Mouse chews hybrid wiring harness and causes $1166.79 damage

[wheels]

I will try to keep this post short. I have a 2005 Toyota Prius package B and I live in Canada. One day as I got into my car and started to back out of my driveway I noticed all kinds of warning lights show up on my dash and a beeping sound indicating a serious error had occurred. This included the check engine, VSC, Airbag, and triangle with an exclamation symbol lights. So naturally I shut the car off and started it up again only to notice the same thing happen. I double checked my fuel cap to see if it was loose, and restarted the car and I still had the same lights come on, and my battery still had about an 80% charge and I had 3 bars on the gas gauge. So I then called my Toyota road side assistance as recommended in the owner’s manual to have it brought to my nearest dealership to diagnose the problem. I wasn’t too worried at this point since I was still fully within the manufactures warranty since I was under 60,000KM.

My Toyota dealership was clueless as to why this was happening and over the course of 8 business days they replaced computer modules and other parts to no avail. It wasn’t until they had the help of Toyota headquarters that they came to the conclusion that a small creature or rodent of some kind had climbed in to the rear of the vehicle through an air vent, and then chewed a wiring harness which disabled the hybrid system on the car. I was then informed by the dealership that this is not covered under the vehicle warranty and that I am on the hook for a $1166.79 repair bill. Toyota does not consider this to be a defect in the design of the car or a safety issue and even after I called their customer service number to explain my situation I was told the same thing.

Neither Toyota or the dealership offered to block/cover these vents to prevent any future attempts by a rodent getting in. They didn’t offer any suggestions or advice as to what I should do to prevent this. So I was basically on my own.

So I ended up buying some wire mesh from Home Depot and made my own mouse proof vent cover so that air could still flow without difficulty and still prevent a mouse from climbing inside.

I just wanted to bring this problem to the attention of other Prius owners out there so that you can protect yourself and not have to go through what I did.

I will post a before and after shot of the air vent below. I believe these vents are mainly used so that the lift gate can shut properly and allow air to escape from the pressure of closing the lift gate.

This is what the vent looks like where the rodent got in (near the driver side brake light). Notice that the rubber flap is pulled back in the lower right corner.



This is the same vent after I covered it with the wire mesh.



This is another vent that I covered (near the passenger side brake light).

[efusco]

Wow, that stinks. I can't blame Toyota for not covering it, but it's still not a good thing. Did they charge you to repair the damaged harness only or all the ECUs they'd replaced, all the diagnostic labor, etc. too?

I think it's wise of you to cover those vents. But, do you park your car indoors or out? Have you taken efforts to rid your home/area of the mice to prophylax against further invasions?

I've heard a couple of stories of mice getting into the cabin air vents and making nests and one even dying there and needing to be retrieved.

Finally, do you have any photos of the damaged area itself? Was it the harness to the HV battery?

[Godiva]

Did they SHOW you the parts and did they look like they were chewed by a mouse?

There is another thread on the forum about the wiring harness being damaged by a plate that has been installed wrong. The harness *could* be cut by a piece of the metal plate that sticks out because it was installed wrong. That would be a defect in manufacturing.

Make them show you the damaged part to prove it was little mouse teeth.

Wiring harness potential problem

I've printed it out and keep it in my car. I'll show it to the service department in case it happens. And I'd certainly want to see the position of the plate and the wiring harness before I agree to a $1200 bill.

[wheels]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 30 2006, 04:11 PM) [snapback]326156[/snapback]</div>

Wow, that stinks. I can't blame Toyota for not covering it, but it's still not a good thing. Did they charge you to repair the damaged harness only or all the ECUs they'd replaced, all the diagnostic labor, etc. too?

I think it's wise of you to cover those vents. But, do you park your car indoors or out? Have you taken efforts to rid your home/area of the mice to prophylax against further invasions?

I've heard a couple of stories of mice getting into the cabin air vents and making nests and one even dying there and needing to be retrieved.

Finally, do you have any photos of the damaged area itself? Was it the harness to the HV battery?
[/b]

I was charged 89 units of labour only which worked out to $1166.79 after tax. I'm not certain how many computer modules or parts were swapped out in the process. I never did get a chance to see the damaged area, but I was told that the rodent also got underneath the backseat and was chewing foam as well.

I live with my parents and we have 4 cars so sometimes I am parked out on the driveway, and other times I am in the garage. We have never had any mouse problems in the garage or around the house, but my job is out of town in the country and that is most likely where I picked up the rodent.

I have heard about mice getting into the A/C from reading this site, and I have also stuffed some stainless steal whole under the wiper blades where there was a large opening near the A/C.

Here is a photo of where I think the damage may have occurred, there seems to be some tape on the wires where the repair work may have been done (this is behind the backseat on the drivers side).

[wheels]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Sep 30 2006, 04:19 PM) [snapback]326160[/snapback]</div>

Did they SHOW you the parts and did they look like they were chewed by a mouse?

There is another thread on the forum about the wiring harness being damaged by a plate that has been installed wrong. The harness *could* be cut by a piece of the metal plate that sticks out because it was installed wrong. That would be a defect in manufacturing.

Make them show you the damaged part to prove it was little mouse teeth.

Wiring harness potential problem

I've printed it out and keep it in my car. I'll show it to the service department in case it happens. And I'd certainly want to see the position of the plate and the wiring harness before I agree to a $1200 bill.
[/b]

The dealership wasn't very helpful at all. They didn't show me any of the damage, or where the rodent got in. I had to poke around and find it myself. I had to remove just about every plastic panel and the cargo area in the back of the car to see it, and it was very awkward for me to get in there to have a look and cover the area. I can see that the rubber flap behind the air vent had been ripped apart in the corner like the rodent had been chewing on it, but that was pretty much the only evidence I could find of the intrusion. The area around the spare tire and battery weren't very dirty and this was probably cleaned up at the dealer.

[mootsman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wheels @ Sep 30 2006, 04:55 PM) [snapback]326177[/snapback]</div>

The dealership wasn't very helpful at all. They didn't show me any of the damage, or where the rodent got in. I had to poke around and find it myself.
[/b]

I wouldn't give them a penny until they demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt, including photographs and written statements, that the damage was caused by a rodent -- period.

Also, this is a classic example where if, indeed, a rodent caused the damage Toyota is shooting themselves in the foot by not doing a courtesy warranty. What they would spend would FAR outweigh negative publicity.

[IsrAmeriPrius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wheels @ Sep 30 2006, 12:55 PM) [snapback]326141[/snapback]</div>

I was then informed by the dealership that this is not covered under the vehicle warranty and that I am on the hook for a $1166.79 repair bill. Toyota does not consider this to be a defect in the design of the car or a safety issue and even after I called their customer service number to explain my situation I was told the same thing.[/b]

Check with your insurance carrier. This should be covered by the Comprehensive portion of your auto policy.

[galaxee]

well... toyota did eat the cost of all those parts that they swapped out during the diagnosis process... so the OP has a whole bunch of new stuff for free. that's gotta count for something.

since you're paying for it you can demand the original part back to verify if you're really concerned about it being a lie.

although if they're talking about a harness in the back of the car... i wouldn't be too concerned about them trying to cover up the one in the front near the starter plate.

[jburns]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wheels @ Sep 30 2006, 04:55 PM) [snapback]326177[/snapback]</div>

The dealership wasn't very helpful at all. They didn't show me any of the damage, or where the rodent got in. I had to poke around and find it myself. I had to remove just about every plastic panel and the cargo area in the back of the car to see it, and it was very awkward for me to get in there to have a look and cover the area. I can see that the rubber flap behind the air vent had been ripped apart in the corner like the rodent had been chewing on it, but that was pretty much the only evidence I could find of the intrusion. The area around the spare tire and battery weren't very dirty and this was probably cleaned up at the dealer.
[/b]

If the problem was a chewed harness you should only be required to pay for that if anything at all. The modules replaced while the techs were on a fishing expedition are a result of them failing to properly diagnose the problem correctly. To many times car repairs are trial and error. I would demand an itemized bill and production of the chewed harness. Then I would start scratching out anything not directly related to the harness replacement including the labor charges[u].

[keydiver]

That's how I see it too. Why should he be responsible for the tech's misdiagnosing the problem?
If I work on my car, and I try the "shotgun" approach to repairing it, replacing EVERYTHING it *could* be, that's one thing. But when I'm paying a "professional" for his "professionally trained" diagnosis, I don't expect the "shotgun" method, or at least I don't expect to have to pay for it.