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Rodent Intrusion

9K views 39 replies 20 participants last post by  NoelinColorado 
#1 ·
I've searched this forum, but can't find an answer.
I've heard there is an opening in the back of the engine bay that can allow rodents to access the cabin on RAV4 hybrids. Is this true on the R4P?
If so, can someone please post a well lit photo of where the entry point is?
Any recommendations on how to prevent access?
Thanx.
I've already installed the rubber gaskets that close the gap between the bottom of the hood and the top of the headlights.
 
#2 ·
I had to screen off several areas on my Prius, with the Prime I have hardware cloth covering the top of the cabin filter. Another area of concern is the vents that are located in the hatch area behind the rear wheels. I know some people had mice come in that way on the Prius. Don't know if that's an issue with the Prime. Some also say to make sure to set your climate control to recirculate when you park for the night. I did see a post somewhere on screening the engine compartment but I can't find it. Good luck!
 
#3 ·
Rodent found its way into aircirculation system - expired and reeked - had Toyota disassemble and find and clean - not cheap - but better than feeling you are working in a crime scene.

It happens - this happened with my HRV as well a year or two ago..
 
#4 ·
Mice can fit through an incredibly small space, thus it is impossible to screen them out. Thus a better option is to discourage them from getting in. The way to do that is with essential oils, mainly peppermint oil. Put a couple drops on some cotton balls, and scatter the cotton balls in the A/C system duct work and the engine compartment.

Some people say moth balls will also work, but would stink up the car, in my opinion.

We have a mountain cabin in Colorado and use the essential oils every spring when we open it up for the summer. It really works to keep the mice away.
 
#7 ·
Honda sells a product called "rodent tape" that you could use to wrap the wires that those pesky critters might chew. Of course doesn't stop them from getting in but limits the harness damage.

 
#8 ·
Thanx. The wires I'm concerned about would be inaccessible to me unless I disassemble a lot of the interior. Which I'm not going to do. I'm just looking for photos of each of the possible entry points so I can use wire mesh or peppermint oil spray.
 
#11 ·
Is there some sort of government requirement that rodent attractive soy insulated wiring be used on vehicles? Rodent problems involving soy insulated wiring in RAV4s have been taking place for several model generations with multiple owner complaints and even class action lawsuits. Seems that by now car makers could have switched back to plastic/rubber based insulation. Also seems ridiculous that for example Honda sells a supposedly rodent repellent tape which is a hassle for owners to apply when the practical preventative remedy should be easily used.
 
#21 ·
This is very timely as I just saw this scampering across my dash. :mad:
Never had this problem before, despite much older car in same location for decades.
HOW DO I GET IT OUT OF MY CAR?
Mice hate orchestral music, so crank up a classical station full blast and they'll promptly leave your Prime! LOL, totally kidding.

I can tell you how to not get rid of them. Don't put a piece of delicious beef stick on a traditional mouse trap and set it in your passenger floorboard and have a mouse take the bait but have enough "mousepower" in its hind legs to drag itself under the passenger seat. And sit there for days in the hot sun. It's been a year of air freshener, baking soda, and carpet cleaning, and the smell is finally subsiding!
 
#29 ·
I am currently sitting in the dark in the back seat, both front windows open, waiting for it to show its little furry face. Then I’m going to swipe it out the window with my ice scraper.
So far, mouse 2, me 0.
Too funny, and I feel for you! I've had 3 mousetraps in my 2001 Honda Civic for the past 4 months...mind you, I use the car i4-5 days a week. Just bought a new RAV4 but it won't be in until mid-October. I find it funny that in 20 years, my non-garaged Civic would finally attract mice - and in the summer! I would've expected this in the winter, but they made a nice cozy home in the Civic's seats, etc all summer long. As another writer said, the car smelled like a crime scene for awhile, but it's diminished. So I'm reading this post to see if anyone is having problems with them getting into the Toyota, although they CAN squeeze in anywhere!! I hope you eliminated the problem. :)
 
#22 ·
I apologize @4tuulikki. My previous response didn't sound very polite. :cautious:

@RAV4Primer is correct, don't use bait that they can snatch and grab. In my experience it seems like they would rather take the bait somewhere else or to the nest. So cheese/meat sticks etc sometimes aren't as good as peanut butter. They cant snatch and grab PB so it forces them to stay at the trap so you have a better chance of getting them. The trap I've found works the best are this new style from Victor.

Motor vehicle Automotive lighting Vehicle Automotive design Hood


Instead of activating the trap by pushing down (mice are light and the trap tension can be hard so they don't spring the trap) the mouse has to push up on the cover to get at the bait. As soon as the cover moves upward the trap instantly activates.
Vehicle Automotive design Hood Motor vehicle Automotive exterior



The force needed to lift this cover is minimal, and these traps really catch the mice.
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You will win this battle I'm sure:)(y) Hopefully no one is your house has peanut allergies because PB really does work well as bait.

If you don't want harm the mouse don't use this trap. It kills them pretty fast.
Hope this helps.
 
#23 ·
Or as one of our neighbors did when troubled with rodents which got into everything from their home HVAC system to their vehicles - two rescue cats from the local humane society, have eliminated rodents from the entire neighborhood, even tackling rats and in one case a racoon (cat won out over the racoon),
 
#26 ·
There are usually flap vents in the rear. When a door is closed and all windows are rolled up the pressure has to go somewhere.
 
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#28 ·

Self resetting is the best part put water in the bucket to drown them.
 
#30 ·
Mouse update: haven’t heard or seen any since Tuesday. I got one of the electronic traps but it hasn’t sprung (I mean zapped) anything. It may have actually left when I had the windows open. Also waiting on an ultrasonic device for under the hood.

Swiping at it wasn’t as crazy as it sounds, the mouse had shown up on the dashboard 5 times (!) while I was sitting there. I didn’t get to take a third swipe because people had parked on either side and I didn’t want to knock it into their car.

Had my service the day after and they reported cabin air filter was chewed up. Had it replaced but I’m going to see if there are any openings to block
 
#31 ·
My 2014 RAV4 was totalled by a chipmunk invasion in February after not driving it for a week. Hundreds of acorns under the hood liner and elsewhere. They got into the pillars and then destroyed the side airbags. Declared a total loss by insurance company who initially thought it migh be repairable. Insurance co "seeing more of this" this year as people not driving as much during the pandemic. Got a check from them and bought a 2021 RAV4 Prime.
 
#34 ·
Have had my r4p for a couple of months. Use it every day just about. Have had $400 in mouse wiring damage one bad winter in a 1994 bmw convertible with non soy wiring I used to have it stored outside on wooded lot.
There are plug in electronic mouse repellent devices that worked very well in our house . Walmart has them. We plugged them in our house and the scampering behind the walls by squirrels ended that day. They all left. I would think it would work on all rodents. Going to put one in my rav4 for insurance.

don’t want to be like this poor guy


9/23/21 story



Colorado critters cause $11,000 in damage to Golden man's soy-based truck wiring


GOLDEN, Colo. — For Jefferson Patrick, the first time squirrels feasted on the wiring of his 2012 Toyota Tundra was expensive and exhausting enough.


He bought the car used in 2020 for his family vacations. But since purchasing the car just one year ago, he has been forced to replace the wiring on his car twice, costing him more than $5,000 each time.

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"I brought it into the dealer. Again, they told me that they have to replace the entire wiring harness again," Patrick said. "Now, I'm going to basically be living in fear every day when I go out to start my truck that it's not going to start."

The wiring on his car and many cars built after 2010 have casings made with a soy-based material that has replaced the traditional plastics used before. The new material is much more environmentally friendly and cheaper to produce, but it is indistinguishable to squirrels from the food they eat.

"I get that they're trying to be more environmentally conscious, and I applaud that," Patrick said. "But I'm so frustrated that the dealership doesn't do a better job of preventing this."


Patrick is not the only Toyota driver dealing with critters. The 9th Circuit of Appeals has partially revived a class action lawsuit against Toyota saying the wiring might be an issue that falls on the the manufacturer.

Several other companies such as Ford, Lexus and Honda have also recently faced similar claims from their customers against the wiring.

"Generally, cars are just getting cleaner. They're being more responsibly sourced. That's going to create issues like this," said Skyler McKinley, the regional director of public affairs for AAA. "Rodents see this soybean based insulation right in front of them, they chew through it and that's how you get this really expensive damage."

McKinley said it is unlikely car companies will foot the bill for this kind of damage any time soon, so it is important that people try their best to protect their wiring from prying pests.

"This is an issue nationwide, anywhere we're sharing our landscape with small rodents," McKinley said. "There are steps you can take to prevent it. But it's just something that we know is going on, and it's going on more and more often as more car makers switch to this more environmentally friendly installation."

Experts say there are several things car owners can do to prevent wire damage from rodents. The first is to park cars in sheltered areas away from tall grass or junk piles. The second is to run the car as often as possible and to check the engine before turning the car on after a long period of time. There are also sprays and wraps that can be purchased to deter animals.

Still, even the most cautious driver will have a hard time keeping squirrels away from a meal.

"Cars have become more complex and more computerized, and there's just more wiring," McKinley said. "As the automotive industry evolves, which it does periodically, there's always these new costs that factor in sometimes the end user has to pay."
 
#36 ·
Actually, I have some left over ultrasonic rodent repellers from the house we no longer need as we are paying a pest control service $70 a month due to ant problem . They are also putting rodent bait out and we only have squirrels and chipmunks outside, nothing getting inside .outside bait being taken, but none inside , a good sign.
In looking at the Walmart site I see car specific 12 volt ultrasonic rodent repellers . I may just install one of these $15 units in each car. Have to research this more. Ultrasonic got the rodents out of our house quickly.
 
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