You received a Notice because your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) indicates that your vehicle may be included in this Settlement. Alternatively, you can enter your VIN on the VIN lookup page to confirm your vehicle is included in the Settlement. The VIN is a 17-character number that can be found on the driver's side dashboard or driver’s side door post. The VIN also appears on your registration card and insurance card.

A proposed class action settlement has followed from allegations that some Mazda vehicles were manufactured, marketed, distributed, sold, and/or leased containing defective valve stem seals which causes excessive oil consumption (the alleged “Valve Stem Seal Defect”). This is caused by damage to the valve stem seals on the exhaust side of the engine. To eliminate this concern, the design of these valve stem seals has been modified. Mazda denies any wrongdoing. The parties have reached a settlement to avoid the costs of litigation, and provide class members relief, repair, a warranty extension and compensation for qualifying past oil refills or oil changes.

In a class action lawsuit, one or more persons, called class representatives, sue on behalf of other people who have similar claims. All of these people are considered to be part of a class, or class members. The class representatives and all class members are called the plaintiffs, and the company they sued are called the defendant. One court resolves the issues for all class members, except for those who take the necessary steps to exclude themselves from the class.

The Court has not decided in favor of Plaintiffs or Defendant in this lawsuit. Instead, both sides agreed to a settlement with no decision or admission of who is right or wrong. That way, all parties avoid the risks and cost of a trial, and the people affected (the “Settlement Class Members”) will receive compensation more quickly.

Counsel for Plaintiffs and the Settlement Class Members have considered the substantial settlement benefits that will be given to the Settlement Class Members and balanced these benefits with the risk of continued litigation. They considered the value of the immediate benefit to Settlement Class Members versus the costs and delay of continued litigation through trial and appeals, and the risk that the Court might not certify the proposed class. Even if Plaintiffs were successful in litigation, Settlement Class Members might not have received any benefits for years.

The Court will be holding a hearing to approve or disapprove of the Settlement before it becomes final.

If you are still unsure whether you are included, you can call or email the Claim Administrator at info@MazdaValveStemSealSettlement.com or 1-877-231-0642.

The Settlement provides the following benefits:

To qualify, you must have owned or leased one of the affected Mazda vehicles listed above (specific to the VIN—see VIN ranges in FAQ 4) that have the affected valve stem seals and excessive oil consumption.

1. Replacement of the affected valve stem seals in included vehicles (certain conditions apply as outlined in FAQ 7);
2. Extension of Mazda’s Powertrain Limited Warranty from 60 months and 60,000 miles, whichever comes first, to 84 months and 84,000 miles, whichever comes first, for all Settlement Class Vehicles;
3. Reimbursement of certain out-of-pocket costs incurred by a current or former owner or lessee of a Settlement Class Vehicle who actually incurred and paid out-of-pocket costs for (a) an oil change performed more frequently than the normal interval of 7,500 miles or 1 year, and/or (b) additional engine oil in between the normal interval of 7,500 miles or 1 year; and
4. Loaner vehicles to be provided (subject to dealer availability) for the repair.
    

To qualify, you must have owned or leased one of the affected Mazda vehicles listed above (specific to the VIN—see VIN ranges in FAQ 4) that have the affected valve stem seals and excessive oil consumption.

If the “Low Engine Oil Level” on your vehicle instrument cluster has illuminated before the regular oil change interval of 7,500 miles/1 year, you can go to or contact a Mazda authorized dealership and schedule a repair for the Valve Stem Seals right now.

If the “Low Engine Oil Level” has not illuminated, you can still get a repair right now if your engine oil has been refilled (by the customer or the dealer) before the regular interval because the engine oil was too low.

If neither of the above, you can bring your vehicle to a Mazda authorized dealership for a free-of-charge excessive oil consumption test and, if your vehicle fails the test, you will receive the Valve Stem Seal repair.

The Valve Stem Seal repair involves replacing the valve stem seals on the exhaust side of your vehicle with redesigned valve stem seals.

If you submit a valid Claim Form and accompanying Proof of Oil Change Expense or Additional Engine Oil Purchase to claim reimbursement available under, and in the manner provided by, the terms of this Settlement by October 19, 2024, you will receive a Claim Payment. This date could change, so please visit this website often for the most updated information on the deadline to submit a claim. You can submit a Claim Form here or by mailing a Claim Form to: Mazda Valve Stem Seal Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, PO Box 91414, Seattle, WA 98111.

The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing on August 5, 2024 to decide whether to approve the Settlement. If the Court approves the Settlement, there may be appeals which may delay the conclusion of the case. It is always uncertain whether these appeals can be resolved, and resolving them can take time, so please be patient. Information about the progress of the case will be available on this website.

Unless you exclude yourself, you are staying in the Class, and that means that you can’t sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against Defendant about the legal issues in this case. It also means that all of the Court’s orders will apply to you and legally bind you.  If you sign the Claim Form, you will agree to a Release of claims which describes exactly the legal claims that you give up if you get Settlement benefits. The Release is defined and detailed in the Settlement Agreement, which is available on the Important Documents page.

You do not need to do anything to obtain the extended warranty coverage to your vehicle. Mazda’s Powertrain Limited Warranty will be extended for all Settlement Class Vehicles from 60 months or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first, to 84 months and 84,000 miles, whichever comes first.

If you ask to be excluded, you will not get any settlement payment, and you cannot object to the Settlement. You will not be legally bound by anything that happens or has happened in the lawsuit. You may be able to sue (or continue to sue) Mazda in the future. The deadline for excluding yourself is June 27, 2024.

Any Settlement Class Member who wishes to be excluded from the Settlement Class must submit a request for exclusion (“Request for Exclusion”) to the Claim Administrator at the following address: Mazda Valve Stem Seal Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, PO Box 91414, Seattle, WA 98111. To be effective, the Request for Exclusion must:

1. include the Settlement Class Member’s full name, address, and telephone number;
2. identify the model, model year, and VIN of the Settlement Class Vehicle;
3. state that he/she/it is or was a present or former owner or lessee of a Settlement Class Vehicle; and
4. specifically and unambiguously state his/her/its desire to be excluded from the Settlement Class.

No. Unless you exclude yourself, you will be bound by the Final Order and Judgment, and you give up the right to sue Defendant for the claims that this Settlement resolves. If you have a pending lawsuit, speak to your lawyer in that lawsuit immediately. You must exclude yourself from this Class to continue your own lawsuit.

No. If you exclude yourself, do not submit a Claim Form to ask for any money. But you may sue, continue to sue, or be part of a different lawsuit against Defendant.

There are eight class representatives: Gary Guthrie, Stephanie Crain, Chad Hinton, Julio Zelaya, Anna Gilinets, Marcy Knysz, Lester Woo, and Amy Bradshaw. The Class Representatives will receive their benefits of the Settlement as Class Members, and they will request incentive awards of $2,200 each, to be paid by Mazda, for having pursued this action. No amount of an incentive has been awarded. The Class Representatives will request that the Court approve their awards and the awards are subject to Court Approval.

To represent the class, the Court has appointed attorneys with the law firm of Lemberg Law, LLC, 43 Danbury Road Wilton, CT 06897 as "Class Counsel." Class Counsel will request an award of attorney’s fees and costs to be paid by Mazda. Class Counsel’s petition for an award of attorneys’ fees and costs will be available on the Important Documents page. No amount for fees or costs has been agreed to by Mazda or awarded by the Court. Any attorney’s fee and expense award is subject to Court Approval.  You may hire your own attorney, but only at your own expense.

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you can object to the Settlement, any award of attorneys’ fees, and costs and/or incentive awards to the Plaintiffs. You can give reasons why you think the Court should not approve the Settlement or any awards. The Court will consider your views. The deadline for objecting is June 27, 2024.

Any Settlement Class Member who intends to object to the fairness of this Class Settlement must file any such objection via the Court’s electronic filing system, and if not filed via the Court’s electronic system, must mail the objection to the Court and the following persons, by first-class mail postmarked no later than June 27, 2024: 

The Court:
Attn: Clerk of the Court
Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse
411 West Fourth Street
Santa Ana, CA 92701-4516

Settlement Class Counsel:
Sergei Lemberg
Lemberg Law, LLC
43 Danbury Road, 3rd Floor
Wilton, CT 06897

Defense/Mazda Counsel:
Jahmy S. Graham
Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP
19191 South Vermont Avenue
Torrance, CA 90502

Claim Administrator:
Mazda Valve Stem Seal Settlement
c/o JND Legal Administration
PO Box 91414
Seattle, WA 98111

Objecting is simply telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in the Settlement Class, in which case you will be bound by the Court’s final ruling. Excluding yourself is telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement Class and the Settlement. If you exclude yourself, you have no basis to object because the case no longer affects you.

The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing on August 5, 2024, at 8:30 a.m., in-person at U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse, 411 West Fourth Street, Courtroom 10 A, Santa Ana, CA, 92701-4516. The putative class action case is captioned Guthrie, et al. v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc. d/b/a Mazda North American Operations, No. 8:22-cv-01055 (C.D. Cal.). The Court may hold the Fairness Hearing electronically, reschedule the Fairness Hearing, or change any of the deadlines described in the Notice. The date of the Fairness Hearing may change without further notice to the Settlement Class Members. Be sure to check this website for news of any such changes.

No. Class Counsel will answer questions the Court may have. However, you are welcome to come at your own expense. If you send an objection, you do not have to come to Court to talk about it. As long as your written objection is timely, the Court will consider it. You may also attend or pay your own lawyer to attend, but it is not required.

Yes. If you do not exclude yourself, you may ask the Court’s permission to speak at the hearing. If you intend to appear at the Fairness Hearing personally or through counsel, you or your attorney must file with the Clerk of the Court and serve on all counsel designated in FAQ 17 a notice of intention to appear at the hearing. The notice of intention to appear must include copies of any papers, exhibits, or other evidence, and it must identify the witnesses that will be presented at the hearing. Your notice of intention to appear must be postmarked by June 27, 2024 or it will not be considered, and you will not be allowed to speak at the hearing.

If you do nothing, you will be bound by the terms of the Settlement, you will obtain the extended warranty coverage to your vehicle, and you can get the Valve Stem Seal Defect repair as set forth in FAQ 7. You will not receive any reimbursement for past qualifying expenses unless you submit a claim. By doing nothing, you do give up certain rights to sue Mazda or other Released Persons or Entities.

Customers within any of the 50 States of the U.S. and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or U.S. Virgin Islands whose covered vehicles (1) experienced the Engine Oil Warning Indication Warning light before the recommended service/oil change interval of 7,500 miles or 1 year, or (2) has had the oil refilled before the warning light came on if the customer or dealer noticed that the oil level was too low before the regular service/oil change interval, are requested to visit a dealer for a valve stem seal replacement.

If neither 1 nor 2, customers may bring their vehicle to a Mazda authorized dealership for an oil consumption test.  If the vehicle fails the test, it may receive a valve stem seal replacement.

During the initial one-year period of the Program, Mazda dealers servicing Class Vehicles for any reason will check whether the DTC P250F:00 (“Low Engine Oil Level”) is stored in the memory.  If the code is stored in memory before the regular oil change interval of 7,500 miles or 1 year, even if the engine oil level is not low or decreased at the time of the technicians’ inspection of the vehicle due to previous refilling of oil, the dealer will advise the vehicle owner that they are eligible to receive replacement of the affected valve stem seals under the Program.

You can call toll-free 1-877-231-0642 or email info@MazdaValveStemSealSettlement.com. You may also view the Long Form Notice, the Settlement Agreement, and other important documents on the Important Documents page. You should check the website regularly for updates on the case.

You may also contact the following attorney appointed by the Court to serve as Class Counsel:

Sergei Lemberg
Lemberg Law, LLC
43 Danbury Road, 3rd Floor
Wilton, Connecticut 06897