Rodents Damage Cars By Chewing Electrical Connections: Tips On How To Avoid Costly Repairs

Rodents Damage Cars By Chewing Electrical Connections: Tips On How To Avoid Costly Repairs
Rodents Damage Cars By Chewing Electrical Connections: Tips On How To Avoid Costly Repairs

This is a 2011 column that is still popular today.

I am not a vegetarian, but would be if I had to kill what I ate. I even brake for skunks. But after having two of my car’s electrical systems chewed up my mice, I am more than happy to kill the little rodents.

The second time the dreaded Check Engine Light came on my car I thought, no big deal, it was still under warranty.

Took the car to Hoffman Honda in Avon, Ct., where I discovered it was not a minor matter. Mechanic Steve Moreau checked his diagnostic tool and found that one of the sensors – a crucial one impacting the catalytic converter – was shot.

He popped the hood and to my surprise found a nice mice nest on top of the manifold and the remains of a chewed wire dangling off the sensor. It would have been a minor problem, were it not for the fact that the wire went under the manifold, requiring several hours of work as the top of the engine had to be removed.

My car is just one of hundreds of thousands of vehicles that are damaged by rodents every year. The cost of repair can run anywhere from $50 to thousands of dollars.

Rocky Subramani, who was my service advisor at Hoffman Honda, told me that more than 100 cars were brought to his dealership in the past year because of rodent damage to electrical systems.

“We had three cars just this week,” he told me. The most expensive job was $1,000, but he has had electrical damage that exceeded $3,000 in one vehicle where the rodents chewed up the body harness.

So what makes our vehicles attractive to mice and other rodents? Heat and smell.

Subramani warns customers to clean all food – including sealed bags – out of cars, especially nuts and dog food. Also, anything that smells sweet like vanilla air fresheners.

There are all kinds of tools available on the Internet to try to keep the little varmints out of your car – anything from $20 magnetic mothball holders to thousand dollar metal barriers around your parked vehicle.

He said mothballs in the engine compartment helps keep rodents out. Some have used dryer sheets, liquid peppermint or coyote urine on cotton balls.

Subramani said the first thing people should do is regularly pop the hood and look for signs of a nest or droppings. Considering that this is was the second time in three years I have had this problem – the first involved my Mini Cooper – I have scheduled that monthly check now on my outlook for both vehicles.

And both vehicles are loaded with mothballs under the hood.

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168 Comments on "Rodents Damage Cars By Chewing Electrical Connections: Tips On How To Avoid Costly Repairs"

  1. Patricia Ross | October 6, 2011 at 11:01 am |

    I had the same problem last year. I solved it with poison in my garage which kept the rodents away all year. But before I went to poison, I used cayenne pepper sprinkled on the manifold, that worked until I found evidence of them in my glove compartment they ate a candy bar and part of my registration. And they disovered them in the trunk. D Con is the way to go!!

    • I have to stop and make a reply to anyone who says poison is the way to go Patricia. A Raticator is a much better way. Its an electronic device that kills a rat instantly. 80% of our wildlife is carrying poisons in their systems. If you use poison you will directly help kill an owl, a hawk, bobcat, raccoon or many other types of wildlife. D-Con is the worst. Go to http://www.raticator.com

      • Pete Harrison | December 9, 2015 at 3:16 pm |

        Yeah i have to agree with you Jay. Poison is definitely not the way to go. There are several electric rat zapping devices on the market. All of them do a good job of quickly killing the rat without mess and are cost effective. Here are the 3 top manufacturers of electric rat zappers…

        http://raticator.com/
        http://ratzapper.org/
        http://www.victorpest.com/

        I hope this helps!

      • Hi Jay and Patricia, I see so many comments from people looking for one stop solutions to solving rat issues in their cars. I specifically had rats chew through both of my cars and you are setting yourself up for failure if you just get one type of trap and hope it works. Some solutions work for some people and some work for others and I feel like this is the reason why there are so many posts on these types of articles because the person posting feels like they found the “one” perfect solution. That one solution won’t work for all situations. Electric traps can work great, but they will be useless if you don’t know where to place them. Same thing with poison traps, but again useless if you don’t place them in the right spot. In order to truly defend your car against a rat problem you need to understand their behavior and use combinations of methods that prey upon the multiple senses of the rodent. Here is a great resource I found for more information:
        http://www.howtopreventratsfromeatingcarwires.com/

    • You can buy FOX Urine at walmart and spray at the wheel wells. to keep the critters away

    • Valda Garner | November 2, 2016 at 7:24 pm |

      Just an fyi, rat poisons on the market are single kill only. This is to avoid killing the family dog. When dealing with a formidable foe you must use every strategy available. I use a device that encloses the poison and it can’t be removed from the container.

    • Rats & mice have attacked our auto wiring for over 50 years here at our Texas farm. They don’t care if the wiring is petroleum or soy based – they’ll chew it up either way. Keeping the hood up works for us as long as the vehicle is in a garage, shed or barn. Beware of moth balls. We had a dog that loved them & died within a day of consumption. We also encourage rat snakes in our area, but I realize this isn’t feasible for most readers. πŸ™‚

    • Same problem with 2015 Hyundai. Taking dealer on as we speak. Filed a claim with Hyundai corporate, directly. I’m not going to keep paying for this over and over again. We have 5 cars, lived in the same place for 20 years. Never had this problem before. I should have stuck with Ford! There is a class action lawsuit against Honda for the same thing.

      • We are having the same problem with a 2016 Chevy and a 2015 VW!!
        Neither dealership would cover the damages, we were out the expense.
        Problem is within a week the mice were chewing more! We live in a
        Heavily populated area just outside St. Louis!! No mice in our house. We’re at a loss for how to stop this.

      • Any luck with dealer ? I have a 2016 Hyundai Veloster and dealer says rat chewed on engine harness. The car has only 15,000 miles but warranty will not cover it.

  2. You would think that someone who writes about cars would know that it is “brake” , not “break”! (2nd sentence)

    • In response to Bill G: If you are referring to the author’s statement: “I even brake for skunks.” The spelling is absolutely correct of the word brake. He is using the brakes in his car to keep from hitting a skunk. Therefore he brakes for skunks not He ‘breaks’ for skunks as you are suggesting how he should express himself. He would be stating that he breaks a bone or all of the bones in his body by using ‘break’. Sorry Sir, but you are incorrect with your comment. Bill G.

      • You were reading the version already corrected by George — As indicated by George in October 11. Bill was correct.

  3. Instead of poison, Patricia, get rid of the food in the car! That’s why you had the mice in the first place.

    • phebe chin | July 7, 2012 at 2:20 pm |

      My toyota camery only 4 weeks old. How long to take rodent eats wiring. I feel that this camery stores in the Santa Monica storage area for 10 months? We don’t have rodent at Play Del rey or our home. Why Toyota did not warn their customers? The wiring was made with soy product?

      • Sharon Suddeth | February 19, 2013 at 1:29 pm |

        I also have a new Camry wtih rodent damage. I live in South Carolina. We do not have a rodent problem. My car only had a little over 100 miles when we had to pay for wiring harness to be replaced. Your comment about soy in the wiring is very interesting,how did you learn that? Have you had any other problems? Now my car is in shop with a transmission which may have to be replaced. Did Toyota take any responsable for your wiring repairs? Please take the time to reply.

        • Is this only a problem with Toyota vehicles ??? Every person I know that has had this problem owned a Toyota !

          • George Gombossy | June 23, 2015 at 2:51 pm |

            no

          • wayne parnell | July 3, 2015 at 9:28 am |

            I had to get rid of my 2013 FJ……..huge problems with mice………no fix from Toyota. it started right from new. I have other vehicles parked along side……..never a problem.
            Just leased a new 2015 Tundra replacement. Same problem within weeks. Costing me big money or repairs as harness compromised and repairs extensive. Not impressed as problem is recurring and Toyota’s solution………give me your credit card.

          • I have a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. Main wiring harness chewed by some rodent. Shorted out a bunch of sensors and main computer. Now up to $5500 and counting, vehicle still in the shop after 11 days and no end in site. Fortunately my comprehensive has covered. Why haven’t the car makers addresses this issue, they certainly have known about it for a long time. I’ll tell you why, is a cash cow. No warranty coverage and many people without comprehensive ins. Something needs to be done to hold these manufacturers accountable

          • I have a 2014 4 Runner and toyota is telling me that something ate at the fuel line I have Platinum coverage and they can’t do anything this is insane they said they can tow the car to my house. Are they crazy??? This is too much I am not paying for this

          • My 2016 Mazda just got ate. I parked in the farm shed to keep it out of the hail here in OK . NExt morning it sputtered and auto braked. Opend hood. full of dog food and pieces of chewed wiring. 12000 miles.

          • Harvey Welsh | January 11, 2017 at 1:40 am |

            I own a Hyundai Accent 2013. I had to replace all wiring and plastic under the hood to the tune of $5400.00

          • Kenneth Black | January 25, 2017 at 4:51 pm |

            Hyundai gets wiring harnesses eaten as well.

        • Use “Fresh Cab”. They hate the smell and it smells like Christmas to us. I had a Nissan Rogue that mice infiltrated within 6 mos of owning the car. I bought Fresh Cab and kept it in the glovebox and under the hood and never had a problem again! And, by the way….did NOT have food in the car. They were building behind my house and use have unsettled their habitat. But Fresh Cab is the best ever!! And only about $15 for 4 packets. Replace every 3 mos or so.

      • My 2016 Rav 4 had the wires chewed twice . $500.00 and not covered by warranty. Maybe they can make tires out of meat next and keep the money flowing in on ridiculous situations caused by their creative engineers.

    • That is so not true! I have worked with rodents in a research lab for over 26 years. They are attracted to everything from food to carpet that they could use for nesting material. These newer cars are being manufactured with a soy coating on the wiring. Wonder what genius thought that up? Mice love soy!

  4. George Gombossy | October 7, 2011 at 8:24 am |

    Thanks Bill, I changed it
    gg

  5. Could we have more specifics on exactly where one puts mothballs in the engine compartment ?? I can’t quite envision just sprinkling them around in there !

    I also like ” Mouse Magic” by Bonide, which are tea bags filed with a special grade of oil of peppermint granules used by the grain industry to keep rodents away. Found at Agway, they are ridiculously expensive, however.

    • I use a toddlers sock filled with moth balls and tied with a zip tie on the harness. The heat from engine in winter is also an attractant . I throw the mothballs around the corners of my garage . So far OK. I also had tech use metal duct tape around wire harness to help with problem.

  6. George Gombossy | October 11, 2011 at 8:57 am |

    Good question Debby. I used electrical tape to attach mothballs to areas of the engine that are cooler. You can also purchase magnetic containers that you can fill with mothballs.

    • Harvey Welsh | January 11, 2017 at 1:46 am |

      I found that plastic mothball hooks bought at Walmart work quite well. I hang four (4) around the Motor compartment and remove them to a Large coffee can when the vehicle is being driven.

  7. George Gombossy | October 11, 2011 at 8:18 pm |

    George, I read your article concerning car wiring being eaten by rodents and what you thought attracted them to the wiring. while I am sure your theory makes sense, I have been in the auto repair business for over 45 years, I have owned my own shop for 33 years and I feel qualified to answer your question.
    After many years of finding wiring chewed up by rodents and wondering why we had not seen it with such vengence in the past, I decided to do a little research. In the process I came across an article written in “Motor Age” magazine about a year and a half ago that explained the dilemma. It seems that in an effort to make automobile components more “Green” and environmentally friendly, manufacturers of automotive wiring use “soy” in the production of the insulation for the wiring. The rodents are attracted to the soy which they can eat without much difficulty to their digestive system. I hope you find this information of interest. I just had to find out why — it’s just the mechanic in me — I needed to find the cause!!
    Thank you for allowing me to share this with you. (note) “Motor Age” magazine is published by monthly Hearst Publishing for the automotive trade.

    Richard C.Onofrio

    • You are exactly correct. Just had to take my 6-month old 2013 Honda Pilot to shop due to “check engine” light. Put it on portable checker & raised hood. Mouse chewed wiring to “knocking” sensor which lies several layers into engine ~$500 and of course it is not a warranty item (at least at this point-I’m not thru with them). Tech told me protective coating on wiring has “corn” component but maybe he meant soy. I thought he was just kidding but he said no, it was true. Corn or soy, both are grains which mice eat. Don’t these people have brains to think? Had a 2001 Hyundai and a 2007 GMS Sierra parked in same spot before and never had a problem. Obviously a known product defect they are not taking care of. Is there a class action lawsuit going on out there somewhere? I’ll sign up. Would hate to think I have to get rid of Honda to stop problem.

      • Roberta Jocius | July 2, 2015 at 1:54 pm |

        I just discovered my 2015 Honda Accord with less than 1000 miles on it has to have an $1100 repair not covered under warranty due to chewed fuel lines. Why would a rodent be attracted to the fuel lines? What is it made of and does Honda bear some responsibility here?
        Warning-all new Honda owners!

        • Kathi Stephan | September 8, 2015 at 1:50 pm |

          I have a 2014 Honda Accord with 9,000 miles that is in the dealership for the same thing. I asked American Honda Case Manager is the products are plant-based instead of petroleum-based and that’s why animals are attracted to them. I was told “That’s proprietary information and I don’t have to comment on that.” Are you kidding me? I pay for the car, have a warranty and a maintenance package and Honda doesn’t even want to know me. I just recommended my daughter to Honda. She bought a brand new 2015 CRV. Now we both have to worry about this happening. Even after I pay for this exorbitant repair, it could happen again as soon as I take the car home. There was a report on this on Fox13 News in Tampa Bay. I’m probably going to need to contact a tv station or something since Honda doesn’t want anything to do with me. The Case Manager from American Honda refused to let me speak to a supervisor!!!

          • My wife had the same issue on her 2013 Honda CRV. Ironically, car was shifting rough with automatic transmission whenever she let off accelerator at any speed day 1 driving vehicle home from dealership. Dealership managers can’t even agree on whether our CRV has CVT transmission or not, but they sure knew that there wasn’t any problems!

            End of story, we filed auto insurance claim, no rise of premium as it is a no-fault accident and we pay $500 deductible after taking out $25,000 loan for vehicle and extended warranty and $1500 for PermaPlate and remote start.

            Dealership did mention there is a rodent resistant tape that they have available though. Maybe check that out.

          • Dick johnson | January 28, 2016 at 3:51 pm |

            Our Honda Odyssey 2015 is in shop now for wiring problem. Sales personal have never heard of this problem and it is not covered by warranty. Google rodents and wiring problems. Been going on for a long time.

    • I have a 2004 Chev Tahoe. I had to take it to a mechanic a year and half ago. The wires going to my fuse box had been chewed up and they found some kind of rodents nest. Just had to put it in the shop again because the engine would just sputter out and die. If you let it set for awhile, it would start back up and you could drive it for awhile, then it would sputter and die again. The mechanic this time found a dead rat up under something in my car motor. They replaced the fuel pump, but still having the same problems!

    • Hello please help me I just had my 2015 Toyota Venza with 2 rodents that died behind the radio and the smells continue and it has been at Toyota for 3 weeks. Please how could that happen, when a car it supposed to be sealed please help me

    • This is exactly correct. A technician at my local Mazda dealer also informed me that the cars were being made this way. Stupid! Someone should have done some more research before they thought up such a dumb idea. Mice have always chewed wiring. Not because they want to injest it, but because their teeth continually grow and that is how they trim them down. Now that there is soy covering the wiring, they eat that and can still chew the wires. Some of the newer cars also make their seat stuffing with soy based materials.

  8. the best thing to keep rodents out of your car is Peppermint oil just put some in small bottle caps around the car and mice won’t bother it. also if you spill some it won’t harm you ,i get it at the health food store.
    Richard Griggs

  9. Elwood Stagakis | August 29, 2012 at 6:28 am |

    Use drawstring cloth bag tied under your hood or trunk to hold moth balls, peppermint or dryer sheets

  10. A Rid-A-Rat is a devise that works on light technology developed by a retired aerospace engineer and a animal behavioral specialist. It makes the environment irritating for any animal to stay. It is green,made in the USA by Americans and harmless to pets. They also give a 100% money back guarantee.
    RId-A-Rat’s labs have 100s of hours of video tape of all the urban legends and products that they tested and proved most of them didn’t work.

    • Rid a Rat has done nothing towards stopping the varmints in my two vehicles. Also you had better read that 100% money back guarantee very carefully. It does not cover what happens if it does not stop the varmints from coming on in and making themselves at home in your engines.

  11. Velda Bruce | May 7, 2013 at 1:55 pm |

    We’ve been having problems with rodents, probably mice eating the lines to our gas tank. Any ideas to get rid of these critters?? Thanks in advance!

    • Me too; if you find a solution or even a suggestion, please let me know. I have lost two fuel lines and now a tank filler tube.

  12. I have a brand new 2012 Toyota Highlander with 11,500 miles. In July, my AC started running with no key in the ignition and the key remote control to lock & unlock the car was not working…..but I noticed all this happening after I would take it through a car wash or if we had a heavy rain. This prob happened four times in two weeks. I took it to the dealership and they discovered that a rodent had gotten in and eaten two major cables of some sort -$6400 worth of damage/parts & labor. I was responsible for $500 from deductible, which is annoying since it is a new car from Toyota. I will be contacting Toyota in regards to the GREEN parts that they may be using which is attracting these problems.

    • Any luck after contacting Toyota Elizabeth? This is my 4th occurrence of rodent damage and I’m out of $2,000 thus far-thanks.

    • I am wondering if you had any luck with Toyota also, I have same problem with my Toyota.

    • Tony - Auto Guy | April 8, 2015 at 12:30 pm |

      The problem isn’t a Toyota problem, it is a wiring company problem. The wiring companies made the switch in the coating in an attempt to go green. It doesn’t matter where you go, the switch has been made. So, it affects every car manufacturer out there. I can tell you that I’ve seen vehicles of just about every make and model come in here with rodent damage. It’s a pretty serious issue and I know that auto manufacturers are hoping for a resolution just as much, if not moreso, than consumers!

    • What covered your repairs? I’ve been reading that warranty doesn’t cover damage from rodents. Was it your auto insurance?

  13. Same problem here with a 2008 Nissan Altima. Seems ridiculous that manufacturers that came up with the swell idea of using soy can’t come up with a viable solution to the problem. But then why bother?? My car came out of the shop one week and was back in the next with wires chewed and another $1500 transmission harness ordered. Cha ching. Saw on another site Honda dealer does actually offer a tape with capsaicin to wrap wires with.
    β€’http://www.bernardiparts.com/Honda-TAPE-RODENT-19MM-20M__4019-2317.aspx
    Sorry you’ll have to copy and paste the link. I had the dealer spray the wires with a product called RapLast. It’s made to spray on leg wraps used on horses to keep them from biting at them. It has capsaicin it in as well. Can be sprayed or painted on with a brush but BE CAREFUL. Warning on bottle to make sure you are downwind. Don’t get it on you.
    Good Luck!

  14. Thanks Kay for the tip….I will check into ordering some of that tape!

  15. I find that the car manufacturers could infuse a repellent into the insulation if they so desired or a at least warn the customers of the possible problems however we as consumers always pay the price but I as a consumer will insist that i am informed of any green products that are use in the next vehicle I purchase and I will not buy it until they can insure me that if there is a problem they will fix it at their cost. when more consumers start guarding their purchases like that then perhaps we can see a change in the way people are treated

    • Sure a repellent could be added, then you’ll complain of higher service costs due to technicians needing additional protection to work on “repellent infused” wiring and components…
      Why should the manufacturer pay for a repair due to an animal damaging your vehicle? (That’s what car insurance is for!)…

      • What a ridiculous answer, that car insurance is for that purpose. It is not so that manufacturer’s can recklessly keep putting a material in a car that is attractive to rodents. Why should I pay $20K to $30K or more for a vehicle so that it can get major damage because of the material it has been made with? Apparently you’ve not had a problem such as this. Hopefully you will continue to be one of the lucky ones. I’ve had the problem twice on a 2013 Hyundai, to the tune of $4000 the first time and $5000 the second time. And no sign of rodents in my garage, where the vehicle is kept most of the time. And what happens if insurance companies stop paying for this damage, putting a disclaimer in the policy? Why should they foot the bill because of poor design by the manufacturers? A car is meant to be outside. It should not be made of materials that are attractive to rodents or animals of any kind.

  16. got into my car on cristmas eve check engine light was on car had no power. turns out rodent had chewed through knock sensor wire and ground wire for computer 300 dollars later all is fine im gonna fire my cat

    • Odd…same thing happened to me this past Christmas Eve (2014). I went to start my car and my power steering was gone. Fortunately for me, my son said it could be the belt. He came over and he found a dead rat laying under the belt (that was off). It ran right over the rat and you could see the belt mark across the body. This is the second time I have had a problem. Last time they chewed up my wiring they made a 12″ hole in the insulation under my hood. My car started skipping so bad I didn’t think I could make it to my mechanic. It cost me $400 that time (I haven’t replaced the insulation unit yet). The day after the belt came off I discovered my A/C isn’t working. Wonder how much that will cost me.

    • Funniest one yet!!! Got a hard much needed laugh about your fired cat after having my Toyota truck in the shop for 3 days due to chomped on wires and now a new mass air flow something damaged completely……okay…I want in on the class action suit!!! Can’t WAIT to see the bill!! My mechanic says they hate Lysol spray, I will spray my vehicle, once I get it back WITH moth balls!! Good luck!! Time to get an additional cat to LIVE in your vehicle!! Thanks for the break! Lol!!

  17. it seem to me that the car manufactures r making a lot of money by making soy or corn for the wiring in your cars. the rodents r getting fed and the manufactures r making more money on repairs then what your car is worth. we need to stop buying cars that doesn’t protect the consumers with a warranty on this matter

    • I’m sure the auto manufacturers are purposely using these products to attract rodents and dwell up more business.. smh!
      Guess ya want a warranty from clothes manufacturers againest moths and your home warrantied if its damaged by hail too?

  18. Rodents three times chewed thru my 2004 Pilot’s gas line between the gas cap and the tank. A friend of mine put a hose sleeve around the gas line and stopped the problem. It’s a plastic corrugated hose cover normally used for radiator hoses. It is slotted lengthwise and installation was trivial. I did try the hot sauce by the way and doesn’t seem to effect these squirrels πŸ™‚

  19. Randolf Scott | July 15, 2014 at 5:49 am |

    My 2013 Hyundai Sonata received 400.00 worth of rodent damage under the hood Thanks to soy

  20. I would like to take action. What is the first step I should take? I had the problem in my Sienna and now in my 2013 Rav 4.
    I park next to an older Saturn and a Ford Explorer. They have no problems with rodents in the engine as I have.

    • Elisa Brown | March 22, 2015 at 7:08 pm |

      why should we have to do this, Toyota should come up with a fix. I have owned Toyatas since 1978 and never ever had a problem ’till I purchased a 2012 Toyota Prius. Constant problem is stressing me out. Ant class action lawsuits out there? I’ll sign. Elisa Brown

      • It’s not only Toyotas. We had just left my son’s apartment complex on Sunday after taking him back to college with a new 2016 Ford Fusion when he called us with the car problem. The car is only a month old with less than 500 miles on it. We headed for home and he tried to go to the store to stock his fridge and the check Power Steering light and check Traction Control assist lights on dash came on, wouldn’t go off and the power steering would not work. Thank God he never left his parking lot! Since it was under warranty husband would not turn around, figured he’d contact the dealer to get whatever it was straightened out the next day. Now we are 150 miles away and just contacted by some unknown dealer that the car had to be flat-bedded to that a squirrel chewed the wires, it is going to cost $1,600.00!!! to fix it and it WON’T be covered under the warranty. The car was parked in son’s paved parking lot for less than 24 hours with very few trees in the entire complex. So to say I was skeptical is a major understatement and now to find this website talking about it still leaves me fuming. My father-in-law was a mechanic who owned his own mechanic shop/gas station that my husband started working in when he was 12. He’s now 57 and had NEVER ever heard of this before. Nests, yes; chewing wires, no. I am definitely going to write/contact Consumer Reports about this issue. I hope all who are on here do too, maybe we can stop this insanity if it is the soy-based wiring. However, we are driving the 150 miles back this weekend to see for ourselves. An uninformed 20-year-old college student is a prime target for a car dealership.

        • Brian Engle | February 1, 2016 at 7:20 pm |

          2013 Ford Focus electric completely bricked by rodent chewing through the high voltage wire harness to air conditioner (no joke — to the air conditioner). Required complete replacement of AC compressor because the conductor is not modular! Now that is a not so funny joke!

          On top of it all, Harris ford in lynnwood, WA took 1 month to provide my insurance co with pics. Finally got my car back 1.5 months later. Was treated like a chump and had to jump through hoops to get them to get the job done. Bill: $2500. Meanwhile, my older f150 and merc 420SEL that predate the soy wiring remain unscathed.

          Lesson: don’t buy new; buy a well cared for older Benz and smile all the way to the bank.

          ps: literally the day I got it home (today) I had TWO ford recall notices in my mailbox for “high voltage wire harness” that needs dealer attention. They’re now checking to see if they addressed that while they had the car for six weeks — I doubt they did. Honestly, I’ll never buy a new car again. Dealers are the worst!

  21. Brought my brand new bmw 328d home on Sunday night. Friday morning the steering didn’t work. Turns out the soy-based wiring insulation attracted rabbits or rodents who chewed through the wire. Soy!

  22. The check engine light on my 2009 mercedes sedan came on. The dealer asked me if I parked my car outside and not in the garage. I told them, for the past 12 years I have parked my vehicle outside!
    Photos from the mechanic show mouse/mice feces and damage to a wire caused by the rodent getting inside my engine. There was no evidence of the mouse/mice in the trunk or drivers side. Repairs came to $500.

    • For the third time in six months, a mouse is in my engine. The check engine light came on again! And guess what….wires were damaged. My car will not pass inspection until this is fixed! Mercedes adviser told me about the “guardfather” and I have been placing peppermint oil inside the magnetic tin, inside the engine. We’ll see how this will work out.
      I live in the woods and the orkin man comes monthly so I don’t know what else to do but move.

  23. Just purchased a new 2015 Sonata here in Las Cruces NM last week. Spending $500 dollars tomorrow @ Borman Autoplex due to this very issue. WIFE AND I ARE PI_SED!! Haven’t even made the 1st payment on our new car yet!!

    • Melanie Elledge | May 18, 2016 at 3:58 pm |

      I am having repeated problems with this right now.
      rodent damage 2015 Hyundai Sonata A/C compressor, cabin air filter, fan-6000 miles:
      I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata, I took my car in for service and there was a humming noise coming from the fan for the air conditioner. We have lived in the same place for 18 years, and have never had a problem with rodents in our vehicles, we also park two other vehicles in the same area (GMC Yukon, and Ford Mustang with no rodent issues) we treat our attic and our garage for mice. My nephew and his spouse live with in 40 feet of us on our property with a Dodge and Mitsubishi and have had no rodent damage. There were acorns that were in the cabin air filter and around the fan that was causing the noise, and the cabin air filter looked new except that 1/4 to 1/3 of it was eaten away. At that time I questioned a manufacturing or design flaw that allowed this to happen seeing as how this was the first occurrence ever in 18+ years.The dealership replaced the cabin air filter and were able to vacuum the area where the acorns were to remove them and stop the noise. The total bill was a little over 100 dollars. A week later we were out of town in the middle of the day, and the A/C suddenly just stopped cooling. Turns out they ordered another compressor under warranty but are now saying that mice/rodents chewed through the wiring, I can claim this on my insurance and pay the 500 dollar deductible. But this is a new car, and it’s likely to have continued problems and I am stuck for 5 years in a car note. The automobile manufacturer’s should quit making wiring insulation, wiring harness’s, and other plastic components out of biodegradable parts or cover this kind of damage under the bumper to bumper warranty since they are making parts out of soy, wood, rice husks, sugar, peanut oil and straw that are so tasty to animals.

  24. I would like to take action. I have a 2013 Rav 4.
    It needed a new wiring harness due to mice. I have 6 oth
    6 other vehicles parked nearby and none of
    Them ever has had this kind of problem. Is’nt
    It time Toyota took responsibility for this problem!

  25. over a year ago rats ate a wire in my car, a fuel injector wire i believe, anyway the car is quite old and i am quite poor…after the incident expensive electrical components started going out and the shope replaced them one by one, the check engine light coming on again usually before i even got the car home…first it was the mass air flow sensor that went, then the o2 sensor, then the engine control module, then the distributor…now the throttle position sensor…and possible the catalytic converter…i have been 98 percent without transportation for over a year now…is there any way this could have been a chain reaction caused by the rats eating the wires since the car was running perfectly then? if so than perhaps the insurance i had at the time can help since i did have comprehensive at the time…but i would have to be able to make a pretty good case and i do not know how…this situation has become life threatening to me as i am disabled and as a former alzheimer’s caregiver to my mom i have not had a paycheck in 25 years so being stranded has kept me from being able to look for work or get foood or medical care and it is now very much an emergency. i do not know what to do. the car is an 89 mitsubishi galant with 96k miles on it. urgent…somebody please help me.

  26. Northwest suburbs of Chicago, my repair shop is on its 2nd visit from a 2010 Tundra in 1 month, major rodent damage each time. Insurance company involved.Wiring,anything plastic, firewall insulation etc… The soy wiring sounds like a good possibility. Trying to give our customer some ideas to stop this.

    • TomCat makes a mouse poison that is a solid material encased in plastic housing (protects children, etc.). I place one in the cab on the floor under the seat and one under the hood (jammed in a tight place away from engine heat). Have noticed mouse dropping around the canister under the hood. No mercy for mice after $2000 repair on 3 vehicles. Snap traps on top of the tires may work if you stake them in the ground on a stick so the trap comes off of the wheel but out of tread tracks. See if these ideas work.

  27. I have brand new Toyota prius hybrid, purchased may 2014,it has been in the garage now since Dec 27th today Jan 5th a mouse chewed on our wires, of coarse not under warranty, we were told that any where from 500. to thousands of dollars in damage we still have no word as to when we will have are car back and they would not lend us a car, not impressed

  28. Sherrie Capelle | January 5, 2015 at 5:09 pm |

    My car is a 2013 Honda Accord I just took it in because all my service lights came on, dealership says its being eaten by rabbits, there are literally hundreds of rabbits and squirrels here in Denver,dealership says to use dryer sheets which is impossible, its snowing here all winter and I’m not about to figure out how to climb under my car to tie on a dryer sheet, why do they make wiring out of soybean? Not covered under the warranty either, which that’s their problem for making the wiring that attracts rodents.

  29. I have 2 cars sitting in the driveway. One is a 2012 Honda Fit that I purchased new 2 years ago. The other that hardly gets used or moved is a 1997 Nissan Altima. Two sensors (VSA/ETC and check engine light) came on. When I went to the dealership to check the codes, they couldn’t get any. They chewed through the wiring harness which prevented the codes from being returned. Luckily, the Honda dealership told me to contact my insurance and it was covered under my comprehensive coverage.

  30. I have enjoyed reading of other peoples expΓ©riences in this very curious problem. It does’nt, however reveal why the little bastards eat this stuff, surely they can’t digest it? I went to the U.K. at Easter 2014 to collect a Renault Laguna that had been stored in a barn for 6 months, predictably it would’nt, flat battery etc.,despite being in superb condition.

  31. The problem was found by a local mechanic in minutes. Mice had eaten most of a small rubber ‘bulb’ in the deisel fuel line, intended to pump up the fuel should you run out. Even more bizare, my girlfriend had exactly the same problem, only last week,(February 2015)Identical car but parked outside.Merde what to do?????? Bretagne. France

  32. It seems to me that U.S., U.K. & French mice all read the same cookbook!

  33. 2013 Honda Fit, 9000 miles. Took it in to only to find extensive rodent damage to major motor harness. Wires chew through. I’ve never had a rodent problem. $2905. To fix it. This should be a class action suit against these manufacturers.

    Why should they care our autos are being eatten due to their policies. They don’t have to fix them. Thousands of car have been damaged. Heck the rodents are attracted to the “green” products.

    I’m now worried this will recur.

  34. I am from India. I found my recently bought Nissan Micra CVT wiring harness bitten by rats. Symptoms before finding are – ineffective air conditioner performance, low response to throttle, shaking of the vehicle and steering, and finally the ENGINE LIGHT check. I thought it a foul play initially but later found orange and banana peels under the hood. These little villains are having them as a side dish to soy wiring. At last I found the cause through this site.

  35. Insurance may cover damage under Comprehensive insurance as a peril! I have a 2013 Honda Fit and recently had some rodents chew through my transmission wire harness. Insurance would cover replacement after I paid my $500 deductible, but the tech at the dealership was awesome and quoted me $420, I asked if they had any discounts, he had a manufacturers coupon that gave me 12% or something, now it was reduced to $370. I still used Progressive to file a claim and they covered the cost of having a rental car for up to $30/day. Don’t be afraid to use your insurance if it is covered, that’s why you pay for it!! My agent also informed me that it would not affect my rate like a claim under collision coverage. Still…I will be using something to repel those stinking rats from my car. I hear cayenne pepper might work.

  36. Today marks the second time in as many months as I have taken my 2013 Chevy Sonic in to have the wiring harness replaced! Both times they said it was from mice or rabbits. We live in rural Wyoming with no garage! I have a .22 and have declared war on the rabbits around, but will have to take other measures to deal with the mice!

  37. Found that rats had eaten wiring in my 2014 Mazda CX-9. $600 in damage if they “fix” the wiring, thousands if they replace the harness. Since I have a $500 deductible I’m all for replacement. Going to rub Habenero all over the wiring in the car and see if the problem goes away.

  38. We had our car in for service due to a check engine light as well. Found mice nesting and chewing wires under the engine cover, an area we cannot see by just popping the hood. A few hundred dollars later and a tip from our mechanic led us to a unit called the mouse blocker. We had one installed and have been trouble free for some time now.

  39. David Sundstrom | February 20, 2015 at 3:18 pm |

    Add to the list a two month old 2014 Ford expedition. $1400 to repair. Dealer told me this is not uncommon for F150s.

    • Second time on my 2014 Explorer this year. First time wiring harness, this time 3 fuel injector wires. Have comprehensive insurance, but getting tired of this. We have gone nuts with this “Green” movement. First they ruined gas, now wires. We need Thai movement stopped now as it is a farce to begin with. I park my car in the garage 90 percent of the time. I don’t know if it is mice, chipmunks, or squirrels. They don’t bother my 2003 Thunderbird or my wife’s 2013 Explorer.

  40. Valerie Sandli | February 23, 2015 at 2:40 pm |

    We have a 2014 Chev Tahoe…this is the 2nd time something has chewed up the dust cover the the steering joint in our engine….is this dust cover also made with soy products and how do we stop whatever is chewing it…never had problems with any other vehicle..we also have a 2012 equinox..no problems…

  41. Kathleen Carosi | February 24, 2015 at 11:58 pm |

    Dealing with this issue on my 2001 Toyota Prius paid $2,300 to fix it drove 35 miles and now they need another $2,000 to fix another part of the wiring that they had worked around the first time ($1,000 for parts, $1,000 for labor) the frustrating part is there are three cats that roam the neighborhood and I haven’t seen any evidence of droppings or the critters themselves in years. Calling the insurance company tomorrow and appreciate all the types on prevention. You would think with these issues happening on a regular basis car manufacturers would develop a way to make stronger wires.

  42. i’ve got a 2001 toyota camry that has been my reliable friend for 14 years, started up this a.m. running rough for the 1st time in all that time. My check engine light came on and then started blinking! checked my owners manual and it doesn’t even list an option of the check engine light blinking. i looked under the hood but actually didn’t see anything wrong. limped to my mechanic who informed me my wiring harness was chewed by rodents. i thought he was kidding at first but other people in the shop were agreeing with him. $700 bucks and my car is fixed and i now know rodents are chewing up car wiring on a regular basis. we’ve been having really cold weather so all i can think is the little monsters found my warm engine during last nights’ coldness and made it into a bed & breakfast. i’m using dryer sheets until i can go get some mothballs but i’m gunning for the little ba*tards now! πŸ™

  43. P. Duncan | March 3, 2015 at 7:26 am |

    I had the same issues with squirrels chewing the gas lines in my 2013 & 2014 Toyota Corolla’s & had to have the gas lines/tanks replaced in both cost $1000.00 for each car; used my deductible for both.. After much research for this issue I found 2 things: #1 putting dryer sheets in the trunk & tucked under rear tires at night (my former bosses recommendation) # 2 I spray the around the bottom of the tires with a great but stinky product called Shotgun Repels-All Animal Repellent by Bonide Products (see their website) which I get in Wal-Mart & Home Depot(Great Product).. Another good thing is to mix cayenne pepper with vinegar & spray that around the base of the tires also; works & stinky too.. I keep a box of dryer sheets in my trunk & replace the ones I toss in the trunk monthly.. I also spray around my garbage cans with the Shotgun Repels-All mine is the only garbage can untouched by squirrels in my area I also use those Mint-X garbage bags ‘excellent’ get in Wal-Mart & Home Depot they do work & detract those squirrels & their friends etc..

    • Just put my 2013 C-Max in for a $2400 wire harness replacement due to mice damage. I appreciate all of your suggestions and will head for Wal Mart in the morning to stock up on the repellents you suggested. I agree the Manufacturers (Ford) should be responsible for the damage!

  44. Yep! 2014 Toyota Corolla, 6,700 miles. Of course the rodent had to chew on the line attached to the gas tank which now has to be replaced. $900. If I knew how to start a class action suit I’d initiate it. Would this fall under the legal guise of an “attractive nuciance”? Toyota and the other car manufacturers are not going to change the wire on their own. As someone stated above, this a money maker!!

  45. Joan Young | April 2, 2015 at 10:23 pm |

    My husband and I are both retired and have only 2 small checks monthly. We have a 2008 Camry that just turned 18,000 miles. This is our second time that mice have chewed. First time cost only $300, today was informed that damage was great to the electrical system and the car could catch on fire. It will cost $2,000. We cannot afford to keep paying out money on the mfg. mistakes. Please inform me of any class action that I can get in on.

  46. Today is April 6, 2015. My car was leaking gasoline on April 4, 2015. I live in Chicago, so yes lots of animals lots of cars outside in the streets all day. Also lots of people and cars driving all day and night. I don’t know why my car was the only one having this chewed up problem. But I am very sad. This car is under 5000 miles brand new Honda Civic 2014. I towed it to the dealership. They told me 1500+ to fix. So call my insurance. But I am very worried I will not be lucky with insurance either.

  47. they like camaros also. i have a 2012 one with 4300 miles on it. the car has been bullied by critters 4 times now and ive tried mothballs, mothflakes, snuff, and critter be gone. im getting fed up with the damage and gm wont pay. im going to park it in the street and put more stuff on the engine and see if that works. i told my mechanic put duct tape or other tape on all the exposed wires he can find that isnt tasty and see if that helps. i had damage done to my 09 mustang years ago but ford paid. we had a 2013 lincoln that last year the little beasts ate the engine cover. lincoln didnt pay for it.until i can build more garages ill just keep trying stuff till something actually works.

  48. Stephanie | May 6, 2015 at 2:15 pm |

    I’m glad I came across this site. My 2013 Chevy Equinox is in the shop right now for the same issue. On Sunday, my check engine light came on and I lost acceleration only to be left stranded less than a block away from my house. The mechanic found a chewed wire harness. I’m still waiting to hear his final assessment, but he said I’m looking at $550-$750 to start and it could run well into the thousands! I’ve only been at my residence a year and there’s a lot of vegetation there which attracts all types of rodents and wildlife. I know it’s becoming a common problem everywhere (based on this article), but this incident has frustrated me enough to really consider moving. I’ve been driving for 30 years and have never had a incident like this.

  49. We had squirrels eat thru the fuel line on our daughter’s 2012 Toyota Corolla S. They dealer says they aren’t responsible and the insurance company claims the same thing. Class action lawsuit?

  50. Today I had to pay $300 to replace wiring on my 2008 Yaris which had been chewed by rodents. There are no signs of rodents in the garage and I have 2 electronic plug in repellents that obviously are useless.
    Do mothballs really work? I am contemplating leaving my car out of the garage and loading the entire garage with mothballs everywhere, before I put the car back in.Also I am checking out a new electronic device that is supposed to drive rodents away immediately.

    • Didn’t work for me. Stunk up my car but the mice chewed the wires AGAIN! Bringing it back to get fixed and will try the rodent tape and peppermint oil. Ugggh, wish me luck!

  51. Toyota Camry, 2006 and it has been parked in my driveway all this time, and I have always fed the birds and squirrels (my townhouse backs onto a nature reserve and forst), but this past weekend, my car would not start. While waiting for the tow, I saw a chipmunk dart under the car (first time I have seen that, though I’ve seen the chipsters around) so I wasn’t surprised when they found “a mess of chewed up wires” under the manifold at the dealership.

    I will try getting my garage clear and parking in there from now on, but I know rodents can get inside if they want.

    Seems like an epidemic. How do we organize??

  52. Michael D Jones | June 18, 2015 at 11:01 pm |

    I drove my Chevy Cruze to work one fine morning this week without any incident whatsoever. At luchtime I got in my car to go get a quick bite to eat but when I started the ignition I was greeted with several audible beeps and flashing icons with a warning “Service ESP” …immediately followed with a warning that indicated “Service Traction Control”. I made a mental note that I would call the dealership …later… at my convenience. Seconda later when I pulled away from the curb I noticed that the car was vibrating horribly. As I approached the stop sign at the end of the parking lot, the car’s vibration intensified so much that the car stalled and a restart was required. I concluded that short trip and returned to my parking space. At the end of the workday I experienced the same phenomenon as I drove the short 3 mile trip home with the same terrible vibration while driving and having to race my engine at each red light or face having to restart a stalled engine. When I called the dealership they inquired whether the engine icon was solidly lit or flashing. When I indicated that it was flashing they told me that I was not to drive the vehicle to the dealership because it was too dangerous (risky). Consequently, I had to have my Chevy towed to the dealership. CHA… CHING! After various tests at the dealership… including a compression test… the mechanic concluded the problem was with the firing of one of the cylinders. The dealership said that if the problem was found to actually be in the powertrain that it would be covered under the power train warranty… so my hope was that is what the mechanic would conclude. A couple hours later the dealership called and said that they had some bad news for me. I got a lump in my throat and the experience felt similar to a doctor advising that one has contracted a deadly cancer. When he broke the news that the problem was in the wiring harness not the powertrain I was almost relieved because he said I would probably only need to pay about $500 if the problem was limited to the powertrain. There was (is) a chance that other damage has resulted and will need to be addressed at additional cost. I inquired how a car with just 30K miles could have a worn-out wiring harness. He relayed to me that the mechanic indicated that there was clear evidence of a rodent having chewed on the wiring. I was (am) furious now! I came to this website to find how to prevent this from happening again. I was so pleased to read all of the different proposed solutions to keep rodents away from my car. BTW… I make it a point never to leave food in my vehicle and I rarely eat in the vehicle. My motivation though has not because I fear the rodents would infultrate the car’s interior… or heaven forbid… the engine area. I find it quite interesting to learn of the seemingly prevalent theory that certain automotive wiring is made of soy which actually attract rodents for a possible tasty treat. If there is ever a class action suit against the wiring manufacturer for thinking green. .. and thinking Stupid … PLEASE INCLUDE ME because I am furious! Maybe they were thinking green… as in the “green” in the money they would make with selling replacement wiring that has been half-eaten. An option for possible solutions I have not heard of a certain one yet… but one of which I have found to be effective in the protection of my RV from mice during the winteization process. My preferred deterrent for mice in the RV during the long winter months when the unit is vacant of humans is a combination of shavings from bars of Irish Spring soap mixed with generous amounts of mothballs …and lots of Bounce dryer sheets scattered throughout the unit. Though mothballs was a common suggestion from responders to the question… I did not see any reference to Irish Spring option. When I get my car home and the bill from the dealer (hopefully not more than the estimated $500)I plan on aggressively treating my two-car garage with the one… two… three knockout punch. Additionally I plan to tie the Bounce sheets around certain wires under the hood and attach a couple of small draw-string cotton bags under the hood of the car. I am so furious at this point, my temptation is to use more violent methods against the little critters that did so much damage to my car and pocketbook… but I do not think the PETA People would appreciate my proposed techniques for rodent control… unless of course they experienced this same problem and suffered with the same related expenses themselves. Suggestion… invest in the stock market for the company that makes Bounce dryer sheet and the one that makes Irish Spring …as well as the one that makes mothballs because my prediction is that these stocks will grow in value unless the wiring manufacturers stop thinking GREEN by using Soy to make auto wires. Asinine! Idiotic! Be Furious with me!

  53. James Rosinbum | July 15, 2015 at 2:23 pm |

    Sounds like we need a pied piper to lead all the rodents into the water to drown.
    Just got my call from the dealer to replace gas line to my 2009 honda accord. $1200.00 and no guarantee. I think I will have the smelliest stinkiest car in the neighborhood. On my 1998 Toyota 4 runner I had some chewed wires under the hood I repaired last week. Who thinks up this edible hose garbage. He needs to given a plate of rubber to eat on while finding a solution to all this mess.

  54. Rose Stevenson | July 15, 2015 at 3:15 pm |

    I have a f150 2008 my daughter drove it all day no problems until she was ready to go home. She couldn’t go into reverse, check engine light on, o/d light on and trans default light on. She called me about to cry thinking she broke the truck. I told her to pop the hood and see if anything looks broken. She said there were wires that looked like they were chewed on. My son and I went to check this out and he laughed when I said that’s not normal. Well he had some wires in his car and with tools and electric tape in the truck he fixed it in less than a half hour. He started the truck and all lights were gone. My only cost is a pizza.

  55. Victoria Robinson | July 26, 2015 at 7:25 pm |

    I discovered a rats nest in my glovebox, the rats weren’t born there as I was in the glovebox the day before. I think I disturbed the mother moving the rats. We caught her (in a trap) that night, she was huge, quite scary to think she was in the car with us! . I feel sure there is a nest behind the glovebox, dashboard area. My navigation, stereo, back up camera and Bluetooth system won’t work. $2500 just for the system, this doesn’t include the labour! Still have to find the nest too. So frustrating!!!

  56. We have joined “the Darn Rats has damaged our auto wiring today, it cost us $2939.on a 2000 Silverado.
    Just to get a safety sticker. all the control panel was affected & every massage was flashing. we thankful for all the comments & suggestions posted here. I have a suggestion on How to get some help to get the companies to make the corrections on this wiring issues and manufacters coverage. Let,s all write to the Consumer Reports Editor and It’s advocancy arm, Consumers Union about our situations as well as invite them to read all the post at this website… be sure to relate to the research showing the Green solution of wiring & other damage part made from Soy and/or Corn being used on these autos more than likely all the replacing parts are also made of the same Grains… making the possibility of the damaging problems to continue… What a mess Please note that the consumer reports will contact the companies of the complaints and go as far as the senate to correct the issues they received complaints about. This Issue would be of Great interest to them since their Largest Reports are on the Best & worst cars & Reliability also Safety Evert year. Send a letter to Editor …. ConsumerReports.org./lettertoeditor OR write Consumer Reports 101 Truman Ave, Yonkers, NY 10703-1057 Attn. Ellen Kampinsky …

    We will need to work with them in getting any results to correct this matter. this group has taking on many very important companies and public issues with great success for the consumers.

    Hope you all this will be the last expense and stress you have over this issues.

  57. Liz Henderson | August 18, 2015 at 9:16 am |

    3 week old Ford Explorer, engine light on and mis firing! $250 bill due to rodent chewing! Got in my husbands 11 month old Mazda 3 and reverse camera not working, then radio stayed on while engine off! Will be lifting hood before driving this morning! Have just moved to new house, looks like good location for rodents too. I can’t believe manufacturers can’t do something to stop rodents getting in!

  58. Add my one month old 2015 VW Jetta to this club…something chewed my fuel line causing gas to spew πŸ™ crazy…

  59. I just had a similar experience with my 2015 Toyota $ Runner. 1500 miles and engine malfunction light came on $2600 to fix chewed wires. This is my 4th 4 Runner and never had this problem before. Very frustrating.

    • 2016 runner same problem. Have had it 1 month. The insurance is fighting me on paying for the damage. Been in the shop for 3 weeks!

  60. My 2015 Hyundai Sonata Ltd 2.0T headlights (high and low) stopped working overnight. We found that rodents had eaten wires – clean off the plugs and the wrapped wiring harness — it looked like they’d been cut. Dealer wants to replace all wiring harnesses as precaution, as other systems may also be impacted. ($3-4000K) I am thinking about just a fast repair for now and use of all the remedies for rodent control and rodent extermination, mentioned here. Also have cleared out space in garage so that I can park inside. Two other older vehicles in driveway totally not chewed — although we can see tracks of rodents having been in them. The soy-based wire coatings on my car seems to be the big draw. I am going to check into class action suit — see if any have been launched and if not, what it takes to do that. Even if it is fault of component maker — the auto brands are responsible for what components they select to put into their vehicles. This is really really frustrating…

  61. Daniel S. S. | January 1, 2016 at 8:23 am |

    Same rodent problem with 2014 Toyota Tacoma. Repairs cost $3,200 after being in shop 12 days.
    Toyota makes cables from soy, sugar, rice, peanut oil, vanilla, straw, and wood.
    It is just a matter of time until a class-action law-suit occurs against Toyota and several other auto manufacturers.
    I asked in advance for return of original chewed cables from Toyota dealer in Lewisville, TX, and they said they already threw the cables away.
    GEICO covered all but $500 deductible, but tasty wires are costing consumers millions in annual losses.

  62. Squirrel damage: 2014 Prius, parked outside in rural area – $5,500 repair bill for damage to wires. No damage at all to the seats or interior of car, only under the hood. Insurance did cover it. Dealer denied having any knowledge of special problems with Prius. but the mechanic told us he just finished a $3,000 squirrel damage job on another Prius.

    There is obviously a design defect problem and a class action lawsuit should be possible. The car manufacturers have become caterers for the rodent population. We had no problem with a 1986 Honda, 1984 Volvo and a 2004 Subaru all parked in the same area at the same time. The Prius is the buffet.

  63. We have a New Kia Sportage with less than 7,000 miles
    on it and it would not start one day. Tried to start
    but all that happened was all the dash lights came on. Did not start, called the wrecker, had towed to
    the dealership where we bought the car, they called
    back stating that the wiring harnesses had been chewed up —- cost over $5000— which the bumper to
    bumper warranty did not cover of course.

    The manufactures need to be held accountable for the
    wiring made of a soy base, which rodents absolutely
    LOVE TO CHEW ON. Also the dealerships should be held
    accountable for their worthless BUMPER TO BUMPER coverage which is absolutely worthless.

    Lets get some class action lawsuits going to correct
    this problem — the auto manufactures and the dealers are making fortunes off the design defect.

    • Unhappy Lexus owner | January 9, 2016 at 1:08 pm |

      I agree! I bought a used 2012 Lexus a year ago and it did not start in the parking lot yesterday. I called Lexus 24 hour service and they charged it saying the battery probably needed to be changed. I took it to the dealership and got the surprise of my life when they called me to explain the problem. Some lovely rodent had built a nest and destroyed $10,000 worth of wiring. Sadly I have a $2,000 deductible and a likely battle with the insurance company. The worst part is that from what I am reading it is more likely to happen again after it has happened once. I will try to “rat proof” my car but I can’tafford to go through this again. I had to park outside a few nights because we were paving the driveway and this is probably when it happened. I notice most of the blogs I am reading concern Toyotas,Kias and Hondas so I might buy other brands. It is certianly a design defect to make it so easy for rodents to get in,might as well roll out the red carpet

  64. Just found out after my winshield washer and backup camera quit working that my brand new nissan frontier had the wiring harness chewed up by rodents.Nissan tells me its 2000 bucks to fix it and to call my insurance company so i have to pay 500 deductable and no gaurantee that it wont happen again . This is total bullshit and we must band togeather to bring a lawsuit against the companies that allow this BULLSHIT!!!. Im mad as hell and wont take it .lets do this now fellow motorists

  65. Maybe if we take the wire and bait traps with it we could kill all the effing rodents in all of Colorado

  66. My 2009 Pontiac Vibe has had the heater cowling chewed up, and a rats nest on top of the heater fan motor. $1000 to replace the unit. Mechanic used duct tape as a temporary solution to cover the 2×6 inch hole. Yesterday, the duct tape got chewed out, this morning I had a big rat in the trap I set inside my car. Not going to spend $1000 for new parts/labor that doesn’t work. Will check my insurance co. tomorrow to see if this is covered.

  67. I have contacted a law firm and will start a class action lawsuit asap ill keep every one posted on my efforts i do not think anyone should pay a dime or file a claim and pay 500 deductable and possibly just have it done again.not a rodent issue but they put the blue plate special on our vehicles

    • I just had $5,000 of damage to my 2013 Toyota Prius from rodent damage. Would love to hear how things are going with the class action lawsuit.
      Thanks,
      Maria

    • Caroline Duff | May 19, 2016 at 11:26 pm |

      Looking forward to hearing about any class action lawsuit. My 2014 Prius V has packrat damage and a $2500 estimate to repair.

  68. 2009 Toyota Venza, just got back from dealer. $1200 + to replace 3 fuel injector wires, o2 senser, temperature sending unit, fan relay wires, and cabin air filter due to rodent damage. The total new wiring harness would have been $1300+ installation from Toyota, so we opted to have them replace one wire at a time. This is a very well known issue with Toyota and Honda. Our local dealer services the rental fleet of Toyota’s and Honda’s that stay parked at the airport and they have to keep a supply of wires on hand because the mice & rats will eat the Toyota’s & Honda’s wiring and not touch the other brands of rental cars. We have 4 other vehicles, 2004 & 2007 Dodge pickups, 2016 Mazda3 and a 1995 Jeep Cherokee and the Toyota Venza is the only one the mice chew on! I wish they would pick a different car as the Venza is by far the most complex & most expensive to work on (of course)!

    • bought a 2011 toyota avalon in 2012 with 14000 miles for my wife,went on vac in my car for 1 week,came back and my wife said the ac wasn’t working on her car. said no problem we have 100k extended wty. ck under the hood and found that firewall insulation,hood insulation,plastic box cover over filter was chewed completely threw, wire harness to ac was cut in half as well as insulation on battery cables.did all the repairs myself and sprayed mace pepper spray on all the insulation and the wiring and had no more problems . be careful not to breed in, you can get some terry eyes.cost me about 150 bucks to fix.

  69. I had the same problem with my 2014 Nissan Sentra. A rat chewed through the wire harness. Weirdly we have 5 cars and only my car got chewed up by a rat. That rat costed me $400 unreal. Didn’t realize how much other people been going through with the same problem.

    • ihave same problam i buy new2015 camery hybrid i parking front out side my grage rodents has eaten big wire under the hood now i tow to toyota dealership manger call me over 5000 damages i dont know but i do very upset.

  70. Beverly Carney | February 16, 2016 at 9:29 am |

    We are having this problem with a 2015 F150 we bought 12/31/15. We have never had a mouse issue before and we have housed vehicles in this building for 25.5 years. Now I am wondering if the mice got into the vehicle on the open field sales lot…..

  71. My Brand new 2016 Audi A4 had rodent damage to the oxygen sensor 3 times in a month. Got the garage checked and found no rodent traces. Have other cars parked here for year with no issues. Don’t know what to do but replace the car some how. The cost to fix is around $490

  72. Florida rodent damage here. Nest found in the air cleaner. Entire wire harness special order from out of state for a very popular 2007 Cheysler 300. Special order parts for such a common vehicle? Game to milk the buyer? Anyhow, blew the main computer up as well as several modules. We are now in week ten of no car, waiting on insurance adjuster to look at it. Took Chrysler ten weeks to figure out the problem, yet claimed to be working on it daily. Really?

  73. I have 2013 Honda Accord. Approx 15k miles on it. I am approx 70 year old, widowed female on social security. I purchased my car new from Honda dealer okla. This month I noticed leak under vehicle right front. I took it to my dealer and they told me rodents had chewed thru hoses and they charged me $230 for replacement. They also noticed large hole in hood liner and chewing of metal under hood. I was devastated since I do not have that kind of my nor did I expect that kind expense with basically new car. They wired rat poison under my hood. I looked into this via Internet and found class action lawsuit. U can report to federal trade commission at 877 382 4357. Tell them u want to file under federal class action American motor company inc (Honda). Suit filed 1/21/16. Ftc took my complaint and stated they would pass it on to lawsuit dept. they also advised me to call nhtsh and file with them and file complaint with Honda. I have reference # on all complaints After getting all the information on line about the lawsuit I returned to my dealership who denied they knew nothing of the problems or of the lawsuit! Knowledge is a powerful weapon. They refunded my $230. They have not made good on the other damage to my vehicle and I had to go to dealership again on another issue and looking user the hood it was noted the rodents had not only eaten the poison, but they are chewing the wiring it was attached to. Folks, now that lawsuit if filed, I would suggest u go back to your dealer and demand refund. If they refuse it is just more ammo when u file your complaint. My only concern now is that is that my dealership may retaliate since I have put this out on line and that I have filed complaints. I also contacted my okla senator. Hopefully doing all this will help protect me since I cannot decide long distances to a new dealer. Good luck to all Honda owners and if u have elderly people in your life that can be easy prey! Please keep me in your prayers

  74. David Gordon | April 2, 2016 at 3:42 pm |

    My son lives in Nashville. He has a 2014 Ford Fusion. Today his car smelled of gas. Had it taken to the Ford Dealership where they told him RODENTS has eaten through the gas line. The line looked like it had been cut with a sharp knife and in fact the car was in the shop for some other work about a mnonth ago. Really! Give me a freaking break. Has anyone out there had this happen, EVER??? Need to know. $800.00 repair job. Thanks very much. Dave

  75. Joe Diffe | May 24, 2016 at 5:11 am |

    This is unfortunately very normal in rural locations. I had the hood insulation on my truck totally eaten up and removed by prairie dogs in rural Arizona.

    Probably the best thing is cats or terriers living in your yard where you park your vehicles. It is ecologically safe and they will keep pests away.

  76. Well I just paid a $500 deductible because of squirrel, mice, or chipmunk damages. I don’t know which one. Thank goodness I had rodent damage on my insurance but this is ridiculous. I can’t afford to keep paying out money like this and I don’t have a garage which reading other post that doesn’t matter anyway. Something needs to be done and I have a Chrysler 300.

  77. Bought toyota tundra brand new 2016 in april. With three weeks of being home had mice damage. Now July and I’m up to 5k in damages. Toyota corporate stated that they had no complaints. Called today. Interestingly my 2012 ford escape or my 2010 tacoma never had mice. Yet this truck is home for three weeks and issues start. Vehicle is leased. Apparently toyota doesn’t care.

  78. Denise Parker | August 11, 2016 at 12:06 am |

    There is a class action suit against Honda for this problem

  79. 2015 Camry in Mississippi. Also chewed wires. 1700.00 to repair. only 42,000 miles on it.

  80. Is there a suit against Toyota?

  81. Robert Gange, Jr. | September 5, 2016 at 11:04 pm |

    My 2013 Mazda 3 ISV Sedan has only 9,400 miles on it.
    It gets very little use. It stays parked in the back of my developed suburban condominium parking lot. There are several trees and a few shrubs in the corner of the parking lot. The car had been in perfect condition as far as I could tell. Last week it started up normally, but had on the antilock brake and traction control warning lights, and when I pressed the button to turn on the A/C nothing would happen! I drove it for an hour and half and it drove normally, but without the ABS, Traction Ctrl, & A/C.
    I brought it in to my Mazda Dealer to be serviced. It was out of it’s 3 year manufacturer’s warranty, but I had purchased a separate 10 year/100,000 mile warranty that covered the entire car. However, the Service Advisor required me to sign paperwork before they would have the Tech look at my car such that I would agree to pay Mazda for a $133.00 (with tax)
    Service Diagnostic Fee, if the cause of the problem turned out to be something that my Warranty did not
    cover. I asked him what that could possibly be? And he told me, “Rodents chewing through the wires.”
    (Now, how and why would he ever suspect THAT!!??)
    (BECAUSE: IT HAPPENS ALL OF THE TIME!!!) I agreed to sign the contract and sat in the lounge for a half an hour and then the Service Advisor came out and told me that my problem was caused by “Rodents having chewed through the cars wiring harness that is located inside of the front passenger wheel well that is for the anti-lock brake, and also contains the car’s traction control and A/C compressor wiring.
    It was a 3/4″ thick bundle of wires that had been completely chewed all of the way through, right before it’s plastic connector! The part had to be ordered and came in the next day at a cost of $100.00, and the labor charge was $387.00. The front bumper had to be completely removed to replace the wiring harness; and I was told that I was lucky that they had not chewed into the main harness which costs $1,400.00. The mechanic told me that there was also evidence in my engine compartment of the rodents having been inside there as well; I believe that there was fur and perhaps slight chewing, but no damage done. There was a large 8″ X 10″ layer of squirrel shit built up on the inner side of the front passenger wheel well’s inner plastic liner that was perhaps a 1/4” thick. It was Squirrel’s that did this damage; I have seen them running along the edges of my parking lot. We have been having a brutal heat wave the past month and I think that they have taken to living in my unused parked car’s wheel well and chewing the wires while in there. I put in a claim with my automobile insurance under my zero deductible comprehensive coverage, and they are going to reimburse me in full for the repair cost. Yet, I just had put a claim in to them for a damaged mirror under my collision coverage, and I have been warned by my insurance agent that another claim within 2-3 years and I will likely not be renewed by them and they are a very inexpensive and good company.

  82. I have a 2014 GX460 Lexus with 34,000 miles on it and a mouse ate one wire from my Knock Sensor due to the “Soy Based” wiring used and Kuni Lexus of Greenwood Village of Colorado wanted to charge me $4,100.00 to fix it. Not sure how dealerships or manufactures can get away with this charging the customers out of pocket when they know it’s a known problem to use this “Soy Based” material. It’s obviously a way for all dealerships to make money on the customers. There needs to be a Class Action Lawsuit against all dealerships/manufactures or get this covered under warranty.

    • I’m sure that Lexus will be covered under the potential Toyota Class Action lawsuit. Visit the link below and submit it to the law firm that is doing a “Class Action Investigation”. The more people that can prove that rodents chewed through their wires, the easier it will be to get a full force Class Action Lawsuit. I took mine into the shop today and was told it was rodents. Of course the dealership did not tell me about the soy product used in the protective coating over the wires. I was told to make an insurance claim, which I did. A friend saw my post on Facebook about the rodents and told me to check because he thought there was a Class Action suit. He was partially right – the link will lead you to a firm who is investigating this very issue. https://chimicles.com/toyota-automobile-soy-based-car-components-class-action-lawsuit/

  83. Went camping with my 2014 F350 Superduty and camper, 230 miles from home, went to leave to come back home and the truck would not start, had to tow to dealership, fortunately only 2.5 miles away, walked back to my camper and camped out for a week before getting me and my camper home. Will need to go back to get the truck in a week or so. Insurance was quoted $3000.00, it is covered. Again a Superduty is almost 2 feet off the ground…now I am a little leary of camping.

    • What insurance company did you have? You had comprehensive I assume? What comprehensive peril was it covered under?

  84. Have a Suzuki Ertiga in Mumbai. Bought it in April 2015. In Sep 2016, the engine started stalling and the dashboard flashed ECM problem. Took to the dealer cum service provider. They said rat has caused short circuit which has crashed the ECM. They want me to replace it at a cost of $ 250. The car is still under warranty but Suzuki won’t replace ECM free of cost. Insurer says they will not cover anything which has been allegedly caused by rat, which according them is due to owner’s carelessness. ECM is a very critical part of a car and why can’t manufactures in these high-tech days find a mechanism or device by which they can protect such a vital part. Can you allow a vehicle worth thousands of dollars to be damaged by a lowly rodent?

  85. I have a 2011 Subaru Legacy. Almost two years ago, rabbits chewed through three wire harnesses in my engine compartment, while I was at work. I had to have my car towed to a repair shop. It cost me over a $1000 to have it fixed. The guys at the shop told me it was due to the coating on the wires they are using these days.

  86. To any Toyota owners who have experienced this problem, please follow the link below which will take you to a law firm that is trying to find out how many people have had this problem. Apparently there is a potential “Class Action Lawsuit” in the works. It can’t hurt, and if a Class Action suit moves forward, you will automatically be notified and become part of the lawsuit. https://chimicles.com/toyota-automobile-soy-based-car-components-class-action-lawsuit/

  87. Elvira Sirkia | October 15, 2016 at 12:01 pm |

    In this time of sophisticated technology, this kind of things shouldn’t be happening. What a shame! What is the solution? I am an owner of a new Scion Toyota having the same problems. Anybody knows of class action lawsuit against Toyota?

  88. Dana Pliler | January 8, 2017 at 1:45 pm |

    My 2015 Honda CR-V, has had the power steering wiring harness chewed off by rabbits, had to pry through rabbit off the wiring to get it out. Three times in one month. Just plain upset, not even sure at this point if any vehicle is made unedible at the is point.

  89. Are there any cars not using the soy wiring

  90. I have a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder with over $700 worth of damage. The dealership has called in a prof. rodent exterminator to just FIND the rodent who was under the hood when I took the car into the dealership.

  91. Wayne Carpenter | March 16, 2017 at 9:30 pm |

    As for preventing wiring damage by the pesky critters, I would not suggest mothballs because they are not good for the environment or you.

    See links at:
    http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi254
    https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001236.htm
    http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/mothball/health.html

  92. Had 2016 Tucson and 2015 Tacoma wire harness chewed.
    So far no problems after several months of placing a mechanics light under each vehicle and turn on at night under engine on floor,mice don’t like lighted areas,so far so good.

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