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A California federal judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit alleging Honda Motor Co. Inc. produced vehicles with soy-based or bio-based wire coatings that attract rodents that chew through the wires and cause a power steering malfunction.
In his May 24 order, U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real found that the plaintiffs failed to allege which components in Honda vehicles were soy-based or bio-based, and that they failed to provide factual support for their claim that these coatings attract rodents.
He found that the allegations failed under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act.
Plaintiffs Michael Preston and Penelope Turgeon had argued that the real question that should be considered was whether the parts that had to be replaced were defective because they had to be covered with a special rodent tape to prevent damage. Judge Real did not agree with this argument.
“Properly functioning wires are not rendered defective simply because rodents enjoy chewing on them,” the judge wrote. “That rodent tape serves as a deterrent does not mean the wires are defective unless wrapped in tape.”
Preston and Turgeon initially filed the Honda class action lawsuit in May 2017 in Illinois federal court. It was later transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Preston claims he leased a 2015 Honda Accord, which lost power steering within the new vehicle warranty period. He took the vehicle to the dealership for repairs and was told that rodents had chewed through wiring, making it necessary to replace certain power steering parts. The dealership did not cover the repairs under warranty and Preston was reportedly provided with a repair invoice for more than $2,000.
Turgeon says she leased a Honda Civic Hatchback in May 2017. In July, the vehicle allegedly lost power steering. When she took the vehicle back to the dealership, she says she was told that damage to the electronic power steering harness was caused by rodents that chewed through wires. The dealership replaced the power steering hub harness and wiring, and covered the wiring with special rodent tape.
She says she experienced another loss of power steering less than two weeks after the repair, and she again replaced the power steering harness and applied rodent tape. Neither repair was covered under warranty, the Honda class action lawsuit says.
Preston and Turgeon claim that all new Hondas purchased or leased from an authorized Honda dealership in Illinois between May 2014 and May 2017 are defective because they contain soy-based or bio-based components that attract rodents which chew on the wires and can cause a power steering malfunction.
According to the Honda class action lawsuit, the car company knew that the vehicles were susceptible to damage by rodents because they sold a special rodent tape. Honda did not inform consumers that the wire coatings could attract rodents that can damage the vehicle, the plaintiffs claim.
Judge Real rejected the claim that Honda’s use of rodent tape suggests Honda knew that the vehicles are defective, instead finding that the rodent tape could be indicative of good customer service because the company identified a problem and developed solution.
He also found that the claims that Honda’s failure to mention the rodent damage would not be covered by warranty failed because the plaintiffs didn’t show a causal link between the promotion of the warranty and their decision to lease the vehicles.
Preston and Turgeon are represented by Stephanie Tatar of Tatar Law Firm APC, Larry Smith of SmithMarco PC and Stacy Bardo of Bardo Law PC.
The Honda Rodent-Chewed Wire Coating Class Action Lawsuit is Michael Preston, et al. v. American Honda Motor Company Inc., Case No. 2:18-cv-00038, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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34 thoughts onHonda Class Action Over Rodent-Chewed Wire Coatings Is Dismissed
I purchased a new 2019 Honda CRV Touring model. The other day my wife was driving it and a whole bunch of warning messages started to come on. She got it back home and had it towed to the dealership. They called me the next day and told me the main wiring harness needs to be replaced because rodent chewed through the wiring! It will cost me $3400 to repair. They said it is not covered under my 3 year warranty. They told me the casing or wiring insulation is soy based which attracts rodents. They said it is a known problem that they deal with frequently. So I hope my insurance will take care of this and I will have to pay a $250 deductible. I have other older Honda’s parked in my driveway that have never been touched. Honda should own this problem an take care of this at no cost to the customer. I am no longer a fan of Honda!
I just had the same problem with my 2016 Honda with barely 25k miles on it. Varmints chewed up the engine bay harness and I have to have it replaced to the tune of 2700. I’ve had Hondas all my life, but I will never buy another one.
This is the exact thing that happened to me! I was not able to drive my car home from the restaurant where I was eating due to the rats chewing threw the wires. Over $2,500 worth of damage out of my pocket! Not covered by warranty? I was shocked to find that Honda denied the claim! I do not understand why this Class Action
was rejected!
Same thing happened to me today on my 2016 Honda Civic. One day I went to start my vehicle, all of my sensor lights are going off. TPMS, breaking, uphill parking etc. I try to turn my wheel but my power steering is not working. I get it towed to my local Honda dealership and they told me a LIVE rabbit was on my splash guard under the engine! It chewed up my wires and it will cost me 430 dollars to fix. This is ridiculous and we need justice. Last Honda I will own.
Well I just had the same thing happen to me. I purchased a brand new 2019 Honda Civic and in less than 90 days a rodent crawled up into the engine compartment and start chewing on plastic and wires. I thought it was a fluke or something since I have parked other vehicles for years there and they never disturbed it. A few months later the rodent came back and chewed a lot more this time I was on the freeway on and all the error codes on the dash board were going crazy and I started losing my power steering. Wow this has never happened to me before and I have owned at least ten new cars in my life. Of course, the Honda dealership admitted to nothing and said they have been noticing a rodent problem lately in our area. Wow, really it’s Escondido, California its a big city not a rural area. So long story short they charged me $345 cash because its my fault even though its a brand new car I only had for a few months with a full warranty. I bought this car because Honda’s are suppose to be reliable. Let me tell you I won’t buy from them again if they don’t step up and take their responsibility.
This literally just happened for the 3rd time on my Honda Civic. 2 separate locations as we moved. It disgusts me and is definitely Honda’s fault as it as never happened on any other vehicle we own. 1st 2 times were mice or rodents as they had a nest and droppings. Happened when we left for vacation and this last time – there literally was a rabbit in the engine that chewed on the wires. I had it towed and am selling this piece of crap Honda car once fixed. I also have been spraying the rodent spray as the dealer said this would work w the new rodent tapes. What a joke
How the hell are judges DISMISSING this? There is SOY in the wires. SOY is FOOD. Why is my CAR made out of FOOD? And youre gonna keep selling the car anyways and not cover the damage?? Shame on you, Honda. I will never buy another car from them again. Ive owned a brand new Civic EX-L for less than a year, only 20,000 miles on it and I dont think I went one month without some electrical issue. I look at this company completely different now. They know what they did and the damage is done. They had much too long to rectify this and they are actively ignoring it. Cant wait to claim a total loss through act of nature so I can get a car from a much more reliable brand. The rumors that Hondas are reliable are false.
I had that same issue. Rodent problem, after 2 months of owning my hatchback power steering came off. Had the car towed? Honda dealership said it was chewed wires and it is not covered by warranty. 2 months of ownership.
Last night, we had a heavy rain storm. The next day, when I tried starting my 5-week-old, brand-new, 2020 leased Honda Civic, the engine wouldn’t turn over. I couldn’t understand it. I didn’t leave the lights on, or the door or trunk ajar. Obviously, it couldn’t be the battery. So, I popped open the hood and—OMG–right on top of my engine was a collection of twigs and leaves. My wife and I were literally in shock. It defied logic. We brushed them all out and right away I noticed the wiring to the harness was completely chewed through. Not just one set, but 3 separate sets of wires as well as the plastic housing compartment. I immediately called the dealership, which I knew wouldn’t do any good, but I wanted to hear what they had to say. They expectedly suggested that I call my insurance company. Fortunately, GEICO was very accommodating. They sent out a tow truck right away and towed my car 45 minutes away to the dealership. We’re now waiting for an update. GEICO has offered a pre-estimate of $390 ($65×6 hours of labor), $250 of which will be covered through our deductible. It will, of course, be much higher than that. So, I’m quite on edge. In fact, I can’t begin to express how upset I am. Even if I get off with only paying the deductible, it is still $250! Not only that, but the claim I made–which is my first ever in over 30 years of driving–is going to be assessed to my account over the next 3 years. And, despite what GEICO has said, will likely result in a rise in my premium. My wife and I have each been driving a leased Honda Civic for over a decade and have never had any issues of rodent damage or occupation. This is quite disturbing and frankly just not right. Given today’s advancements in technology, it’s hard to believe we cannot come up with some type of foolproof plan to keep rodents from chewing on engine wires, let alone gaining access to our vehicles. This easily could have resulted in an engine fire or a major accident. We were fortunate that it did not. Suffice it to say, something has to be done about this.
I have a Honda 2014 pilot rodent’s is just did $3,000 worth of damage chewing the wires destroyed the harness. my daughter just bought a Honda Fit.
The same happens to me. Both Honda Civic 2017 and Honda Civic 2020 were destroyed by squirrels chews up the wirings. Honda Civic 2017 was on fire during the trip to the closest post office, and it is a safety issue! On my Honda Civic 2020 Squirrels chewed up the wiring and made a nest near the engine while I was away from home for a week.
Previously I had Honda Civic 1999 for 17 years with zero issues even when I was away from home for several months.
Same problem, 2018 Accord… Honda won’t help in any way. Hope someone starts this class action again with better representation.
I have a 2014 honda civic sedan, bought it brand new (7/2014) and a month after all warning lights came on, took it to the dealership and ask them to fix it but refuse, instead they call it animal damage and use my insurance to pay for the damages. Total bill was about $1400 but my deductible was $750. So I spent $750 on a brand new car, ridiculous but that’s how honda treat their customer. I will never buy honda ever again.