I scummed backward to an autosave, but returning a car to my inventory doesn't also load the vehicle equipment grid's contents into my player inventory. I suppose it's possible that this is intended behavior, but I'm posting here in case it is not.

Duplicate of https://mods.factorio.com/mod/VehicleGrid/discussion/5a5f1b0dadcc441024d76581

That other thread is locked, so I'll comment here in response to reading it that I'd failed to see your final follow up, which was when you explained that re-positioning the vehicle back into the world will find its grid restored to its previous condition. I'll verify this in game at my next opportunity.

Unlocked original thread.
No need to keep me informed, I know how equipment grids work.