# Iowa — After a car is repossessed, can you get it back by paying only what's late, or must you pay off the whole loan, by state

For Iowa, how the statute states the right is the consumer may cure the default by tendering either the amount of all unpaid installments due at the time of the tender, without acceleration, plus any unpaid delinquency or deferral charges, or the amount stated in the notice of right to cure, whichever is less; section is 537.5110, verified against its source on 2026-09-01.

- **State:** Iowa _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **What the borrower can do to get the vehicle back:** A pre-repossession right to cure by paying only the arrears, the same shape as Wisconsin, Kansas and Colorado. A creditor shall not accelerate the unpaid balance, demand or take possession of collateral (other than by accepting a voluntary surrender), or otherwise attempt to enforce the obligation until twenty days after a proper notice of right to cure (Section 537.5111) is given. Until that period expires, the consumer may cure the default by tendering the amount of all unpaid installments due at the time of the tender, without acceleration, plus any unpaid delinquency or deferral charges, or the (lesser) amount stated in the notice; curing restores the consumer's rights under the agreement as though no default had occurred. No right to cure a further default on the same obligation within 365 days of a prior cure notice. _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **How the statute states the right:** the consumer may cure the default by tendering either the amount of all unpaid installments due at the time of the tender, without acceleration, plus any unpaid delinquency or deferral charges, or the amount stated in the notice of right to cure, whichever is less _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Section:** 537.5110 _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_

## What the source says

> Until the expiration of the minimum applicable period after the notice is given, the consumer may cure the default by tendering either the amount of all unpaid installments due at the time of the tender, without acceleration, plus any unpaid delinquency or deferral charges, or the amount stated in the notice of right to cure, whichever is less, or by tendering any performance necessary to cure any default other than nonpayment of amounts due, which is described in the notice of right to cure. The act of curing a default restores to the consumer the consumer’s rights under the agreement as though no default had occurred, except as provided in subsection 3.

## Where each value comes from

This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.

### What the borrower can do to get the vehicle back

> A creditor shall not accelerate the maturity of the unpaid balance of the obligation, demand or take possession of collateral, otherwise than by accepting a voluntary surrender of it, or otherwise attempt to enforce the obligation until twenty days after a proper notice of right to cure is given.

### Section

> 537.5110 Cure of default.

## Source

- https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/537.5110.pdf
- https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/537.5111.pdf

Last verified: 2026-09-01. Review by: 2027-09-01.
Part of [After a car is repossessed, can you get it back by paying only what's late, or must you pay off the whole loan, by state](https://referencesource.org/vehicle-repossession-cure-rights-by-state/).