Judge Dismisses Toyota Rodent Wiring Lawsuit

A federal judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit against Toyota Motor Sales, USA, seeking to force the automaker to cover under warranty the damage caused by rats, mice, and other rodents that chewed through insulation for engine wiring.

The lawsuit claims that Toyota’s use of soy-based instead of the traditional petroleum-based material has made the wiring irresistible to little critters. The federal judge also did not allow the case to be refiled.

Los Angeles attorney Brian Kabateck, co-lead litigator for the plaintiffs, expressed his disappointment with the court’s ruling, but remains hopeful with their future prospects to help vehicle owners recover their losses.

"Over the course of litigation, we've discovered the problem of rodents eating through soy-covered wiring is frequent and widespread, impacting tens of thousands of drivers nationwide," Kabateck said.

"Toyota apparently isn't willing to fix this defect or compensate customers who have paid significant amounts of money to mechanics to repair damage caused by rats, squirrels and mice. People purchased these vehicles because they believed they were buying a reliable product, but Toyota refuses to acknowledge this problem even exists--or cover the damage under its warranty program," he added.

Toyota says the claims lack merit, adding that rodent damage to wiring was widespread across the industry and not limited to soy-based wiring.

"We are gratified that, after repeated failures to allege facts that would support their defect claims, the Court dismissed plaintiffs' meritless claims without leave to amend," Toyota said in a statement.