In a move to become environmentally friendly, Honda is using a soy-based coating on their car’s wiring and rodents have found this tasty coating to be irresistible. A federal class-action lawsuit has been filed and they asking for Honda to pick up the tab for damages caused by mice, rats, rabbits and squirrels.
Honda has said the soy-based wiring insulation is less expensive to produce and that it is gentler on the environment because it is biodegradable. “Unbeknownst to plaintiffs, however, a real and continuous unintended consequence of this soy-based insulation material is that it attracts rodents and other animals that are drawn by the soy content of the insulation, and proceed to chew through the insulation and electrical wires that the insulation coats,” the complaint states.
One of the plaintiffs says that he took his car to a dealer because the wiring was “shredded through.” The dealer told him that the repairs were not covered by the warranty. It is interesting to note that the mechanics did find a live rabbit still eating the wiring and they were even nice enough to give him a photo of the rabbit chewing away! The plaintiff said he paid about $765 for the repair.
Honda is well aware of the problem and they will happily sell you some rodent repellent tape to help protect against this type of damage. One mechanic also suggested that you may want to coat your wiring with coyote or fox urine to help repel the rodents. Can you imagine seeing your mechanic collecting urine from coyotes and foxes caged up in your neighborhood garage? Do you have to do that on every service? Oh my!!
The lawsuit is seeking class certification, actual and statutory damages for breach of express warranty and violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and creation of a common fund for legal costs and fees.
