Hyundai, Kia Fuel Economy Class Action Settlement Approved

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On Thursday, a California federal judge preliminarily approved a class action settlement that will resolve allegations that Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America overstated the fuel efficiency of some of their vehicles.

The class action settlement, if it receives final approval, will resolve dozens of class action lawsuits that allege Hyundai and Kia falsely advertised the fuel efficiency of more than 900,000 vehicles. The fuel efficiency class action lawsuits were filed following the car companies’ November 2012 announcement that they would adjust the mileage estimates for some of their vehicles because they did not follow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s requirements for testing fuel efficiency when they released their earlier mileage estimates.

In preliminarily approving the fuel economy class action settlement, U.S. District Judge George H. Wu expressed concerns with the proposed Class notice, but otherwise the settlement terms met the criteria for approval. He previously expressed concern about the claims process in a hearing held on June 26, but indicated that he was likely to approve the class action settlement once those concerns were addressed.

Under the terms of the fuel efficiency class action settlement, current owners and lessees of certain Hyundai vehicles would be eligible for a payment ranging from $140 to $590, while current owners and lessees of affected Kia vehicles could receive a payment ranging from $50 to $1,420. Class Members who own or lease cars featured in Hyundai’s “4×40” marketing campaign may qualify for an additional payment ranging from $50 to $100.

At Thursday’s hearing, Judge Wu said that the additional information about the class action settlement benefits addressed his main concerns about the deal, but indicated that he was still not satisfied with the Class notice. However, he said he would meet with the parties’ attorneys to improve the notice.

Hyundai and Kia have established websites that contain more information about the litigation and the proposed class action settlement. Visit https://hyundaimpginfo.com/ or https://kiampginfo.com/ for a reimbursement estimate to find out how much you could receive from the fuel economy settlement.

More information about how to file a claim for the fuel economy class action settlement was not immediately available. Keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates. You can also mark this article as a “Favorite” using your free Top Class Actions account to receive notifications when this article is updated.

Class Members are represented by Elaine T. Byszewski, Robert B. Carey and Steve W. Berman of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Richard D. McCune of McCuneWright LLP.

The Hyundai, Kia Fuel Efficiency MDL is Hyundai and Kia Fuel Economy Litigation, Case No. 2:13-ml-02424, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

UPDATE 1: A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit alleging Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Motor Company misrepresented the fuel economy of certain Hyundai vehicles. Consumers who purchased or leased certain Hyundai vehicles could be eligible for a cash payment or other benefits. Learn more at the Hyundai Fuel Economy Settlement.

UPDATE 2: As of Apr. 11, 2016, six different appeals have been filed concerning the Hyundai Fuel Economy Settlement. Until the Court resolves those appeals, the Claims Administrator is unable to mail out settlement funds.