§ 1286.6.Grounds For Correcting Award

Not every defect in an award calls for throwing it out entirely, and this section supplies the narrower fix. Subject to Section 1286.8's own procedural requirements, and unless the court instead vacates the award under Section 1286.2, the court corrects the award and confirms it as corrected if it finds any of three things: an evident miscalculation of figures or an evident mistake in describing a person, thing, or property referred to in the award; that the arbitrators exceeded their powers but the award can be corrected without affecting the merits of the decision on the controversy submitted; or that the award is imperfect in some matter of form that does not affect the merits of the controversy.

The second ground draws a direct line to Section 1286.2's vacation grounds. Both sections deal with arbitrators exceeding their powers -- the difference is whether the problem can be fixed without touching the merits. If it can, correction under this section is the remedy; if fixing it would require reworking the actual decision, vacation under Section 1286.2 is required instead.