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A new class action lawsuit claims thousands of Toyota cars, trucks and SUVs are defective because they contain soy wiring materials that are very attractive to rodents, resulting in costly repairs for their owners.
Plaintiff Heidi Browder says she’s been battling rodent damage under her 2015 Toyota Avalon which she attributes to soy-based wiring materials.
The lawsuit, which requests class action status on behalf of thousands of Toyota owners nationwide, claims the automaker recently switched the materials used to protect wiring inside the electrical systems of its vehicles.
Instead of using plastic or glass-based insulation derived from petroleum, the lawsuit claims Toyota now uses a soy-based wiring material that is promoted as more environmentally-friendly.
While soy-based wiring may be better for the environment, Browder says it also baits rodents and animals – including rats, squirrels, and other pests – to the vehicles and entices them to chew through, eat, or otherwise damage and compromise vehicles’ wiring and wiring insulation.
Browder first started experiencing problems last month when she allegedly tried starting her Toyota Avalon multiple times without any luck. She lifted the hood of the car and reportedly observed a rodent scurry across the top of the engine. Browder says she also observed damage to the wires under the hood and had her vehicle towed to a Toyota dealership.
A couple hours later, a Toyota service technician reported to Browder that there was rodent damage to her car and instructed her to contact her insurance company to see if they would cover the rodent damage. The technician indicated that the damage would cost between $5,600 to $6,000 to repair.
Browder contacted her insurance carrier and after paying a $500 deductible, the vehicle was repaired under her insurance. She then proceeded to inquire if the rodent damage was covered under Toyota’s warranty, but was told by a Toyota service representative that it was not covered because “any outside source of damage to the car” is not covered. The service rep also allegedly stated that rodent damage is “not uncommon” and the rodent damage “happens a lot” with Toyota vehicles.
This prompted to Browder to review her warranty which essentially states coverage is excluded for “airborne chemicals, tree sap, road debris, rail dust, salt, hail, floods, wind storms, lightening, and other environmental conditions.”
Browder points to numerous complaints posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website and other consumer sources which reveal rodents are uniquely attracted to the soy materials in the Toyota vehicles.
Yet despite the fact that Toyota is aware or should be aware of the issue with the soy wiring, it refuses to cover repairs for these vehicles, leaving consumers with little options except to pay for costly repairs out-of-pocket.
But Browder contends that Toyota’s warranty should cover customer repairs since the damage caused by the rodents or other animals chewing on the soy wiring is not an “other environmental condition.”
The lawsuit seeks recovery for monetary and equitable relief for Toyota’s breach of warranty, breach of implied warranty of merchantability, violations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and violations of Texas’ consumer protection laws. Browder also seeks recovery based upon Toyota’s unjust enrichment, and declaratory relief.
Browder and the proposed Class are represented by Cory S. Fein of Cory S. Fein PC.
The Toyota Soy Wiring Class Action Lawsuit is Browder v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al., Case No. 3:16-cv-03387, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.
UPDATE: This Toyota Soy Wiring class action lawsuit was dismissed at the request of the plaintiff on February 7, 2017.
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62 thoughts onToyota Class Action Says Soy Wiring Attracts Rodents
They got in my car and built a nest chewing on my windshield wipers frame and the actual windshield wipers then one night got into my Toyota Corolla and chewed up the interior of my floor board. Asked Toyota and they said they couldn’t fix it without money. So pissed they have done nothing but screwed me on this car already as it is before this. I will never return to toyota
I also have had this problem with my Corolla
This has happened multiple times costing me nearly $1000. One of the times was I had 6 inches of water under spare tire causing mold due to a rodent chewing holes behind bumper into trunk causing a severe leak everytime it rained.
This happened to my 2010 lexus, a 2012 suzuki grand vitara and a 1998 buick skylark i own have tried poison, peppermint oil, tea tree oil cayenne pepper, anti freeze, everything the internet told me would work. it is bad in the winter time when the rats are looking to get out of the elements. have paid thousands in repair costs and the added anxiety of never knowing when a vehicle is going to be attacked. once they get their scent under the hood of the car it is hard to keep them from coming back. it has been a nightmare.
I have 2014 Toyota Sienna and 3 seat cushions are chewed by rodent. Toyota dealership at Columbus Ohio declined to cover it with warranty. A technician said all wiring is good just the seat cushion are damaged by rodent. Can I get benefited by this lawsuit?
This has been a problem for my Toyota for quite some time!
I have a Tundra 2007, rats ate though my wiring harness, have pictures where they nested, mice ate some wiring too, then they would get stuck and die, my truck smells bad plus the 5,000 had to pay to get it fixed . So tired of this, we have other vehicles too but they seem to like my truck
I purchased a new 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid in November of 2015. I kept the car mostly garaged at home. However, I started parking in the driveway over the 2016 Nov. and Dec. holidays due to my garage being full. On January 2nd, 2017 I could not start my car and received a “Check Hybrid System” message. I was towed to the dealership. They examined my car and told me the car was damaged by rodents trying to nest in the engine area during the cold. The rodents ate through my wiring system. I was told this was NOT covered under warranty!! My car has 13k miles on it and I LIVE IN FLORIDA. The coldest day we had was 60 degrees Fahrenheit!! I was astounded. None of it made sense. Before I left the Toyota service center the Valet told me that the cause was not the cold but was the wiring system itself due to being made of organic materials such as peanut oil and soy, which attract the rodents. I have heard that this is a trend and has happened to numerous other people who have purchased newer vehicles. I work in Quality for a Medical Device Manufacturer. If this had happened at my place of employment we would be required to fix the problem through a Field Corrective Action – also known as a product RECALL. The Avalon is the 4th Toyota vehicle that I have purchased from the Toyota dealership. I buy Toyota because of the high quality, reliability, and durability of the vehicles. I have been a loyal Toyota customer and feel betrayed. Where has the product quality, reliability and durability gone?? Who thought that making a vehicle out of organic edible materials was a good idea?? Not me!
I also had to repair my Lexus parked 2 nights while camping. They ate the wiring and Lexus charged us $$ to fix it..Not under insurance.
I went through this just last week. Mice ate through my camshaft sensor wires.