Hyundai and Kia Airbag Control Unit Settlement: Who Can Claim

Who is included in the settlement?

• The class covers people and entities that, on April 14, 2025, owned, leased, or had previously owned or leased an eligible vehicle originally sold or leased in the United States, its territories, or possessions.
• The listed models are 2011–2019 Hyundai Sonata; 2011–2019 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid; 2018–2023 Hyundai Kona; 2022–2023 Hyundai Kona N; 2019–2021 Hyundai Veloster; 2010–2013 Kia Forte and Forte Koup; 2011–2020 Kia Optima; 2011–2016 Kia Optima Hybrid; and 2011–2012 or 2014 Kia Sedona.
• The notice says eligibility is determined by the vehicle identification number (VIN). It also excludes, among others, the companies and specified affiliated people, people who previously settled and released these economic-loss claims individually, and people who timely excluded themselves.

Recall status matters because it affects which benefits are available. The notice identifies some model years as “certain,” so the model year alone may not settle the question.

• The recalled group includes certain 2011–2013 Hyundai Sonata and certain 2011–2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid vehicles; certain 2013 or earlier Kia Forte, Forte Koup, and Optima vehicles; 2011–2012 Kia Optima Hybrid vehicles; and 2011–2012 Kia Sedona vehicles.
• Other listed vehicles, including some 2013 vehicles, are unrecalled for this airbag control unit issue. The notice directs people to use their VIN to determine their vehicle’s status.

What recall-related costs can be reimbursed, and what proof is needed?

• A recalled-vehicle owner or lessee may seek reasonable unreimbursed costs tied to completing the recall. Covered categories include comparable rental or transportation costs while waiting for the remedy, towing to a dealer, childcare during the remedy, airbag-control-unit repair costs, and certain lost wages for dropping off or picking up the vehicle.
• The claim must include documents showing the expense, such as a receipt or invoice. If neither is available, the notice permits a signed affidavit.
• The Settlement Special Administrator reviews these claims. Its reimbursement decisions are final and cannot be appealed under the notice.

How do the residual payments work?

• Both recalled- and unrecalled-vehicle Class Members may submit a claim for a residual payment.
• Residual payments come from funds remaining after out-of-pocket expense payments and other settlement costs. They are divided per capita among Class Members who submitted an out-of-pocket claim or a residual-payment-only claim.
• The stated limits are up to $350 for recalled vehicles and up to $150 for unrecalled vehicles. The notice also permits higher caps if the parties agree and jointly recommend them for approval.

How does the New Parts Warranty work?

• The warranty lasts 10 years beginning April 14, 2025. It covers parts and labor needed because a new part installed through a recall is defective.
• A recalled vehicle that already completed its recall receives the warranty without additional action. If the recall has not been completed, it must be completed to receive this coverage.
• The warranty follows the vehicle when it is sold. It does not cover vehicles with certain conditions or histories, including specified damaged titles, altered mileage, racing or non-street modifications, or vehicles that are dismantled, crushed, or fire damaged.

Can I get transportation while the recall remedy is being done?

• After the Effective Date, a Class Member seeking a recall remedy during the Claims Period may request a courtesy loaner from a Hyundai or Kia dealer. A loaner depends on dealer availability.
• If no loaner is received, the person may instead submit a claim for reasonable rental-car costs from the Settlement Fund.

What changes if an unrecalled vehicle is recalled later?

• An unrecalled vehicle cannot currently receive out-of-pocket reimbursement for this issue.
• If a ZF-TRW airbag control unit recall is issued for that vehicle before the Claims Period ends, its Class Member becomes eligible to submit an out-of-pocket expense claim.
• For that future recall, the notice also provides for a loaner request or, if no loaner is received, a rental-cost claim. The New Parts Warranty would extend to parts installed through that future recall.

When does the settlement inspection program apply?

• After final approval, Hyundai and Kia will establish an inspection program for a Class Vehicle involved in a frontal crash when the company is notified that the airbag control unit, a seatbelt pretensioner, or an airbag did not deploy.
• This is an inspection program with specific crash and notice conditions; the notice does not describe it as a cash-payment claim.

What happens if I do nothing?

• A Class Member who does nothing will not receive certain settlement benefits and will be bound by the settlement if it becomes final.
• That means the person generally cannot start, continue, or join another lawsuit against the settling defendants and released parties over the legal issues resolved here.
• The notice expressly preserves claims for personal injury, wrongful death, and actual physical property damage arising from an incident involving a Class Vehicle, including airbag deployment or non-deployment.

The official notice contains wording that does not line up cleanly in every place. We have not guessed at a resolution; check the notice and confirm important details before acting.

• The notice says March 29, 2027 in two places for out-of-pocket reimbursement, but elsewhere says the deadline is no earlier than that date and may change.
• Residual-payment limits may be increased if the parties jointly recommend higher caps and the court approves them.
• A courtesy loaner is requested through a dealer and is subject to availability; the formal claim process applies to the alternative rental-car reimbursement.
• If a qualifying future recall occurs during the claims period, an unrecalled-vehicle owner may submit an out-of-pocket claim with supporting documentation.