$4k to replace wire harness on 2020 Tacoma?

Late to the thread and sort of off-topic but...many European car manufacturers sourced wiring harnesses from Ukraine. I know that Porsche did. As a result, supply chain issue was to be expected and why many European (i.e. German) cars were hard to find

 

I have replaced/repaired countless wiring on VW and Audi vehicles mostly from those that lived in the mountains or rural areas (Thank you DIA long term parking!). There was a lot of talk about what the sheathing was made from, and soy was brought up, but I think the rodents get bored sitting by the engine/cats and just chew to control teeth length. All I know is I made a lot of money off those little bastards.

I have also replaced an entire interior harness in a 2017 Range Rover with 2100mi that only had a pinched seat belt tensioner wire (from the factory) because LR did not want to take a risk on it failing if I fixed it (SRS system), even though I was certified by Audi to repair airbag wiring. It took me 52 hours to replace the harness, warranty only paid me 29. I was one of only 2 techs in the US that had done such a massive replacement. The harness came in a huge roll with special packaging. Replacing harnesses is one of the most labor-intensive procedures IMO. Very tedious and you have to take it slow to make sure the vehicle does not have a thousand rattles after.

 

Do this again around your truck where it’s parked, that’s a good start at a defense against the little bastards.

 

As have many of the techs around here, I have seen modern vehicles stripped to replace these harnesses. It's easy to say "it's a $20 part" and all those kind of things, but as mentioned they're usually a huge job, and typically replaced for liability reasons and so the insurance or the MFG knows after they pay all that labor, there's not human element left to go dig back out.

 

I know you can't believe but maybe about 30% of what you read on the internet, but...

"Does soy-based wiring attract rodents?
While most car manufacturers switched to a more eco-friendly soy-based wiring in the 2000s, every class action lawsuit blaming rodent damage on that has been dismissed. The soy industry even commissioned a scientific study that found mice were equally drawn to soy and non-soy-based materials."

Rodents will chew on ANYTHING if they are starving.

I put one of these in my Ranger a year ago because the mice kept nesting on the intake manifold. I won't guarantee that this will work but I never had any issues with rodents after I installed it next to the manifold.

$30 Under Hood Rodent Repellent for Car Engines, Dual Action Ultrasonic & LED Strobe Lights for High-Efficiency Rat and Mouse Deterrent, Pest Control for 12V 24V Vehicles, Cars, Trucks, RVs

https://www.amazon.com/Loraffe-Repe...qid=1671645098&sprefix=rodent,aps,163&sr=8-11

 

There is absolutely no reason Toyota would be liable for this. This is like asking them to warranty the drivetrain for 500,000 miles! I think that lawsuit is baseless since so much of the industry uses soy-based wiring now. Good luck winning THAT suit!

 

LMAO!

 

Yeah definitely trust a single study commissioned by the industry who would most benefit from avoiding blame for the problem.

Not saying anything about truth or falsity surrounding this issue, but please do better than an industry-funded study for the topic under debate if you'd like people to take you seriously.

 

Damn, you told me! I guess I don't care what anyone thinks, it's just one idiot's opinion-- mine. Just google this issue and you'll get about 50% of write-ups debunking the soy issue and 50% trying to say it's a thing. I'll let you geniuses decide.

Like I said-- rodents will chew ANYTHING!

 

Said study I think:

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05868


I didn’t post it earlier because I knew people would whine. But it is an interesting read nonetheless.

 

The lawyers will make the case that it was negligence to make a product for outside use disregarding the likelihood that critters would be attracted to it.

YOU may think it's baseless, but the lawyers don't or they wouldn't have taken it. If the court certifies the class, then clearly the judge didn't think it was baseline. Once the class is certified, Toyota's lawyers and bean counters will do some math and decide it it's worth fighting.

 

From my time at VW/Audi I am sure VAG is watching as well.

 

That would probably be part of Toyota's defense. Several years ago on another forum a guy with an early 2000's Suburban had a no start issue. He stored that in a barn and after about 100 hours of trying to figure it out, he found that there was ONE wire in the engine compartment that had been chewed through by mice.

20 or so years ago I went to change the air filter in my daughter's Corolla and found the box was full of acorn fragments and other mouse stuff. They'd built a nest in their at some point. Fortunately, they didn't chew through any wires.

 

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2021/toyota-soy-wiring-lawsuit.shtml

After all, it IS Friday! I brought the popcorn, who brought the beer?

 

For those old enough to remember the original "The People's Court" Judge Wapner relied on "implied warranty of merchantability" many times in his ruling.

"Fit for Purpose" could also apply from my non lawyer view.

 

It's Wednesday on the East Coast.

 

How is a contested and partially dismissed lawsuit bolstering your claim?

 

Holy crap! I have the rest of the week off, I was thinking it's Friday. Don't listen to me. Like anyone was anyway!

 

Almost all law suits are contested until the defendant realizes that settling is cheaper than litigating. Many lawsuits see counts dismissed before trial. Discovery, as they say, will be interesting.