Woman warns Kia and Hyundai drivers about defective airbags in certain models. You might qualify for settlement money

A TikTok user is telling Kia and Hyundai owners about a big class action settlement that could get them money for broken airbag parts. The settlement covers millions of cars that may have bad airbag control units.

Gemma, who posts as @gemma_fraser on TikTok, made a video telling drivers of some Kia and Hyundai models to check if they can get money from the settlement. She told her followers that both car companies are dealing with lawsuits over safety problems with their airbags.

In her video, Gemma said people should check the PayMe app to see if they can file a claim. PayMe is a payment app that helps people connect to class action lawsuit settlements. “This is a safety concern, because they allegedly have airbags in them that don’t really work the way that airbags are supposed to,” Gemma said in the video. “So, picture this, you’re driving and you get in an accident and you’re relying on those airbags to protect you. But, guess what, they don’t work right.”

So, what’s going on with this settlement?

Hyundai and Kia agreed to pay $62.1 million to settle a class action lawsuit over broken ZF-TRW airbag control units. The lawsuit says these parts can break down because of something called electrical overstress. This could make airbags and other safety features stop working during a crash. Both companies say they did nothing wrong but agreed to the settlement to avoid more legal costs.

The court gave final approval to the settlement on October 8, 2025. People who owned or leased certain Kia and Hyundai cars as of April 14, 2025, may be able to file claims. The last day to send in a claim is March 29, 2027.

Owners of recalled cars can get their money back for things like rental cars and towing costs when they got their cars fixed. All people who qualify can also get payments of up to $350 for recalled cars and up to $150 for cars that were not recalled. These payments are available even if someone did not spend any money on repairs.

The recalled cars include some 2011 to 2013 Hyundai Sonata models, 2011 to 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid models, and several Kia models from 2010 to 2013. These are the Kia Forte, Forte Koup, Optima, Optima Hybrid, and Sedona. The settlement also covers cars that were not recalled from both brands made between 2013 and 2023. This includes the Hyundai Kona, Veloster, and newer models of the Sonata and Optima. This is not the first time unusual dashboard warnings have concerned drivers.

People can check if their car is part of the settlement by putting in their Vehicle Identification Number on the official settlement website at ACUSettlement.com. They can file claims online or by mail through the settlement administrator. While this settlement deals with airbag safety problems, car owners should always be careful about following questionable vehicle maintenance advice they see online.