If you currently own or previously owned certain Hyundai or Kia vehicles, you may qualify for up to $350 in cash from a $62.1 million class action settlement over defective airbag control units. The settlement resolves claims in *In re: ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units Products Liability Litigation* (Case No. 2:19-ml-02905-JAK-JPR) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and it covers owners and lessees of specific model years regardless of whether they ever experienced an actual airbag malfunction.
So if you drove a 2015 Hyundai Sonata for three years and sold it in 2020, you are still potentially eligible to file a claim. The core allegation is that ZF-TRW airbag control units installed in these vehicles were vulnerable to “electrical overstress,” a defect that could cause airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, and other critical safety systems to fail during a crash. Hyundai and Kia deny the allegations but agreed to the settlement to resolve the litigation. Final approval was granted on October 8, 2025, and the claims deadline extends to March 29, 2027, giving vehicle owners substantial time to file.
Table of Contents
- Who Qualifies for the Hyundai and Kia Defective Airbag Control Units Settlement?
- Which Hyundai and Kia Models and Years Are Covered?
- What Compensation and Benefits Does the Settlement Provide?
- How to File a Claim for the Hyundai-Kia Airbag Settlement
- Attorney Fees and What Actually Reaches Vehicle Owners
- The Underlying Defect — What Went Wrong with ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units
- What Happens After the Claims Deadline
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who Qualifies for the Hyundai and Kia Defective Airbag Control Units Settlement?
Eligibility comes down to two factors: whether you owned or leased one of the covered vehicles, and whether you did so as of April 14, 2025. All persons or entities who, as of that date, own, lease, or previously owned or leased an eligible Hyundai or Kia vehicle originally sold or leased in the United States or its territories are part of the settlement class. You do not need to have experienced an airbag deployment failure, a warning light, or any symptom at all. Ownership or leasing of a qualifying vehicle is enough. Eligibility is determined by your vehicle’s VIN, which you can check directly on the [official settlement website](https://www.acusettlement.com/hyundaikia). This is worth doing before you spend time gathering documents for a claim, because not every unit of a given model necessarily contains the affected ZF-TRW airbag control unit.
For example, a 2018 Hyundai Kona purchased at one dealership might be covered while the same model year from a different production batch might not. The VIN check takes seconds and eliminates any guesswork. One important distinction: the settlement draws a line between vehicles that were subject to a recall and those that were not. Both groups qualify, but the compensation amounts differ significantly. If your vehicle was part of a recall campaign related to this airbag control unit defect, you can receive up to $350. If your vehicle was not recalled but still contains the affected part, the maximum payment drops to $150. Either way, the settlement does not require proof of a malfunction — just proof of ownership or a lease.
Which Hyundai and Kia Models and Years Are Covered?
The settlement covers a specific list of Hyundai and Kia vehicles spanning model years from 2010 through 2023. On the Hyundai side, the eligible models include the Sonata (2011–2019), Sonata Hybrid (2011–2019), Kona (2018–2023), Kona N (2022–2023), and Veloster (2019–2021). For Kia, the covered vehicles include the Forte (2010–2013), Forte Koup (2010–2013), Optima (2011–2020), Optima Hybrid (2011–2016), and Sedona for certain model years. However, owning one of these models does not automatically guarantee your specific vehicle is part of the class. The defective ZF-TRW airbag control units were not installed in every single unit produced during these model year ranges.
Manufacturers source parts from multiple suppliers and across production runs, so two identical-looking cars off the same assembly line could have different internal components. This is exactly why the settlement administrators set up the VIN verification tool — it cross-references your vehicle against the actual production records to confirm whether your car has the affected part. If you no longer own the vehicle and do not have the VIN memorized, you can typically find it on old insurance cards, registration documents, loan paperwork, or the original purchase agreement. Dealership service records will also have it on file. Do not assume you are excluded just because you sold the car years ago. Former owners and lessees are explicitly included in the settlement class.
What Compensation and Benefits Does the Settlement Provide?
The $62.1 million settlement fund is divided across several categories of relief. The headline benefit is a direct cash payment: up to $350 for owners of vehicles that were subject to a recall related to the defective airbag control units, and up to $150 for owners of vehicles that were not recalled. These are per-vehicle amounts, so if you owned two eligible vehicles, you could potentially file claims for both. Beyond the flat cash payments, the settlement also provides reimbursement for documented out-of-pocket expenses directly related to the defect.
This includes towing costs if your vehicle became undrivable due to an airbag system malfunction, rental car expenses while your vehicle was being repaired, childcare costs incurred because of transportation disruptions, repair bills for airbag-related work, and lost wages if the defect caused you to miss work. For someone who had their Sonata towed after an airbag warning light disabled the car’s safety systems, and then rented a vehicle for a week while waiting on a dealership repair, the reimbursement could meaningfully exceed the base cash payment. Additionally, the settlement includes a 10-year warranty on new airbag control units installed during recall repairs, with the warranty clock starting on April 14, 2025. This is a practical benefit for anyone still driving a covered vehicle — it means if the replacement part fails within that window, the repair should be covered at no cost. The 20 original named plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit each received $2,500 in service awards for their role in initiating the litigation.
How to File a Claim for the Hyundai-Kia Airbag Settlement
Filing a claim is straightforward, and you have three options. The fastest route is to submit your claim online at [www.ACUSettlement.com](https://www.acusettlement.com/hyundaikia). The website walks you through the process and lets you check your VIN for eligibility before starting. You can also call 1-866-287-0740 to request a claim form or get assistance, or mail a completed form to: Hyundai-Kia Airbag Control Unit Settlement c/o JND Legal Administration, PO Box 91478, Seattle, WA 98111. For the base cash payment, you will need to provide proof of ownership or leasing — a vehicle title, registration, purchase agreement, or lease contract will typically suffice. If you are filing for out-of-pocket expense reimbursement, you will need supporting documentation such as towing receipts, rental car invoices, repair shop bills, or pay stubs showing missed work.
The more organized your documentation, the smoother the process. Claims that are incomplete or lack supporting evidence may be denied or reduced, so take the time to gather everything before submitting. The claims deadline is listed as March 29, 2027, though some sources reference April 8, 2027. Check the [official settlement website](https://www.acusettlement.com/hyundaikia) for the most current date. Either way, there is still significant time remaining, but there is no advantage to waiting. Filing early means you are in the queue and less likely to encounter last-minute technical issues or forget altogether.
Attorney Fees and What Actually Reaches Vehicle Owners
One of the more contentious aspects of this settlement — and class action settlements generally — is how the money gets divided. Co-Lead Counsel was awarded $20,493,033.30, which represents 33% of the total $62.1 million fund. That leaves roughly $41.6 million for class members, settlement administration costs, and the named plaintiff service awards. The one-third fee structure is standard in class action litigation, but it inevitably draws criticism when individual payouts top out at $350 while attorneys collectively receive over $20 million. The practical reality is that individual payments in settlements like this are modest precisely because the class is enormous. Millions of vehicles are potentially covered, and spreading even $41 million across that many claimants results in relatively small per-person amounts.
This is a limitation worth understanding before you set expectations. If you are hoping for a windfall, this is not it. But if you owned an affected vehicle, $150 to $350 for filling out a form is money you are leaving on the table by not filing. And if you incurred actual expenses — a $200 tow, a $500 rental bill — the reimbursement component could be the more valuable piece of the settlement for you. It is also worth noting that not every eligible person will file a claim. In most class action settlements, participation rates are surprisingly low, often in the single digits. Lower participation can sometimes result in higher individual payouts if the settlement structure allows for redistribution of unclaimed funds, though this varies by agreement.
The Underlying Defect — What Went Wrong with ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units
The airbag control unit is the electronic brain that decides whether and when to deploy airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, and other restraint systems during a collision. The allegation in this case is that ZF-TRW manufactured units with a vulnerability to electrical overstress — essentially, a power surge or electrical fault could damage the unit’s circuitry, causing it to silently fail. A driver might have no warning that their airbag system was compromised until the moment of a crash, when the airbags simply would not deploy. This is not a defect limited to Hyundai and Kia.
ZF-TRW supplied airbag control units to multiple automakers, and separate litigation has been filed against other manufacturers over the same underlying component. The multi-district litigation structure of this case (MDL No. 2905) reflects the broad scope of the issue. For Hyundai and Kia owners specifically, this $62.1 million settlement represents the resolution of their portion of the claims. If you own a vehicle from a different manufacturer and have concerns about ZF-TRW airbag control units, the [ACUSettlement.com](https://www.acusettlement.com/hyundaikia) website may have information on other manufacturer-specific settlements within the same MDL.
What Happens After the Claims Deadline
With final approval granted in October 2025 and claims open until at least March 2027, this settlement is in its active filing period. Once the deadline passes, the settlement administrator will process all submitted claims, verify eligibility, and distribute payments. The timeline from deadline to check-in-hand varies, but claimants should generally expect several months of processing after the filing window closes.
For current owners of affected vehicles, the 10-year warranty on replacement airbag control units provides ongoing protection well beyond the claims deadline. If you have not yet had the recall repair performed on your vehicle, now is the time — not only to ensure your safety systems actually work, but also to start the warranty clock on the new unit. Driving with a potentially non-functional airbag system is a risk that no settlement payment justifies delaying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to have experienced an airbag failure to qualify for this settlement?
No. You qualify based on ownership or leasing of an eligible vehicle, regardless of whether you ever had an airbag malfunction. Check your VIN on the official settlement website to confirm eligibility.
How much money will I receive from the Hyundai-Kia airbag settlement?
Owners of recalled vehicles can receive up to $350. Owners of unrecalled but eligible vehicles can receive up to $150. Additional reimbursement is available for documented out-of-pocket expenses like towing, rental cars, and repairs.
What is the deadline to file a claim?
The claims deadline is March 29, 2027 (some sources list April 8, 2027). Check [ACUSettlement.com](https://www.acusettlement.com/hyundaikia) for the most current date.
I sold my vehicle years ago. Can I still file a claim?
Yes. Former owners and lessees are included in the settlement class, provided the vehicle was originally sold or leased in the United States or its territories and you owned or leased it as of April 14, 2025.
What vehicles are covered by this settlement?
Eligible models include the Hyundai Sonata (2011–2019), Sonata Hybrid (2011–2019), Kona (2018–2023), Kona N (2022–2023), Veloster (2019–2021), Kia Forte (2010–2013), Forte Koup (2010–2013), Optima (2011–2020), Optima Hybrid (2011–2016), and Kia Sedona for certain model years. Not all units of these models are affected — use the VIN checker to confirm.
How were the attorney fees determined?
Co-Lead Counsel received $20,493,033.30, which is 33% of the total settlement fund. This percentage is standard in class action litigation and was approved by the court.