TORONTO, Jan. 12, 2026 /CNW/ – Siskinds LLP (London & Toronto), Sotos LLP (Toronto), Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman LLP (CFM) (Vancouver), and Siskinds Desmeules s.e.n.c.r.l. (Québec City) announced today court approval of a protocol for distributing settlements totalling approximately $50 million in nine class actions relating to the alleged price fixing of certain automotive parts. This will be the third and final distribution in the auto parts class actions.
The class actions are part of 45 class actions brought in Canada alleging unlawful conspiracies to fix prices of auto parts for installation in new vehicles. The settled defendants have not admitted any wrongdoing or liability.
There have been extensive criminal investigations around the globe related to the alleged price-fixing of automotive parts. These cases make up the largest antitrust investigation in history in terms of the number of affected parts, implicated parties, and fines imposed.
"In Canada, price-fixing conspiracies are prohibited by the Competition Act. The Canadian auto parts class actions allege that the defendants conspired to fix prices for certain automotive parts, causing Canadian businesses and consumers to overpay for vehicles containing those parts", explained Linda Visser, a partner at Siskinds in London. "The settlements seek to redress that alleged harm."
The Ontario, British Columbia and/or Québec courts approved the settlements and protocol for distributing the settlement funds to purchasers of vehicles affected by the alleged conspiracy. The affected brands and time periods vary from case to case.
There have been two previous rounds of distribution. Where the affected vehicles eligible for payment in the third distribution overlap with those covered in the previous two distributions, there will be no further opportunity to claim in respect of those vehicles. This is to reduce the time and needless administrative expense involved with a further claims process if there is overlap. Settlement class members were advised in previous court-approved notices that there would be no further opportunity to make claims for overlapping settlements. Settlement class members who filed a claim in an earlier distribution and consented to their information being used in any subsequent distribution will automatically be considered for compensation.
The following vehicles do not overlap with previous distributions and are eligible for new settlement fund claims by settlement class members:
- BMW/Mini Cooper (newly-purchased or leased between December 5, 2014 to May 31, 2017)
- Ford/Lincoln/Mercury (newly-purchased or leased between August 1, 2015 to May 31, 2017)
- Hyundai/Kia (newly-purchased or leased between January 1, 2007 to May 31, 2016)
- Mercedes-Benz/Smart (newly-purchased or leased between November 29, 2004 to May 31, 2017)
- Mitsubishi (newly-purchased or leased between July 1, 1998 to July 31, 2015)
- Suzuki (newly-purchased or leased between July 1, 1998 to May 31, 2016)
For the above vehicles, settlement class members (consumers, dealerships, and businesses) must file a claim to be considered for compensation.
No wrongdoing is alleged against the Automakers. They are not defendants in the class actions. The class actions were brought against the parts manufacturers who allegedly price-fixed those products.
In total, between the three distributions, more than $185.5 million has been recovered for the benefit of Canadians in the auto parts class actions. "We are proud to have recovered a significant amount of money for Canadian consumers and businesses", said Michelle Segal, BC counsel at CFM, Vancouver.