In many states, a lender can repossess a vehicle – without a warning or a court order – after you’ve missed payment, but other states require lenders or servicers to send you a notice before repossession, alerting you to what payments have been missed and allowing you time to make them up.
If you’re an active-duty servicemember, the Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA) prohibits repossessions without a court order for any auto loan contracts or agreements you entered into before your military service.