Kia Window Regulator Settlement: How to Claim by November 23
Paid to fix a power window on a 2016-2017 Kia Optima or 2017 Sportage? Claim up to $400 per repair by Nov. 23. Opting out and objecting close Oct. 23.
If you paid out of pocket to fix a power window on a 2016 or 2017 Kia Optima or a 2017 Kia Sportage, you have until November 23, 2026 to claim some of it back, and the same settlement offers a $40 dealer card to current owners who did not pay for a repair. The settlement website says “If you purchased or leased certain 2016-2017 Kia Optima or 2017 Kia Sportage vehicles, you may be entitled to benefits from a class action settlement.” Opting out and objecting close a month earlier, on October 23, and a list of ten groups are excluded from the class, so check the exclusions before you spend time on the paperwork.
The quick answer
- Who is in: residents of the United States and D.C. who “presently own or lease a Class Vehicle” or “previously owned or leased a Class Vehicle,” unless one of ten exclusions applies
- Which vehicles: “certain 2016-2017 model year Kia Optima and all 2017 Kia Sportage vehicles, as identified by a defined Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) list.” Check your VIN on the site
- What you get: a percentage of what you paid for a window regulator repair, capped from $400 down to $160 depending on mileage, for up to four repairs per VIN. Current owners can instead take a $40 Dealer Service Card
- Deadline: November 23, 2026, online or postmarked. A late claim “will be the same as doing nothing”
- Opt-out and objection deadline: October 23, 2026
- Court status: the final approval hearing is January 7, 2027. Payments come after approval and after any appeals
Key facts at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Case | Le Beau v. Kia America, Inc., No. 8:22-cv-01545-FWS-JDE, U.S. District Court, Central District of California |
| Vehicles | Certain 2016-2017 Kia Optima and all 2017 Kia Sportage, by VIN list |
| Repair benefit | 40% to 100% of what you paid, capped at $160 to $400 per repair, by mileage at failure |
| Limit | Up to four repairs per VIN |
| Alternative | $40 Dealer Service Card, current owners only |
| Claim deadline | November 23, 2026 |
| Opt-out and objection deadline | October 23, 2026 |
| Fix a rejected claim | 30 days after the deficiency notice |
| Hearing | January 7, 2027, 10:00 a.m. Pacific, Courtroom 10D |
| Mail address | Kia Window Regulator Settlement, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391 |
| Phone | (833) 930-0988, toll free |
The date that comes first: October 23
Opting out and objecting are both due October 23, 2026, a month before the claim deadline. The FAQ explains the trade: “Unless you exclude yourself (opt out), you give up any right to sue Kia for the claims that this Settlement resolves.” That covers claims about the window regulator defect and related entities listed in the Settlement Agreement. It does not cover everything: the FAQ says “nothing in this Settlement will prohibit you from pursuing claims for: (i) death; (ii) personal injury; (iii) damage to property other than to a Class Vehicle; (iv) subrogation; or (v) any and all claims that relate to something other than a Class Vehicle and the alleged defect here.”
If you have your own lawsuit against Kia over the same issue, the FAQ says “You must exclude yourself from this Class to continue your own lawsuit.” If you opt out you get no payment and cannot object. If you object, you stay in and can still claim.
What the lawsuit says
The plaintiffs allege that the vehicles “suffer from a defect that can cause the automatic window regulators with drums/gears to separate or break, resulting in an inoperative window regulator and the malfunction of the power window system.” Kia denies these claims, and the FAQ says “The Settlement does not mean that Kia broke any laws or did anything wrong, and the Court did not decide which side was right.”
Who is in the class
The class is “All residents of the United States and the District of Columbia (excluding U.S. territories), who (1) presently own or lease a Class Vehicle or (2) who previously owned or leased a Class Vehicle.” The exclusions are long and several catch ordinary situations, so read them against your own car:
- Kia America and its related companies
- Insurers of the vehicles, and anyone claiming to be subrogated to a class member’s rights
- Issuers of extended warranties or service contracts
- People who validly and timely opt out
- Owners of vehicles “deemed a total loss (i.e. salvage)”
- Owners who “previously have released their claims against Kia America”
- Buyers or lessees of “fleet” vehicles, meaning rentals or company vehicles
- Dealerships that owned the car “during the time it needed a Window Regulator Repair”
- The judge and the judge’s immediate family
To check your car, use the site’s VIN Lookup or call (833) 930-0988. The FAQ says the VIN “is located on a small placard on the top of the dashboard and is visible through the driver’s side corner of the windshield,” and “Your VIN should have 17 characters.”
What you can get
Kia provides benefits “on a claims-made basis,” meaning you get nothing unless you file. The repair benefit reimburses an “Out-of-Pocket Cost,” defined as the amounts “actually paid by a Class Member for parts and labor for a Window Regulator Repair at an authorized Kia dealership or at a reputable third-party repair facility whose legitimacy may be verified.” The cap depends on the mileage when the part failed:
| Mileage at the time of the out-of-warranty failure | Share of what you paid | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35,000 miles | 100% | $400 |
| 35,001 to 55,000 | 80% | $320 |
| 55,001 to 75,000 | 60% | $240 |
| 75,001 to 125,000 | 45% | $180 |
| 125,001 and up | 40% | $160 |
Two details change what you can recover. First, the reimbursement covers “up to a maximum of 4x per VIN,” so up to four eligible repairs on the same car. At the top tier that is up to $1,600, which is our arithmetic, not a figure from the settlement. Second, the repair must be a Window Regulator Repair: a repair “to address a contention that one or more of the power windows on a Class Vehicle do not roll up or down,” and the FAQ says qualifying repairs “reflect the replacement of one or more of the following part numbers on a repair order.” Look at your repair order to see whether it names a replaced regulator.
The dealer card. “Alternatively, in lieu of a claim for reimbursement of an Out-of-Pocket Cost, for current Class Vehicle owners only, Class Members may make a Claim to receive a Dealer Service Card valued at $40.” Former owners cannot take it, and it replaces the reimbursement claim. The FAQ adds that both kinds of claim “must be submitted with Required Documentation,” and tells you to see the claim form for what that is for each claim. Read the form before you gather papers.
How to file
Online. Use “Submit Claim” on the site. The online form walks through a login, your contact information, proof of class membership, the reimbursement or dealer card section, payment selection, and an attestation. The FAQ says the claim form must be “signed under penalty of perjury.”
By mail. Complete the paper form and send it with your documents to the P.O. box above, postmarked by November 23, 2026. Keep a copy: “Please keep a copy of your completed Claim Form and all documentation you submit for your own records.”
If your claim has a problem. The FAQ says “If a Claim is found to be deficient and is rejected during the review process by the Claims Administrator, the Settlement Class Member will be notified of the deficiency,” and the member then has “an opportunity to remedy the deficiency within 30 days of the notice.”
When the money comes
Payments follow approval. The FAQ says “valid Claims will be paid as they are approved after the Effective Date,” and the Effective Date depends on whether anyone objects: it is “the date following the entry of the Final Judgment and Order” if there are no objectors, but if there are objections it is “the date on which the time for any appeal expires, or the date on which all appeals from the Final Judgment and Order are finally decided or terminated, whichever date is later.” The hearing is January 7, 2027, so expect payments after that. The site has not posted a date.
Where the documents disagree
How to opt out. The home page says “Requests for Exclusion (Opt-Out Requests) must be submitted online or postmarked by October 23, 2026.” The FAQ is stricter: “You cannot ask to be excluded from the Settlement over the phone. You must mail or deliver your letter with your exclusion request postmarked no later than October 23, 2026.” If you want out, send a signed letter by mail with your name, VIN, model year, and purchase or lease dates, and do not rely on an online option.
Which document controls. The FAQ says “If there is any conflict between this Settlement Website and the Settlement Agreement, the Settlement Agreement governs.” The site is a summary. Use the Documents page for the full agreement.
What the lawyers get
Class counsel will ask for fees, costs, and expenses “in an amount not to exceed $1,244,000.00” and service awards of “$1,500.00 each” for the four class representatives, or $6,000 in total (our arithmetic). The court “may award amounts different than what Class Counsel seek.” The FAQ does not say whether those payments come out of a fund that also pays class members; the benefits themselves are reimbursements on a claims-made basis.
What doing nothing means
“If you do not submit a valid Claim Form by the Claims Deadline, you may not receive payment, but you will be bound by the Court’s judgment.” Unless you opt out, you give up the right to sue Kia over the window regulator defect.
Check that it is real
The home page says “A federal court authorized this website. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer.” File only on the official site or by mail to the Kroll P.O. box above. Treat any message that asks you to pay a fee to claim as suspect.
Quick answers to what people search
Is the Kia window regulator settlement real? Yes. It is a federal class action, No. 8:22-cv-01545-FWS-JDE in the Central District of California, with a hearing on January 7, 2027.
How much will I get? A percentage of what you paid for the repair, capped from $400 to $160 by mileage, for up to four repairs per VIN, or a $40 dealer card if you are a current owner who did not pay.
What is the claim deadline? November 23, 2026, online or postmarked.
Do I need receipts? The settlement requires “Required Documentation,” and the claim form lists what it is for each claim. Start from your repair order.
I sold the car. Can I still claim? Yes if you previously owned it and paid for a qualifying repair, but the dealer card is for current owners only.
Should I opt out? Only if you want to keep the right to sue Kia. The deadline is October 23, and it must be a mailed letter.
When will I be paid? After the January 7, 2027 hearing and any appeals. The site has not given a date.
Bottom line
Check your VIN, find the repair order for any window regulator you paid for, and file by November 23, 2026. If you are a current owner with no repair bill, the $40 Dealer Service Card is the alternative. Decide about opting out before October 23, and send that as a signed letter by mail. The reimbursement shrinks with mileage, so the number on the repair order matters.
Class definition, benefits, deadlines, claim instructions, fees, and contact details quoted from the court-authorized settlement website, its FAQ, and the online claim form instructions, read on October 6, 2026. Settlement terms can change, and the settlement site is the authority on your claim. This is general information, not legal advice.