So rats chewed up your car’s wiring

Readers often write me about car problems. Since I’m not an expert, I consult with the Automobile Protection Association, a well-known consumer group founded almost 50 years ago by Phil Edmonston (later elected as the first NDP MP in Quebec).

George Iny, current APA head, keeps advocating for customers and publishing the popular Lemon-Aid car guides.

So, I figured he would know about Alicia Ditchburn’s problem with her 2018 Honda Civic hatchback.

She bought the $20,000 vehicle last August. Early this year, she brought it back to the dealer to find out why it didn’t start properly.

“I got a call the next day, saying mice or rodents had chewed through my vehicle, and I owed over $1,000 to fix the car,” she said.

“I was told this most likely happened at the factory, before I even had the car. I was made aware that the manufacturers used soy oil to wrap the copper wires.”

Ditchburn contacted Honda Canada CEO Dave Gardner, asking for the repair to be covered under the warranty. The case is currently under review.

In the past 20 years, manufacturers have adopted biodegradable materials to make recycling easier and meet government sustainability standards.

“What is troubling is the growing volume of online stories about rodents chewing up expensive wiring looms that keep Audis, Hondas, Toyotas and Volvos running,” said auto journalist Mark Toljagic in a Wheels article last February in the Star’s Wheels section.

American Honda Motor Co. was hit with a class-action lawsuit in 2017, alleging that soy-based coatings on electrical wiring and fuel lines attracted rodents that caused damage by chewing.

But Honda Canada told Toljagic that any claims of rodent damage resulting from materials used were unfounded.

“Phil has covered this issue extensively in various editions of the Lemon-Aid book,” Iny told me.

“It’s more common for vehicles parked outside, in suburban or semirural environments, or stored for long periods. Automakers consider this to be an insurance-paid repair.”

Even though she had a $1,000 estimate for repairs, Ditchburn could have been on the hook for a $3,500-$7,000 repair, he added.

“We have learned of incidents where damage reached $12,000. The repair is time consuming, requiring meticulous step-by-step diagnosis and sometimes taking apart the vehicle’s interior.”

He advised Ditchburn to check her insurance coverage and do the repair at a Honda dealership to forestall any later argument that the warranty on other parts of the vehicle was voided.

I also asked Iny about transmission complaints I’ve received.

James Shapiro owns a 2013 Nissan Altima that kept stalling in traffic. Nissan Canada would not cover a transmission repair since his car was more than five years old — despite his extended warranty.

Ravi Raveenthran was denied coverage of transmission repairs on his 2014 Nissan Sentra, since he had exceeded the mileage limit of 100,000 kilometres.

His odometer showed 123,000 km.

Iny told me that Nissan introduced the continuously variable transmission (CVT) on several models in 2007. In 2010, it extended the warranty to 10 years or 200,000 kilometres to cover transmission failures.

“The program was retroactive,” he said. “Nissan is still taking care of the purchasers of earlier transmissions, but CVT transmissions continue to fail on more recent models and Nissan is being very restrictive.”

Didier Marsaud, a Nissan Canada spokesperson, reiterated the decision to deny warranty coverage for both vehicles. But in Raveenthran’s case, Nissan agreed to let him to use the Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan to appeal warranty denial, even though he missed CAMVAP’s filing deadline.

Ted O’Leary contacted me about his 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan, which had two transmission failures. The first was in December 2015, while he was driving on the QEW near Niagara Falls, Ont.

“I bought an extended warranty for my vehicle, as I am in sales and it is my work office, so to speak,” he said.

“It was determined that this repair would be covered under warranty by the dealer.

“When I picked up my vehicle, the service department gave me a 3 Year/100,000 Mile Powertrain Limited Warranty Card,” O’Leary said of the document he still has in his glove compartment.

Last September, he went to a Chrysler dealer complaining of new transmission problems. His vehicle now had 196,496 kilometres.

The dealer said the transmis- sion solenoid pack had to be replaced for $950. He did the work since he needed the car, but asked Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to cover the cost under the three-year warranty he was given on the previous repair.

After a review, FCA told him the dealer made a mistake in giving him a three-year warranty card. O’Leary won’t be getting a second transmission repair at no charge.

Doing battle with car manufacturers isn’t easy. But by joining a member-supported consumer group — such as the APA, CAA and Car Help Canada — you can help arm yourself.