Hyundai and Kia airbag settlement: what the notice says

Open for claims

Claim deadline: April 8, 2027, submitted online or postmarked by this date.

Status as recorded on October 1, 2026.

Owners and lessees say the ZF-TRW airbag control units in certain Hyundai and Kia cars are vulnerable to a condition called electrical overstress, which may keep airbags and other safety features from working in a crash; the companies deny it, and the court has not decided who is right. The judge granted final approval on October 8, 2025, and claims stay open until April 8, 2027.

Key facts

Case

Hyundai and Kia ZF-TRW airbag control unit settlement (In re: ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units Products Liability Litigation), No. 2:19-ml-02905-JAK-JPR U.S. District Court, Central District of California JND Legal Administration, official settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026

Defendant

Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Motor America, Kia Corporation, Kia America, Inc., Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd., Mobis Parts America, LLC

Who is included

Anyone who, on April 14, 2025, owned or leased, or previously owned or leased, a listed Hyundai or Kia vehicle (2011-2019 Sonata and Sonata Hybrid; 2018-2023 Kona; 2022-2023 Kona N; 2019-2021 Veloster; 2010-2013 Forte and Forte Koup; 2011-2020 Optima; 2011-2016 Optima Hybrid; 2011-2012 and 2014 Sedona) originally sold or leased in the U.S. Eligibility is by VIN.

Claim deadline

April 8, 2027 submitted online or postmarked by this date JND Legal Administration, official settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026

Opt-out (exclusion) deadline

August 25, 2025

Objection deadline

August 25, 2025

Final approval hearing

September 29, 2025

What a claimant can receive

Reimbursement of documented out-of-pocket Recall costs (Recalled Vehicles only), plus a residual per-person payment of up to $350 (Recalled) or up to $150 (Unrecalled), split per capita after reimbursements are paid. Payments follow the Effective Date, which the site does not give. JND Legal Administration, official settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026

Proof of purchase or loss needed

Reimbursement: a receipt or invoice, or a signed affidavit. Residual payment: no further documents at filing with the Unique ID from the notice; ownership documents may be requested otherwise.

Tier without proof

Residual payment, with the notice's Unique ID (no further documents at filing)

Settlement administrator

JND Legal Administration

Official settlement website

acusettlement.com

Read in the official record on October 1, 2026. A row without its own source mark comes from the source marked above it.

Who can claim

The class is every person or business that, on April 14, 2025 JND Legal Administration, official settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026, owned or leased a covered Hyundai or Kia, or had owned or leased one before, if the car was first sold or leased in the United States or its territories. Former owners are included. The covered models are certain years of the Sonata and Sonata Hybrid, Kona and Kona N, Veloster, Forte and Forte Koup, Optima and Optima Hybrid, and Sedona; the key facts box gives the years.

The model year is not the final test. The FAQ says eligibility is decided by the vehicle identification number (VIN), and the official site has a VIN lookup. Each covered car is either a Recalled Vehicle, covered by one of two federal recalls (NHTSA 18V-137 and 18V-363), or an Unrecalled Vehicle, and only some VINs within a model year fall in each group. That split decides which payments you can ask for. One claim form covers one VIN.

How notices arrived and what they carry

The claim page describes a "Postcard or Email Notice" carrying a Unique ID, which goes on the claim form; anyone without one is told to call the toll-free number. The administrator's contact details are JND Legal Administration, PO Box 91478, Seattle, WA 98111; 1-866-287-0740; HKinfo@ACUSettlement.com JND Legal Administration, official settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026. No official source we read names the domain the email notices came from, so this page lists none.

Two roles are split. JND Legal Administration (see the JND Legal Administration home page) sends the notices and runs the settlement website, and the settlement agreement names Patrick J. Hron as Settlement Special Administrator, who reviews and decides the out-of-pocket claims. The official website also hosts a separate airbag-unit settlement with another carmaker; the Hyundai and Kia pages are their own section of it. Our notice check compares a message's address with the official one.

What is still open, and by when

The claim period is 18 months from the Final Approval Order, which is how the site reaches its date. Since the exclusion and objection dates are over, the choice left is whether to file. Staying in the class means releasing claims for economic loss; the FAQ says claims for personal injury, wrongful death and physical damage to property are not released. Our options guide explains what a release is.

What a claimant can receive

The FAQ puts the settlement at $62,100,100 JND Legal Administration, official settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026 in payments and credits. Not all of that is cash for owners: it includes a $10,000,000 credit to Hyundai and Kia for future loaner vehicles and outreach, and an outreach program budget of $3,500,000. The court awarded class counsel $20,493,033.30 (33%) in fees and costs. The money for owners comes in two parts:

• Reimbursement of documented out-of-pocket recall costs, such as a rental car or other transport, towing, childcare, repair of the airbag control unit, or lost wages. Only owners of Recalled Vehicles can claim it, and it takes proof: a “receipt or invoice, or a signed affidavit.”
• A residual payment of up to $350 for a Recalled Vehicle or up to $150 for an Unrecalled Vehicle, shared per capita, after reimbursement claims are paid. For proof, the claim form takes the Unique ID from the notice; without it, ownership documents may be requested JND Legal Administration, official settlement websitechecked October 1, 2026, such as title, registration, a purchase or lease agreement, or insurance papers showing your name and the VIN.

"Up to" is the notice's own wording: the residual amount is set only after reimbursements are paid, so nobody knows it yet, and this page does not estimate it. Separate from cash, the settlement gives a New Parts Warranty (10 years, starting April 14, 2025) and an inspection program.

When payments come

The FAQ says payments for approved out-of-pocket expenses are issued after the Effective Date, and the settlement agreement ties that date to whether anyone appeals the final approval order. The official site gives no Effective Date and no payment date. We read the court docket as mirrored on CourtListener (Docket, In re: ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units Products Liability Litigation) when this page was checked: it lists no notice of appeal from the final approval order, but a mirror can miss entries, so the official website remains the place where a payment date will appear. Our payments guide explains how an appeal delays payment.

Where documents and other websites differ

• The claim deadline. The amended long-form notice, written before final approval, gives an earlier, projected claim date. The site's key dates, the FAQ, the claim page and the claim form all give April 8, 2027, which follows the rule above. A reader holding the long-form notice may see the earlier date.
• The hearing time. The notice set a morning hearing in the courtroom. A later order (see Dkt. 1066, Order Continuing Hearing on Final Approval and Providing Supplemental Class Notice, filed 09/15/25) moved it to the afternoon of the same day, by video. Some sites still show the morning time.
• "Proposed" settlement. The site's home page and the long-form notice still say "proposed" and "if approved". The FAQ, the key dates and the court's order show final approval was granted.
• The headline amount. Some summaries present the total as cash for owners. As shown above, it includes credits and programs, and the per-car payment is residual.
• Which cars were recalled. Some lists treat whole model years as recalled. The site says only certain years, and certain VINs, fall in each group.

Sources

1. Home | In re: ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units Products Liability LitigationJND Legal Administration, official settlement website
2. FAQ (Hyundai-Kia Airbag Control Unit Settlement)JND Legal Administration, official settlement website
3. Key DatesJND Legal Administration, official settlement website
4. File a Claim (claim form instructions)JND Legal Administration, official settlement website
5. Hyundai-Kia Airbag Control Unit Settlement Notice (AMENDED), long formU.S. District Court, C.D. Cal., hosted on the official site
6. Claim Form Instructions and Claim Form (AMENDED)Official settlement website
7. Dkt. 1082, Civil Minutes (In Chambers) Order re Motion for Final Approval of Class Settlement, filed 10/08/25U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal., Hon. John A. Kronstadt
8. Dkt. 1066, Order Continuing Hearing on Final Approval and Providing Supplemental Class Notice, filed 09/15/25U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal.
9. Settlement Agreement (In re ZF-TRW, all actions against the Hyundai and Kia Defendants)Settling parties, filed as Dkt. 1027-1, hosted on the official site
10. JND Legal Administration home pageJND Legal Administration
11. Contact UsJND Legal Administration, official settlement website
12. Important DocumentsJND Legal Administration, official settlement website
13. Dkt. 1036, Order re Motion for Preliminary Approval, filed 04/14/25U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal.
14. Docket, In re: ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units Products Liability LitigationU.S. District Court, C.D. Cal., MDL 2:19-ml-02905 docket as mirrored by CourtListener

Each source listed here was read on October 1, 2026.