DETROIT — Major automakers reported that vehicle sales in October were depressed in the month’s final days when Hurricane Sandy forced hundreds of dealerships to close and consumers delayed car purchases in New York, New Jersey, and other areas in the storm’s path.

Sales in October had been running at a strong pace until the storm. Analysts had been predicting an annual sales rate of about 14.7 million vehicles for the month but now say the rate will fall about 300,000 short of that.