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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 have had my fuel injector chewed by rats and had to pay for repair. Then again they chewed one of the wires for the battery. I had to pay again.
This just happened to me & I do not think I am going to get it fixed. I am retired & cannot afford for my insurance to go up, it is already 408$ a month! Honda should be responsible for repairing this. I have had at least 8 cars in my lifetime mostly fords & nothing like this has ever happened to me.
My 2018 Honda Civic Sport has had the same problem on November 24 2022. The wiring harness has been chewed through and sent my computer into believing that every system has failed and my dash looks like a christmas tree. I have coverage for this thank God through my insurance company but the deductible is still a very harsh blow to try and cover. Seems something truly is not right when this seems to be happening to.so many of us here. I don’t know what to do or what grounds we have against Honda. But surely there has to be some way to fight them for loss of all our vehicles.
Have Honda HRV-2021, /squirrels chewed all my wiring, Cost 3000.00 to fix. One month later they got into it again, but only chew the insulation under the hood.
One month after leasing my new honda civic 2022, my car was infested with squirrels and nuts. they had to change a motor that had to do with air no longer coming out of vents. This june my A/C fan was making a very very loud noise my husband checked the cabin air filter it had been eaten by mice. He had to clean in air cabin compartment and more to clear debris because I didn’t wan’t to have to pay Honda again for vermin related problems. My car is in a garage, I use mint spray, mice traps surround my car and still this happens. I am not sure if insurance companies cover this kind of damage in Canada, but insurance companies should put pressure on Honda and other companies who use soya wiring. It’s ridiculous we now have to make car payments and also pay for rodent damage. Shame on Honda, they know what’s going on . I’ve had hondas for over 12 yrs changing every three yrs(leasing) and never had problem with rodents except for this civic 2022 and fit 2017 had mice in my car but didn’t chew wires or filters. My husband has a 2010 Crv and no rodent problems, we live in the same place .
Is there currently any active class action law suits involving the harnesses of Honda? If so, How can I get my name into the hat. Honda says it is 7600 to replace 3 harnesses eaten by rodents. I have taken the vehicle (2018 Honda CRV) to a mechanic and he is fixing and checking harnesses costing me 4500. Nissan had the same problem, I was told after fixing (6000) that if I run it occasionally it would not attract the rodents which is why I was surprised at the Honda as it is my main mode of transportation.
Just happened to me. I bought a 2022 Honda Civic Touring in July. Four months later, the car goes to the shop and I’m told the same thing. Like the rest of the folks on this comment log, I will be out of pocket to pay for the repairs – an issue that Honda is well aware of. They can say that the wires are not defective, but to claim no responsibility when they know there is an issue and to then have a product that could deter rodents where consumers will have to pay to have installed?
Have a 2015 honda civic and exact same thing here in ontario canada. Lost power steering took it in told us it was the wire harness and it was clearly a rodent chewing it. taxes gonna cost almost $2900. Some kind of heads of from honda would of been nice or maybe they could of use the tape deterrent from the start. Like seriously who the hell puts soy in a freaking car.
we have a 2012 CRV EX that we bought in 2016 and after 9 month of ownership the headlights were not working. took it to the dealership and of course a critter chew some wires, thanks god it was just $500 in repairs and i started to dilute peppermint oil with water and spray it where all cable goes behind the engine bay at night when car is not in use.
I had my 2018 Honda Accord wire harness eaten up two times now. Over 4000 worth of damage. It is sad that Honda knows but does nothing about it…