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

Claimants who purchased the relevant vehicles between 1998 and 2017 will be eligible for a minimum payment of $25. Photo by David Paul Morris /Bloomberg

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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

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Canadians who purchased a Mitsubishi between Jul 1, 1998 and Jul 31, 2015 could be eligible. Photo: Nathan DeLong/Miramichi L

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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“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.

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

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

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