can my car still be taken

My husband's car is VERY VERY late in payments. They have sent people to the house but the car isn't there. I am unemployed and he barely has any hours. We have two small girls and living in a motel. We NEED this car but have no money to pay for it. It is VERY late in payments. They have since stopped coming to the house they think it is at and have sent us to collections. The collections agency has offered settlement amounts on the remaining balance of the car. We still cannot afford that but we are trying to see if we could use my tax refund. If we wind up doing one of the settlement options and give the collections agency what they want, can they still take the car? We are scared that we will give them the money and they will still take the car because it is almost 10 months late in payments. We then will have no car AND no money to get another one. Can they still take the car?