and was told my backpay would not be released if I was terminated. So I submitted my resignation and also voluntarily surrendered the car to the lending company. However, my former employer did not release my backpay as they have not received clearance notification from the lending company. Now the lending company is pressuring me to settle the acount and threatening to endorse it to their legal department if I fail to pay the minimum partial payment. I am unable to pay them any amount as my salary in my current job is barely enough to meet me and my family's basic needs. I told them the only way I can settle the account is with the backpay from my previous employer which will not be released until they receive clearance notification from the lending company. Please help me with any legal means I can resolve this problem. Thank you very much.