Woman Claims Wiring Defect On Toyota Vehicles In Lawsuit
DENVER (CBS4)- A Colorado woman is filing for a class action lawsuit against the Toyota corporation.
She claims there's an undisclosed wiring defect in a number of their vehicles. The lawsuit claims the wire casing attracts rodents who then chew through the electrical systems.
Matt Hernandez, general manager of Golden Triangle Auto Care, says they see it a lot.
"Car manufacturers utilize are utilizing a soy based materials as an isolator on the copper wiring that they use in wiring harnesses in your vehicle… and one of the things a lot of our little critters like is soy," Hernandez said.
That idea is the basis behind the newly filed federal lawsuit. They argue that the use of soy-based materials results in costly damage that Toyota refuses to cover under warranty.
While Toyota is the focus of the lawsuit, Hernandez says they see the "edible" material used by a number of manufacturers.
"If you have one group of people using a specific type of technology you'll find that the others will follow suit very closely," Hernandez said.
An issue that has been seen before.
In 2015, car owners parked at a private lot near DIA reported dealing with the same issue. The vehicles targeted mainly be rabbits ranged from Volkswagen to Audi.
Honda was hit with a similar class action lawsuit under the same claims last year.
There's currently a similar lawsuit pending against Toyota in California. A hearing is set for the end of the month to determine whether or not to combine the different state suites.
Following the airing of CBS4's story, Toyota responded to a request for comment with the following statment:
While we cannot comment on this litigation, we can say that rodent damage to vehicle wiring occurs across the industry, and the issue is not brand- or model-specific.
Karen Morfitt Joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2013. She covers a variety of stories in and around metro Denver. Connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @karenmorfitt or email her tips.
