The 15-day redemption window is more specific than the general Article 9 rule

Once a vehicle is repossessed in Michigan, the lender must generally observe a 15-day redemption period before proceeding to sell the vehicle at auction, allowing the borrower to redeem by paying past-due amounts and the costs the lender incurred through the repossession. That is a more concrete figure than the open-ended 'redeem any time before disposition' rule used in several other states covered on this site.

The borrower must be notified of this redemption right before the vehicle is actually sold to a third party — get that notice in writing and confirm the exact figure needed to redeem, since the 15-day window is specific enough to build a real deadline around.

Written notice is a precondition to collecting a deficiency

If a repossessed vehicle sells for less than what is owed, Michigan allows the lender to sue for the deficiency balance — but only if it sent a written notice of the repossession. A missing or defective notice is a real, checkable defense against a deficiency claim, separate from any dispute about the sale price itself.

Notice and commercially reasonable sale requirements still apply

Beyond the specific 15-day redemption figure, Michigan's Article 9 enactment requires the standard disposition-notice content and a commercially reasonable sale process. A notice that is unclear about the sale type or omits how to calculate the redemption figure is worth raising directly with the lender.

The deficiency clock: 6 years

Michigan applies a 6-year limitation period to a breach-of-contract action, generally running from the date of the last payment or default. Note that a later payment or a written acknowledgment of the debt can shift that accrual date forward under Michigan contract law.

Building a Michigan-specific file

Collect the repossession record, the 15-day redemption notice and its delivery date, the written repossession notice required before a deficiency can be pursued, the post-sale accounting, and — if a suit follows — the complaint's stated accrual date to evaluate the 6-year clock.

Bottom line for Michigan

Michigan gives a concrete 15-day post-repossession redemption window — more specific than the plain Article 9 baseline many states use — and requires written notice of the repossession before a lender can pursue a deficiency, on top of a standard 6-year limitation period for the underlying contract claim.

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