A $50M settlement is being paid out to Canadian car buyers but the deadline is almost here

If you bought or leased a vehicle in Canada between 1998 and 2017, you have until Tuesday to claim your share of a nearly $50 million class action settlement. This is the third and final round of distributions, meaning there’s no coming back if you miss it.

The settlement stems from a series of class action lawsuits alleging that auto parts manufacturers colluded to inflate the cost of 45 different components, driving up vehicle prices for consumers across the country. More than one million eligible Canadian vehicle owners are set to receive a piece of the pot.

If you filed a claim in an earlier round, you’re already being considered. But if your vehicle falls into one of the newly added categories below, you need to submit a claim at autopartsettlement.ca before May 12:

• BMW and Mini Cooper: December 5, 2014 to May 31, 2017
• Ford, Lincoln and Mercury: August 1, 2015 to May 31, 2017
• Hyundai and Kia: January 1, 2007 to May 31, 2016
• Mercedes-Benz and Smart: November 29, 2004 to May 31, 2017
• Mitsubishi: July 1, 1998 to July 31, 2015
• Suzuki: July 1, 1998 to May 31, 2016

Covered brands include Toyota, Honda, Ford, GM, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, and several others. Cars, SUVs, vans, and light trucks all qualify as long as they were purchased or leased from a major manufacturer during the covered period.

The payout won’t be life-changing. Each approved claim is estimated at a minimum of $25, with final amounts depending on how many total claims get filed. In some cases your purchase information may already be pre-filled through manufacturer data, so you might not need to dig up old paperwork.

Claims can be submitted directly from the settlement’s website.