[Alix]

My 2018 Clarity hybrid broke down because while parked at the airport for abt a week, a rodent chewed some electrical wires. The dealer acknowledged it was a common problem because Honda striving to be ecologically friendly makes the wires with a vegetable-based material. The dealer covered the wires with a less palatable material however charging me about $800.00. I wrote a letter to Honda of North America which exenterated itself from any liabilities. I was referred to my insurance company. Shouldn't Honda be responsible for this?

 

[fotomoto]

Shouldn't Honda be responsible for this?

No. Although the newer “eco friendly” wiring is more attractive to rodents, wiring has always been a rodent treat (as wells as air and cabin filters). It’s an industry wide phenomenon.

 

[obermd]

There's long been something in plastic that triggers hunger hormones in all animals. Studies back in the late 80s/early 90s discovered that even coral prefers plastic to real food.

 

[CalClarity]

My 2018 Clarity hybrid broke down because while parked at the airport for abt a week, a rodent chewed some electrical wires. The dealer acknowledged it was a common problem because Honda striving to be ecologically friendly makes the wires with a vegetable-based material. The dealer covered the wires with a less palatable material however charging me about $800.00. I wrote a letter to Honda of North America which exenterated itself from any liabilities. I was referred to my insurance company. Shouldn't Honda be responsible for this?

The exact same thing happened to us when our Clarity was parked for a week in the mountains.

Our insurance company covered replacing the whole wiring unit (about $1300) with our contribution just the deductible (about $150). The Honda dealership said it may have been a couple hundred cheaper by redoing the wiring but that they would not be certain everything was re-attached properly in the long-run. Either way was covered by insurance.

Toyota was reported to have a similar problem involving its wires, but I had not heard of Honda using a vegetable-based product.

I doubt whether the insulation being made of organic versus inorganic plastic makes a difference.

 

[Phantom Clarity]

My 2018 Clarity hybrid broke down because while parked at the airport for abt a week, a rodent chewed some electrical wires. The dealer acknowledged it was a common problem because Honda striving to be ecologically friendly makes the wires with a vegetable-based material. The dealer covered the wires with a less palatable material however charging me about $800.00. I wrote a letter to Honda of North America which exenterated itself from any liabilities. I was referred to my insurance company. Shouldn't Honda be responsible for this?

We have a serious rodent problem here in AZ with pack rats eating wiring. I installed a device called Rid-A-Rat that is a bright strobe light that is battery powered (lasts about a year). Installed under the hood it apparently is too distracting to rats and they leave your car alone. I also put dryer sheets under the hood with small tie wraps. Rats don't like the smell. I also installed a high pitch sound emitter that also keeps critters away. The pitch is not audible to humans. The pitch can be dialed to specific ranges for specific animals. After two cars were damaged, my Clarity has not been touched in the 18 months I've had it. Oh, and I also installed rat poison boxes, that only a rat can enter. It seems like a lot, but it keeps these varmints away and avoids expensive repairs.

 

[Alix]

The exact same thing happened to us when our Clarity was parked for a week in the mountains.

Our insurance company covered replacing the whole wiring unit (about $1300) with our contribution just the deductible (about $150). The Honda dealership said it may have been a couple hundred cheaper by redoing the wiring but that they would not be certain everything was re-attached properly in the long-run. Either way was covered by insurance.

Toyota was reported to have a similar problem involving its wires, but I had not heard of Honda using a vegetable-based product.

I doubt whether the insulation being made of organic versus inorganic plastic makes a difference.

Thank you for sharing your experience. It is unscrupulous for a manufacturer to use materials that would cost the customer and be exonerated from the ramifications. I opted to swallow the cost rather than having to bear the cost of an increase in my insurance premium.

 

[lionround]

I have a 1996 GMC 1500 that I haven't driven in 2+years. One of my friends wanted to use it so I told him if he could get it running, he could use it. I knew it would have fuel issues and probably dry rotted tires, but the thing that worried me the most was the electrical. I have lots of mice and squirrels. I just knew the wiring was going to be shot.

He went to replace the air filter and there was a snake living in the filter box. No wiring problems.