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The Toyota Wiring Lawsuit Is Back From the Dead Over a Technicality


In the original lawsuit, according to consumer site Carcomplaints.com, the plaintiffs stated that Toyota began to use “soybean coated wires” in various vehicles they produced. They claimed that the wiring type was defective because the coating drew rats and other rodents. After being chewed on, the wiring sustained damaged and caused a wide array of function failures leading to potential safety hazards.

Toyota was blamed in the proposed class-action lawsuit for damage to the wiring saying it should be covered under warranty. Placing the blame on the rats, the automaker denied that the problem was one the warranty should cover. The plaintiffs say in the suit that Toyota claims the chewing damage as an “environmental condition” and not eligible under Toyota’s warranty for repairs for any “defects in materials.”

The lawsuit claimed that Toyota didn’t let its customers know that it switched to the soybean-coated wires. The automaker also didn’t disclose the fact that the coating is attractive to rodents which increased the likelihood of such an incident happening. The plaintiffs claimed Toyota’s actions violated consumer protection laws for years.

A previous version of the lawsuit was dismissed with the judge stating that the plaintiffs used competing allegations about why rats were compelled to chew the wires. Toyota maintained that the issue was far simpler than the plaintiffs claimed. Rodents are known to chew on a variety of things according to the automaker but that didn’t make it Toyota’s responsibility to deal with.

Funny how rust is an “environmental condition” and they covered the frames, and will paint panels while under warranty.