Autoliv Inc. Agrees to $65M Settlement in Auto Parts Price-Fixing MDL

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On Monday, Autoliv Inc. agreed to a $65 million class action settlement with direct purchasers, auto dealers and consumers in antitrust litigation alleging auto parts manufacturers conspired to fix prices of various automotive parts.

The Swedish auto parts manufacturer has already paid $14.5 million to the U.S. government under a plea deal in a related criminal investigation. Autoliv was investigated for its role in an alleged conspiracy to fix the prices of occupant safety systems including seat belts, air bags and steering wheels.

Autoliv indicated that it has agreed to three separate class action settlements to exit the massive multidistrict litigation (MDL) over allegations of price-fixing in the automotive parts industry. Under the terms of the antitrust class action settlements, Autoliv will pay $40 million to the direct purchasers of occupant safety systems manufactured by the company. Autoliv will also pay $19 million to consumers and $6 million to auto dealers to resolve its portion of the MDL.

Autoliv has not admitted any liability but agreed to settle the class action lawsuits to avoid the risk and expense of ongoing litigation. The auto parts manufacturer is the latest to reach a class action settlement related to allegations of price-fixing of more than 30 types of auto parts.

In January, Japanese auto parts manufacturer Nippon Seiki Co. Ltd. agreed to pay $4.56 million to exit the antitrust MDL. Nippon Seiki also pleaded guilty in the federal criminal investigation and paid $1 million as a criminal fine for conspiring with other auto parts manufacturers to fix the prices of vehicle instrument panels.

Last month, Lear Corp. agreed to pay $8.75 million to settle its portion of the auto parts antitrust MDL. The company allegedly conspired with other auto parts makers to fix the prices of automotive wire harness systems.

Although these class action settlements are a step forward in resolving the massive antitrust MDL, auto parts manufacturers are still being hit with class action lawsuits accusing them of conspiring to fix the prices of various car parts.

In February, new auto parts price-fixing class action lawsuits were filed separately against Panasonic Corp., Hitachi Automotive Systems Inc., Mitsuba Corp. and other automotive parts makers. These class action lawsuits accuse the car part makers of conspiring to fix the prices of air flow meters, electronic throttle bodies, high-intensity discharge ballasts, power window motors, steering angle sensors, automatic transmission fluid warmers and electronic-powered steering assemblies.

Details about how to file a claim for the Autoliv class action settlement were 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.

The direct purchasers are represented by Freed Kanner London & Millen LLC, Kohn Swift & Graf PC and Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios LLP, among others. The consumers are represented by Cotchett Pitre & McCarthy LLP, Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi LLP and Susman Godfrey LLP, among others. The auto dealers are represented by Barrett Law Group PA, Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca LLP and Larson King LLP, among others.

The Auto Parts Price-Fixing MDL is In re: Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 2:12-md-02311, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

UPDATE: On Oct. 7, 2016, JTEKT Corp. will reportedly pay $62.5 million to settle allegations it participated in a massive conspiracy to fix the price of automotive parts, including automotive bearings and electric powered steering assemblies.

UPDATE 2: September 2017, the automotive wire harness antitrust class action lawsuit have secured settlements from five defendants worth more than $249 million. Click here to file a claim.