unwanted passenger

ZOSO Runner

ZOSO Runner

New member
so the other day I get in my truck a day after it had been washed and vaccumed and smelling clean. I notice that it just doesn't smell very good at all anymore, in fact it smells like urine. I'm looking around and notice little dropings all over the place....a damn mouse got inside my truck and has been there for three days now. He is doing major damage to the wiring!!!! At first it was just the passenger door window and locks, but now none of my interior dome lights work, the keyless entry doesnt work, the power locks dont work...it is a nightmare.

I know it is a mouse because i saw him the other day when i took out my glove box to check things out. I set some traps with no success.

How could have it gotten in my truck? and how should i get rid of him? Will my truck ever be the same again? I'm pretty sure my insurance will cover replacing the wiring as long as it's over $500. this totally sucks!!!!
 
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been there

Hello from Canada! I had created a thread a couple of months ago about my encounter with a mouse (entitled "Eeek... A Mouse") in my 4Runner. The little varmint had used my heater vents and air filter as a storage facility for bird seed and dog food that he had collected from my garage. Fortunately, he did not damage any of the wires and the Manitoba Public Insurance company covered the cost of cleaning and deodorizing my entire heating system-- minus the deductible.

The Service Dept. at the Toyota dealership said that they saw approx 30 vehicles so far this year with an "infestation problem" and that in some of the cars they had to replace a lot of the electrical wiring. This problem seems to happen more frequently to owners who live in rural (country) locations.

What can you do? I got a number of suggestions from people on this forum-- ranging from mouse poison to putting mesh over the air vents (not sure if this is the correct term) that let fresh air into the heating/ventilation system. The dealership suggested placing Bounce dryer sheets in the engine and the interior of the car-- mice supposedly hate the smell. That's what I did-- plus I got rid of any seeds, dogfood bags, etc. in my garage. My husband also sets mouse traps and has caught 6 or 7 of the critters so far.

I don't know how to link you to the thread where my problem was discussed, but you could find it using the search feature. Good luck to you-- and don't worry, your 4Runner can be fixed good as new!
 
I've been finding acorns in my blower motor... this is now the third time I've found them in about a month and a half. It's frustrating.
 
Squirrels will do the same thing...my neighbor across the street had a nice Volvo at one time (now has a Camry!!)....Squirrels would get up into the engine compartment and chew wires....did like 900$ of damage to the car on one occasion.

He has since invested in a rather nice pellet gun...
 
get one of those stick traps at home depot, lowes and ace. Put a ball of peanut butter in the middle. good luck.
 
How the mouse got in the truck in the first place, is what really bothers me!

Cheese on traps is NFG. It dries out and becomes loose and is easily robbed without setting off the trap. However, peanut butter has to be licked off with force and is excellent on regular traps.
 
I had an incident with a past car, a VW Passat. I went on a two-week vacation, and sometime during that period a mouse took up residence in my engine compartment. He chewed up the hood insulation to build his nest. Luckily, he never got into the wiring or inside the vehicle.

My advice would be to always have mouse traps set in your garage. I do, and every few weeks I get another one (mouse). They love garages especially if you have any food sources (bird seed, grass seed, dog food).

And I concur with peanut butter. I add a dab of peanutbuter to the standard plastic cheese bait found on 99 cent traps. It seems to work.
 
A local rancher I know claims mothballs in an old sock, placed in the engine compartment is also a detourant.
 
Yes, peanut butter is the best "treat" to put in a mousetrap-- that's what my husband uses and it works.

I am not sure exactly how a mouse enters a 4Runner. In the case of my truck, I never actually saw the mouse inside-- just some pieces of Purina dog chow would show up on the floor in front of the front seat on the passenger side. When the Toyota mechanic removed the panel in the back (directly behind where the passenger's feet would rest) a really large pile of dog food fell out-- enough to fill a small bag!

The mouse was apparently carrying the food, piece by piece, from the dog's bowl in the breezeway, through a small hole into the garage, then climbing up into the car and through the air intake vent. It was kind of amazing because this was obviously a hardworking mouse!

I am not sure how a mouse could get from there into the passenger compartment-- maybe your Toyota service department would know. But the little rascals do have a way to squeeze through rather tight spaces!
 
you are right, it is funny and I have to laugh about it or else I might go crazy...the varmit is still living in my truck, it has been 4 days now. I have tried all your great suggestions, traditional mouse traps with PB and the sticky ones with PB. Lasst night the sucker took some traps for a ride around the truck and finally wriggled free and left some hair to prove he was there. I can't believe this thing, I think he might be a circus mouse. My next move would be to bomb the truck and have the dealership find the carcus when they replace all my wiring. AAAAAGGGHHH!!!!
 
Are you sure it's not a rat

A mouse trap should have taken out a mouse, are you sure you don't have a RAT? A rat will not be killed by a mouse trap, you may want to upgrade your trap.

Also you can try the mouse/rodent traps that are made with sticky paper like industrial fly paper.

I had this problem with my Land Cruiser and ended up killing 2 rats before it was all over. As it gets colder they will most definately move in.

I have a Cat now that does me great in regards to keeping such pests out.

Paul C
 
Paul was right, it was a RAT and not a mouse. I finally saw the vermit face to face when I was looking inside the truck from the outside with a flashlight. so I went and bought an electronic trap and a few hours later I fried the sucker with 6 volts of electricity (4 C batteries).

I just got my truck back from the dealer. They replaced the wire harness that the rodent had eaten from the passenger side door into the truck, replaced some fuses that blew and did a mior service. All told with the cost of the rental car, the numerous traps that did not work because I thought I was dealing with a mouse and not a rat, the carpet cleaner and order eliminator I ordered from Macguires, the grand total is over $730.00!!!

That is one expensive unwanted guest, I just hope it never happens again.
 
Well the obvious solution is to borrow a cat and lock it in the car for two days with only water. It'll soon find the mouse! :D
 
Rat,

Glad you got him. It's amazing just how much damage they can do in a short period of time.

In Colorado, they tell you to leave your hood up when not in the vechicle as the various critters out there like to make a home in the hood area.

RATs will like you found out, eat the wiring harnesses and work on the hoses and belts. In my 92 Cruiser I lost one harness, and three hoses before I figured out what was going on.

This was a truck that was parked in a garage! not outdoors.

Paul
 
Doesn't it always work out this way............

Today, the wife opened the glove box to look for some napkins we keep stored in there (along with a bunch of other stuff), and found the beginnings of a nest in the napkins. It had also pulled some of the gray fiber insulation from under the dash to add to make it nice and comfy.:bugeye: Fortunately. the busy little builder wasn't at 'home'. When I got home, I pulled the manual and after checking the heating/air layout I figured there was probably only one likely entry point. At the top of the blower unit, there is a connection to the deck under the windshield where fresh air is drawn into the system. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this was the same place the Honda's were having a problem. I removed the plastic cover, just below the windshield, that covers the wiper motor and arms and there was the fresh air inlet wide open. There are spaces on either end of the cowel area by the hood hinges that the little beggers can get under the plastic and gain access to the fresh air inlet. I fashioned a cover screen from some small expanded metal screening I had. It will now take a 'Mighty Mouse' to get in that way.:D I took some pics of the process, and as soon as I get them downloaded from the camera, I will write up a procedure and post it with the pics.
 
Last edited:
pipspeak said:
Well the obvious solution is to borrow a cat and lock it in the car for two days with only water. It'll soon find the mouse! :D
Click to expand...

Dude, that is NOT a cool idea! Cat urine is about the worst smell there is and you would have to "Frebreze" the whole car afterwards!
 
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