The other big thing at play here, is that car lenders get about 1/3 of the expected loan value if they repo the vehicle. Most of them don't want to do it unless

The other big thing at play here, is that car lenders get about 1/3 of the expected loan value if they repo the vehicle. Most of them don't want to do it unless they have to, it's usually far more profitable if the consumer continues making payments. The court typically only gets involved if the lender has reason to believe you might do something malicious and can convince the court to execute an immediate right to seize the vehicle (quickly after default). A court can also order a person to return the vehicle, if they've managed to successfully evade the repossession action by hiding it. This is a good thing so long as it's reasonably balance (ie the consumer doesn't get their vehicle repo'd on day one of being late), so our court system isn't filled up with car loans.