Customers Suing Honda Over Soy Insulated Wires That Reportedly Attract Small Animals

It sounds like the “ta-da” part of a magic show, but it was nothing more than a trip to a dealership service department. Without the use of a top hat, dealership employees pulled a live (and don’t worry, perfectly healthy) rabbit out of a customer’s car.

A federal class-action lawsuit is targeting Honda over soy-based insulated wires. Honda says the insulation, which is put over vehicle wires is cheaper and better for the environment. Greg Delaney, a Honda owner out of Arizona, and plaintiff in the case has an example that seems to prove just how friendly the soy-based insulation is to creatures of the earth, especially rabbits.

According to Courthouse News, when Delaney took his 2014 Honda CrossTour to a Honda dealership due to shredded wires, the dealership found, “a live rabbit still chewing through the wiring in his vehicle and provided Mr. Delaney with a photograph of the live animal chewing the wiring in the car.” Delaney reportedly paid $765 for repairs to the vehicle due to the rabbit chewing wires on his Honda. In a similar case reported by Courthouse News, a Texas man had to pay his $500 deductible on a $1,400 bill after a rabbit chewed through the power steering wires on his vehicle. The Texas Honda owner said Honda refused to honor the repair under the vehicle’s warranty.

Apparently, rabbits, mice and squirrels have been known to eat though Honda vehicle wiring.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Honda are seeking “class certification, actual and statutory damages for breach of express warranty and violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.”

In your experience in retail automotive, have you ever heard of either critters chewing through vehicle wires, or dealership techs finding a live rabbit still eating though vehicle wires? Should automaker warranties cover rabbit and rodent wire issues?