Canadians who bought a car between 1998 and 2017 could claim share of $50 million

Canadians who purchased or leased a new vehicle between 1998 and 2017 may be eligible to receive a share of roughly $50 million in class-action settlement funds.

The payments stem from a series of lawsuits alleging price-fixing of key automotive parts, which affected an estimated one million vehicles in Canada.

Parts include air conditioning systems, door latches, braking systems and shock absorbers, and impacted some of the world’s largest automakers, triggering class actions and criminal investigations globally.

Automakers themselves are not accused of wrongdoing and are not defendants in the cases.

Courts in Toronto, Vancouver, and Quebec approved settlements totalling approximately $78 million in June 2023, following an earlier round of $26 million in settlements in relation to a smaller set of affected vehicles, which was issued in March 2021.

While those earlier funds have already been distributed, the third and final round, valued at approximately $50 million, is now available to consumers who were not previously eligible.

This final round consists of nine settlements, and the newly included vehicles are:

• BMW/Mini Cooper – Dec 5, 2014 to May 31, 2017
• Ford/Lincoln/Mercury – Aug 1, 2015 to May 31, 2017
• Hyundai, Kia – Jan 1, 2007 to May 31, 2016
• Mercedes-Benz/Smart – Nov 29, 2004 to May 31, 2017
• Mitsubishi – Jul 1, 1998 to Jul 31, 2015
• Suzuki – Jul 1, 1998 to May 31, 2016

The class action settlement is not a recall of any of the cars listed above.

To qualify, Canadians must have purchased or leased a new passenger car, sport utility vehicle, van, or light pick-up truck (up to 10,000 pounds) from the listed manufacturers during the specified periods.

Eligible claimants will receive a minimum payment of $25, with higher amounts possible for auto dealers and owners of large fleets.

Canadians remain eligible to submit a claim even if they have subsequently sold the relevant vehicle.

The class actions were started in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, but apply to residents in all provinces and territories.

However, the deadline to submit a claim for the newly included vehicles is approaching fast.

Those who are eligible should file a claim online at autopartsettlement.ca by May 12.

According to the settlement website, payments may take up to a year to be distributed after the claims deadline.

The deadline for the previous round of settlements was January 2024, and Canadians received payments in August 2025.

“Price-fixing conspiracies are prohibited by the Competition Act. They are harmful to the Canadian marketplace, causing businesses and consumers to pay too much for goods and services,” said David Jones, a partner at CFM Lawyers, one of the firms behind the litigation.

He added: “The settlements seek to redress that harm.”

As part of the settlement, the parts manufacturers accused of price-fixing did not admit any wrongdoing or liability.

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