Emily Sortor  |  May 20, 2022

Category: Insurance

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Vehicle Total Loss Process

If you filed a total loss claim after a car accident, you may not have received all of the compensation you should have. In some states, insurance companies are expected to cover costs beyond just the fair market value of the car, but in some cases, they don’t.

Car accident fees and charges can pile up quickly, and policyholders should be assured that they will receive compensation to cover them.

In 2015, J.D. Power conducted a study into the vehicle total loss process, noting that severe claims including total loss car claims were on the rise. This finding was coupled with the fact that severe claims had an effect on policyholders’ satisfaction with the vehicle total loss process as a whole.

Now, lawyers are launching an investigation into cases where insurance companies failed to pay additional costs like taxes and fees to their policyholders whose vehicles were a total loss.

About Total Loss Car Accident Claims

Total loss car accident claims are insurance claims made after a vehicle was totaled. The term “totaled” refers to a car that has been so damaged in an accident that the value of the car itself is less than what it would cost to repair the damage, according to Value Penguin.

Whether or not a car was totaled is determined by the insurance adjuster. In many cases, a policyholder is then given the fair market value of the car after they file a successful claim.

However, other costs associated with totaling a car and then acquiring a new car are not always covered. Some other fees that a policyholder may incur during the vehicle total loss process are sales tax, title transfer fees, tag transfer fees, and more. Injuries and lawsuits are a completely different matter.

As they are expenses incurred as a result of an accident, in the case of many policies, they may be covered under a total loss claim. However, some insurance policies may only cover the fair market value of the car, even though state law may require them to cover more. Consumers may not be getting all they’re owed after a total loss car accident.

Total Loss Car Accident Lawsuits

GEICO and State Farm are two car insurance companies that have been accused of short-changing policyholders. Some policyholders have taken action and have filed lawsuits against their insurance providers for allegedly not compensating them for additional costs related to a totaled vehicle.

In a total loss lawsuit against GEICO, policy holders argued that fees beyond the fair market value of the car are included in the “actual cash value” covered by the policy.

To support their argument, the policyholders who field the GEICO total loss lawsuit argued that expenses like sales tax and title fees are unavoidable to customers who go through the vehicle total loss process and therefore should be covered.

Join a Free Total Loss Car Accident Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were insured under an auto insurance policy, experienced a total loss car accident, and were not reimbursed for sales tax and other fees by your insurance company in the last 5 years, you may qualify to join a total loss car accident class action lawsuit investigation.

Learn More

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.

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69 thoughts onWere You Fairly Compensated in the Vehicle Total Loss Process?

  1. Shonette Roberts says:

    Please add me, a lawyer had my son testify against Geico and we still have not been paid

  2. D Wells says:

    Please look at GEiCO! I was underpaid and was not given enough to purchase a comparable vehicle for my car. I had just paid off my car approx 60 days prior when another driver rear ended me as I sat a a traffic light. GEICO was nasty and very nonchalant. I felt forced to accept their “total loss” determination. I had to re-enter a full 6year financial hardship to have a vehicle! I had to work. That car was my only mode of transportation They cheated me out of so much and I am paying for it in raised auto insurance rates, financing of another car etc!

  3. Joel says:

    Add me, I was using progressive insurance in 2011 to 2014.

  4. Misty Thomas says:

    My car just got totaled from an uninsured driver and was only paid out the kbb estimated price it’s not even what I paid for my car, add me please

  5. Jessica says:

    Yes! My car was totaled by another driver and I only Got the low ball kbb value. I didnt Get enough to pay back my loan or to even help with another car. Now I’m getting sued from my car loan place because I cant Make the payments to them and pay for another car too. So if anyone has any advice please help!

  6. Anna v says:

    Add me my car was stated as total loss

  7. ALEXIS S HARVEY says:

    Add me

  8. Wayne Jenkins says:

    Add me to

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