The automotive parts price-fixing settlement is in its payout phase: the settlement administrator, Epiq, began issuing pro-rata distribution checks to authorized claimants in September 2025, and every claims filing window is now closed.1AutoPartsClass.com. Auto Parts Settlements The consumer settlements total more than $1.2 billion — described as the largest antitrust indirect-purchaser recovery in U.S. history — and no new claims are being accepted.2Robins Kaplan LLP. In Re Automotive Parts Antitrust Class Action
Payments Went Out in September 2025
Checks were calculated pro rata based on the claims received across five rounds of settlements approved between 2016 and early 2023.3AutoPartsClass.com. Auto Parts Settlements FAQ A $100 minimum threshold applies: eligible claimants whose calculated share fell below that amount do not receive a payment. Epiq mailed distribution checks to qualifying claimants in September 2025.1AutoPartsClass.com. Auto Parts Settlements
If Your Check Hasn’t Arrived
Claimants who filed on time but had not received a check by the end of October 2025 were directed to contact the settlement administrator. The website still handles administrative matters such as legal name changes, estate issues, and requests tied to closed businesses, but it will not accept new claims.1AutoPartsClass.com. Auto Parts Settlements
- Mail: Auto Parts Settlements, c/o Epiq, P.O. Box 2017, Portland, OR 97208-2017
- Phone: 1-877-940-5043
- Website: AutoPartsClass.com
Who Qualified for a Payout
Eligibility ran to consumers and businesses who bought or leased a new qualifying vehicle in the United States, or who indirectly purchased a qualifying replacement part, during the conspiracy periods for the parts at issue. Those periods varied by component but generally spanned 2002 to 2018. Qualifying vehicles were four-wheeled passenger cars, vans, SUVs, crossovers, and pickup trucks.3AutoPartsClass.com. Auto Parts Settlements FAQ
The consumer settlements were structured in five rounds. Rounds 1 through 4 covered the bulk of the parts categories, with a claims deadline of June 18, 2020. Round 5, which added settlements with Bosal (exhaust systems), Bosch (braking systems), and TRW (hydraulic braking systems), closed on January 23, 2023.3AutoPartsClass.com. Auto Parts Settlements FAQ For the Round 5 monetary settlements, claimants also had to have resided (or had a principal place of business) in the District of Columbia or one of 30 specified states, including California, New York, Michigan, Florida, and Texas.4AutoPartsClass.com. Round 5 Long Form Notice
Excluded from the class: the defendants and their affiliates, government entities, and anyone who bought parts directly from the manufacturers or purchased them for resale.4AutoPartsClass.com. Round 5 Long Form Notice
What the Case Was About
The litigation, consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan as MDL No. 2311 beginning in 2012, alleged a years-long conspiracy among auto parts suppliers to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate markets for more than 50 vehicle components. Those parts ended up in millions of new cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans sold in the United States, so vehicle buyers ultimately paid inflated prices.5CRA International. Connecting the Dots
Approved consumer settlements covered air conditioning systems, alternators, bearings, brake hoses, ceramic substrates, exhaust systems, fuel injection systems, ignition coils, occupant safety systems, oxygen sensors, radiators, shock absorbers, spark plugs, starters, switches, valve timing devices, windshield wiper and washer systems, and wire harness products.6AutoPartsAntitrustLitigation.com. In Re Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation – Direct Purchaser
The defendants included DENSO, Yazaki, Bosch, Bridgestone, Mitsubishi Electric, Continental, Schaeffler, Panasonic, Autoliv, Toyoda Gosei, NGK, Sumitomo Electric, KYB, and many others.7Law360. In Re Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation Individual payouts varied widely. DENSO alone paid $193.8 million to end-payor consumers and businesses in the main federal class action.8Susman Godfrey LLP. $193.8 Million Settlement With DENSO
Related Recoveries That Aren’t Part of the Consumer Payout
Two other tracks produced money in this matter, but neither pays out to the consumer class. A separate direct-purchaser track, representing automakers and dealers who bought parts directly from the defendants, reached roughly $385 million in total settlements.7Law360. In Re Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation9Morgan Lewis. Auto Parts Appendix A-B10U.S. Department of Justice. Yazaki and DENSO Plea Agreements Criminal fines go to the government, not to individual consumers.
The Case Status Today
The MDL docket remains open under District Judge F. Kay Behm, who took over after judicial reassignments in July 2025. As of May 2026, activity on the docket consisted of motions for reconsideration and routine administrative filings, consistent with a case in its final wind-down phase.11CourtListener. Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation Docket For claimants, the practical reality is simpler: if you filed by the applicable deadline and your calculated share met the $100 threshold, your check went out in September 2025. If it didn’t arrive, contact Epiq.