Toyota Class Action Says Soy Wiring Invites Rodent Damage to Vehicles

Two plaintiffs from Georgia are seeking compensation for rodent damage to their cars that they blame on Toyota soy wiring.

Plaintiffs Hueduc Tran and Bobby York claim the soy-based wiring insulation in certain Toyota vehicles attracts pests. Rodents and other animals chew through the insulation and into the wires inside, they claim, causing damage to the vehicle’s electrical systems.

The plaintiffs say sometime in the 2000s, environmental concerns and the increasing costs of petroleum products led Toyota to switch from using wiring with traditional petroleum-based insulation to newer products that used an insulation based on soy products.

But the new plant-based Toyota soy wiring is an apparent treat for vermin. Tran and York say the soy-based insulation sets up a “bed and breakfast” for rodents in each affected Toyota vehicle.

Tran says she bought a new Toyota Rav4 in July 2014. This past December, she says, she started having trouble getting the engine to start. Inspection by an authorized Toyota dealer revealed the vehicle’s wiring had been damaged by rodents, she says.

Tran allegedly had to pay out-of-pocket to get the damaged wires replaced – with the same type of wires that originally attracted pests.

York had a similar experience with his Toyota Highlander. After a warning light alerted him to a potential problem with the vehicle’s ABS brake system, an inspection revealed that rodents had chewed through a wiring harness.

The inspector told York that the damage could cause the electronic warning system from failing to alert him in case of a malfunction.

Tran and York are far from the only Toyota owners who have been affected by this alleged Toyota soy wiring problem. Many other owners have lodged complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the same problem.

Excerpts from some of those complaints are quoted in Tran and York’s Toyota soy wiring class action lawsuit. Owners say their dealerships denied warranty coverage of the defect, forcing them to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for repairs.

Owners say they tried using repellent, poison, and storing the vehicle in a closed garage, but nothing seems to prevent further rodent damage. Some complainants mention that their insurance companies and their local Toyota dealership told them they were aware of a large number of claims of rodent-damaged vehicles.

Tran and York’s claims are similar to those in another Toyota soy wiring class action lawsuit brought in a Texas federal court late last fall. The plaintiff in that action says she has had significant problems with rats, squirrels and other pests chewing up the wiring in her 2015 Toyota Avalon.

Tran and York are proposing to represent a plaintiff Class consisting of all persons residing in Georgia who have owned or leased a “class vehicle” with the Toyota soy wiring at issue and who have incurred out-of-pocket expenses as a result of the alleged defect.

The two plaintiffs are seeking an award of damages and injunctive relief, including an order requiring Toyota to repair or replace vehicles affected by the Toyota soy wiring defect and to extend those vehicles warranties. They also seek reimbursement of costs and attorneys’ fees associated with this action.

Representing the plaintiffs is attorney Joseph Coomes of McConnell & Sneed LLC.

The Toyota Soy Wiring Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Hueduc Tran, et al. v. Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., Case No. 1:17-cv-00085, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

UPDATE: This Toyota Soy Wiring Defect class action lawsuit was dismissed at the request of the plaintiff on February 27, 2017.