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Last week, American Honda Motor Co. Inc. was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging rats and other rodents are attracted to the soy-based insulation used in the electrical wiring in some Honda vehicles.
Plaintiffs Daniel Dobbs, Greg Delaney and Sean Rickard filed the class action lawsuit on behalf of themselves and all owners and lessees of 2012-2015 model year Honda vehicles in the United States.
They allege that 2012-2015 Honda vehicles contain soy-based wire casings in their electrical systems. These soy-based casings were implemented by Honda because they are purportedly more environmentally-friendly and less expensive than traditional electrical insulation, according to the Honda class action lawsuit.
“Unbeknownst to Plaintiffs, however, a real and contentious unintended and undesired 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 Honda class action lawsuit alleges.
Once the rodents chew through the insulation and the electrical wires, owners and lessees of the affected vehicles have to deal with a malfunctioning vehicle that may be fully or partially inoperative.
Dobbs alleges in the Honda class action lawsuit that the soy-coated wiring in his 212 Honda Accord had been chewed through twice within the span of a few months, but Honda refused to cover the repairs under their warranty even though the damage occurred during the warranty period.
“Worse yet, the wiring replacement that Honda performed at Mr. Dobbs’ expense consisted of replacing the soy-based insulated wiring with more of the same,” the Honda class action lawsuit alleges. Within a few months, the new wiring had also been chewed through and Dobbs once again had to pay for repairs, according to the soy-coated wiring class action lawsuit.
Delaney reported a similar issue with his 2014 Honda CrossTour. After he noticed the wiring in his vehicle was shredded, he took it to a dealership where he was informed the repair would not be covered under the warranty. According to the Honda class action lawsuit, Delaney paid around $765 to replace the wiring in his vehicle.
“During the course of the repair, the dealership reportedly discovered a rabbit within the car’s engine compartment that apparently had chewed through the wiring, and was still chewing the wiring while the car was at the dealership,” the Honda class action lawsuit alleges. “Indeed, the dealership took a photograph of the live rabbit chewing on the wiring on Mr. Delaney’s car and provided it to Mr. Delaney.”
According to the Honda class action lawsuit, Rickard had his 2013 Honda Accord EX-L in to the dealership when he noticed the power steering wasn’t functioning. Again, Honda reportedly refused to cover the repairs even though his vehicle was still covered by Honda’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Although his insurance paid for some of the cost to repair the damage, Rickard reportedly still had to pay the $500 deductible portion of his insurance claim.
However, just two days after picking his vehicle up from the dealership, Rickard reportedly observed a rabbit chewing on the wiring underneath his car. “Upon visually inspecting the car, Mr. Rickard noticed that the wiring harness had been chewed through again at approximately the same spot as before merely a few days prior,” the Honda wiring class action lawsuit says.
The plaintiffs allege that Honda was aware that the soy-based insulation attracted rodents that chew through the wiring. According to the soy wire coating class action lawsuit, Honda dealerships had started selling mouse-repellant electrical tape to cover the wiring, which the plaintiffs allege is Honda’s way of generating another source of income from consumers affected by the soy-coated wiring defect.
Dobbs, Delaney and Rickard are represented by Roy Arie Katriel.
The Honda Soy-Coated Wiring Class Action Lawsuit is Daniel Dobbs, et al. v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Case No. 2:16-cv-00456, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
UPDATE: The Honda Soy-Coated Wiring Class Action Lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed on June 2, 2016.
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37 thoughts onClass Action: Rodents Chew Honda’s Soy-Coated Wires
2014 F150 3.5 ecoboost chewed up and spit out from atop the engine.
Now I know , but so many others don’t know . (Soy based bio wiring)
that’s why no recall ,they don’t want you to know.
What is the status of the class action lawsuit against Honda?
GO to your local court house and file a civil lawsuit against honda ,that is exactly what me and my wife are doing .Honda is a greedy careless company that only cares about the bottom dollar .My wife 2006 honda crv caught on fire almost trapping her inside ,and you know what the honda rep told her ,she did not have a case …. OH YEAH NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US SHALL PROSPER ; INCLUDING HONDA.
I was wondering the same thing as Marcy Dub. My mom has had 2 repairs for this same issue and needs a 3rd as they have since eaten her air conditioner wires. Her Honda Civic is a 2013 and the bluetooth is also a goner from the rodents.
How do I become apart of the class action lawsuit. I have s 2016 Honda Fit and just had a $610 repair bill for Squirel damage to the housing and wires?
Not sure why all the plus signs? Our Honda 2009 in v. good conditions stopped dead at 60 mph on a Baltimore highway. It is parked nightly on the street of rat infested Baltimore/Canton, Md. Lucky no one was killed! How can I join the class action lawsuit vs. Honda and soy wiring?
I have a 2012 Mercedes and I had the same problem a few months after I bought it. They tried to charge over 900 but I called customer service to complian because they didn’t see the rodent in my car and they didn’t have proof. I did some research and found articles annoy the soy based wiring and rodents but the dealer and customer service didn’t believe me. I told them to tell the manufacturer and they claimed they would . They reduced my bill to 400. The dealer Fletcher Jones in CA said they get customers with rodents eating the wiring all the time! Mercedes should be investigated and have a class action lawsuit also!
2015 Ford Escape bought in May 2015. February 2016 squirrels nested in engine compartment and chewed lines and pump to windshield wiper fluid. $250.00 in repair. I now have damage to the wheel well insulations on both sides after spraying with Stop the Rodent pepper spray and putting Critter Ridder granules in the engine compartment. I have parked in the same driveway with about 10 different vehicles since 1989 without ever having this issue. I have had several new vehicles during that time including my 2001 F150 that I just let go. Never a problem before this. I bought a new car so that I wouldn’t have to worry about repairs. Now… I got out every day hoping it will start!
I have Ford Escape same problem with the wiring and they ate my seats! So for its up to 5000.00 in damages.. I’m afraid everyday Togo out to my car
Are there any actions against Toyota? We are having the same problem. After searching the Internet, it appears we are not alone.
I have a 2015 Toyota RAV4. Today is the third visit to the dealer for rodent/wiring damage. We have lived in our rural home for 12 years and we have to park some vehicles outside but this is the first time we have encountered this problem.
I decided to do some on-line searching and found information about the soy-based coating used in the wiring of newer vehicles. (Explaining why we haven’t dealt with this problem with our older vehicles). The soy-based coated wires are reported to be a cheaper and ‘better on the environment’ (ha!) Low and behold, I have found literally HUNDREDS of posts on Facebook alone, from Toyota owners who have dealt with this!! They claim the coating is like candy to rodents (including rats, squirrels, rabbits etc) It is not only palatable but is actually an attractant. A Google search revealed even more victims.
Our first repair was just short $400. On the second visit, they replaced a hose to windshield wiper fluid free of charge. Today (third visit) they are quoting $104 to replace the hose AGAIN, $500 to repair wiring (Some of which was repaired on the first visit) OR $1800+ to replace the wiring harness. Ugh. If repaired with the same soy-based coated wires, this could be a perpetual problem/expense.
These repairs are not covered under warranty. The Dick Hannah dealership where these repairs are being performed have been pleasant, acknowledge the greater problem, but state they can not cover the cost through warranty.
It appears that some consumers have been compensated by their auto insurance (which affects everyone’s premiums in the long run). I have yet to pursue this with our insurance company.
I also feel my new vehicle’s value is greatly diminished!!
My husband and I are both employed, but can not afford such large repair bills on our new vehicle!!
I don’t know where to turn! The big automakers need to be held accountable!! From what I’ve read, this is occurring in cities, suburbs AND rural areas.