NHTSA Complaint #10945285 — 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS

ON JAN 2, 2017, I ATTEMPTED TO START MY 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE VEHICLE DASH HAD THE FOLLOWING WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, CHECK HYBRID, ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WARNING, BRAKE WARNING LIGHT AND THE MASTER WARNING LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE AND WOULD ONLY DEFAULT TO THE NEUTRAL POSITION. UPON OPENING THE HOOD OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT I NOTICED THE WIRING TO THE HYBRID INVERTER HAD BEEN EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED (CHEWED, GNAWED) TO THE EXTENT THAT THE PHYSICAL WIRES WERE TOUCHING EACH OTHER AND POSSIBLY SHORTING OR GROUNDING TO EACH OTHER. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO STEVENSON TOYOTA WEST LOCATED AT 780 INDIANA ST, LAKEWOOD, CO. ON JAN 3, 2017. ON JAN 4, 2017 I WAS CONTACTED BY SERVICE ADVISOR MIKE HASHMAN WHO TOLD ME THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY A RODENT(S) CHEWING ON THE WIRING. THE DAMAGE WAS AS FOLLOWS: HV INVERTOR WIRES (2) WERE DAMAGED, A/C COMPRESSOR HV WIRE WAS DAMAGED, INVERTOR COOLANT TANK WERE ALL REPLACED BECAUSE OR EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. ALONG WITH INVERTOR COOLANT AND LABOR THE TOTAL COST OF THE REPAIR WAS $1,279.63. WE HAVE A $1,000.00 DEDUCTIBLE POLICY SO OUR TOTAL COST WAS THE DEDUCTIBLE. I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT TOYOTA HAS BEEN, SINCE APPROXIMATELY 2009 THROUGH 2016 AND POSSIBLY 2017, BEEN USING SOY BASED WIRING COVERING AND CABLE WRAP WHICH IS VERY ATTRACTIVE TO RODENTS. IN OUR CASE THE RODENT WOULD BE BROWN SQUIRRELS. I HAVE ALSO FOUND A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED ON JAN. 6, 2017, IN THE US DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON, ALLEGING TOYOTA HAS KNOWN OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS REFUSED STEADFASTLY REFUSED TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY. MY CONCERN IS HAD THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONICS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CONSEQUENCES COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL TO MYSELF, PASSENGERS AND OTHERS OCCUPYING VEHICLES NEXT TO OR NEAR ME BECAUSE OF THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKE ERRORS. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY.