[Pauline AscentFlorida]

My honeymoon with my newly purchased (6 days ago) Subaru Ascent came to a screeching halt when everything on my dash was in warning mode.
Nothing was working from my power steering to my braking system . . . multiple lights were aglow and warning me to contact my dealer for service.
Called Subaru emergency road side service and someone was out within the hour to tow my car to the closest dearer.
Not the dealer who I had just given a car load of cash $$$$$$ to pay for my 2019 Subaru Ascent.
Service department called me the following morning and my car could not be repaired and the part had to be ordered. Rodents had gotten into the engine and had eaten some critical wiring.The car was picked up on Thursday and would not be ready until Tuesday! Yes, they gave me a loaner car but NO this repair was not covered by any warranty or service contract and would cost me over $200 for repairs! (Remember I have had this car less than a week!) Also discovered that the dealer I bought the car from, Fitzgerald Subaru, Clearwater, Florida had NOT done any of the recall work while the car had been sitting on their lot waiting for this victim to buy it!
Meanwhile the service department at a neighboring Subaru dealership (Bert Smith in St. Petersburg, FL) was very accommodating and showed me the photos of the rodent eaten housing and totally missing wires :-( they were also very happy to complete the needed recall work.
Just wondering if any other owners have had their wires eaten by rodents, or is this just another wonderful aspect of living in Florida?

 

[SkiPro3]

Not this car, but others I've had. My solution is to place the sticky traps under the hood. I use the larger rat-sized traps and place them on the battery and fender wells. Keep them level as the glue stuff will migrate once warmed up enough and it will run out. I catch all sorts of stuff under there, especially my diesel truck.
I once had a Forester that the inside fan wouldn't work. Turned out a mouse built a nest in the fan squirrel cage. Cost over $400 to tear down to that level and clean. No parts, just labor. I also had a Ford Explorer that sat for a couple months while my son was off to college. Rat chewed the wire harness right at the main fuse distribution. Took forever to get that working.

 

[pro10is]

You're very lucky it only cost you around $200 for repairs. Damage to wiring can easily exceed $1000. Check your auto or home insurance policies to see if they cover such damage, although many insurance policies exclude rodent damage and others have deductibles.

You need to take immediate steps to protect your car from rodent damage. If you can't isolate it from them, I suggest using peppermint oil. I do this for my boat which I store in an outbuilding. Ever since I've been using peppermint oil, I've had no further damage from rodents. They hate the smell of it. Make a mix of it using the instructions provided by the manufacturer and spray it into the engine compartment and the location of the damaged wiring harness. Repeat at least once a month. Also, set mouse traps and electronic rodent repellers in your garage or wherever you store your car.

 

[Papa Joe]

yep..see the post entitled "candy coated wiring"

candy coated wiring

howdy folks, just a note today, that may already common knowledge; but we just picked up our ascent from its first service. while at the dlr, i had them check an intermittent glitch that caused all the warning lights to stay on after engine start. they checked it over, re-flashed the brain and...

www.ascentforums.com

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Sad that you've experienced this, but unfortunately, it's not a "Subaru-only" problem as many makes and models experience this. (And yes, I've had it happen) Wildlife is going to do what wildlife does...

 

[kathytn]

Has anyone tried filing a claim on this under the "Wear and Tear" portion of the SOA Added Security Gold Plus Extended Warranty?

 

[Q-Man13]

$200 is so cheap for this.

With the industry change to soy based wire insulation, for environmental sustainability, this is an industry wide issue.

Anyone tried spraying any of the hot pepper repellant sprays on their wiring?

EDIT- Just saw the peppermint oil recommendation.

 

[Mywrb13wrx]

Our 2011 outback got vandalized by a groundhog that got trapped in the garage. That was $1700 worth of chewed wires and brakes.

 

[pro10is]

Our 2011 outback got vandalized by a groundhog that got trapped in the garage. That was $1700 worth of chewed wires and brakes.

I think when that happens it means six more weeks of winter.

 

[laufu]

Wow sorry to hear about that Pauline AscentFlorida.

The same thing happened to my brother's Kia several years ago. He got pulled over while coming home from work one day for a non operative brake light. Luckily the police officer was kind enough to issue him a warning. After changing the light bulb with no success, he took it into the dealer for repair. It cost him $200+ to repair or replace the damaged wires.

 

[deverett]

Sad that you've experienced this, but unfortunately, it's not a "Subaru-only" problem as many makes and models experience this. (And yes, I've had it happen) Wildlife is going to do what wildlife does...

I had a Chrysler fleet car and a squirrel chewed the entire wire harness. Was told it’s the soy in the wire insulation that makes it appealing to rodents. Makes sense.

 

[pro10is]

I had a Chrysler fleet car and a squirrel chewed the entire wire harness. Was told it’s the soy in the wire insulation that makes it appealing to rodents. Makes sense.

Rodents don't need soy flavored wires as an excuse to chew through things. I've had them chew through things that you would never imagine. They chew just about everything except metal and rock.

 

[pro10is]

https://www.howtopreventratsfromeatingcarwires.com/2017/02/10/does-your-car-have-soy-based-wiring/

 

[Jim_in_PA]

They chew just about everything except metal and rock.

Oh, they will do that too if it's a means to an end!

 

[Pauline AscentFlorida]

Not this car, but others I've had. My solution is to place the sticky traps under the hood. I use the larger rat-sized traps and place them on the battery and fender wells. Keep them level as the glue stuff will migrate once warmed up enough and it will run out. I catch all sorts of stuff under there, especially my diesel truck.
I once had a Forester that the inside fan wouldn't work. Turned out a mouse built a nest in the fan squirrel cage. Cost over $400 to tear down to that level and clean. No parts, just labor. I also had a Ford Explorer that sat for a couple months while my son was off to college. Rat chewed the wire harness right at the main fuse distribution. Took forever to get that working.

Thanks for your recommendations!

 

[Pauline AscentFlorida]

I think when that happens it means six more weeks of winter.

Yikes! Guess I am lucky!

You're very lucky it only cost you around $200 for repairs. Damage to wiring can easily exceed $1000. Check your auto or home insurance policies to see if they cover such damage, although many insurance policies exclude rodent damage and others have deductibles.

You need to take immediate steps to protect your car from rodent damage. If you can't isolate it from them, I suggest using peppermint oil. I do this for my boat which I store in an outbuilding. Ever since I've been using peppermint oil, I've had no further damage from rodents. They hate the smell of it. Make a mix of it using the instructions provided by the manufacturer and spray it into the engine compartment and the location of the damaged wiring harness. Repeat at least once a month. Also, set mouse traps and electronic rodent repellers in your garage or wherever you store your car.

Great idea, thanks. Sounds easy to use and not offensive?

 

[iH8RICERZ]

The only other time I've heard this happen was to my friend's fairly new Lexus RX350. A rodent started chewing on his wires under the car, then made its way into the interior since he had his windows down in the garage. Found bite marks on his shift knob and other locations in the car.

 

[Winnre]

I can vouch for the rodents. It turns out the coloring on the wires is made of soy. Basically food for the rodents. You’ll have to use spray’s, chemicals, or other ideas to keep them away. I have tried many things and have only been able to slow them down and not stop them completely.

 

[BroDoze]

I would absolutely lose it if I experienced something like this on any of my vehicles!

 

[ctpreviti]

My honeymoon with my newly purchased (6 days ago) Subaru Ascent came to a screeching halt when everything on my dash was in warning mode.
Nothing was working from my power steering to my braking system . . . multiple lights were aglow and warning me to contact my dealer for service.
Called Subaru emergency road side service and someone was out within the hour to tow my car to the closest dearer.
Not the dealer who I had just given a car load of cash $$$$$$ to pay for my 2019 Subaru Ascent.
Service department called me the following morning and my car could not be repaired and the part had to be ordered. Rodents had gotten into the engine and had eaten some critical wiring.The car was picked up on Thursday and would not be ready until Tuesday! Yes, they gave me a loaner car but NO this repair was not covered by any warranty or service contract and would cost me over $200 for repairs! (Remember I have had this car less than a week!) Also discovered that the dealer I bought the car from, Fitzgerald Subaru, Clearwater, Florida had NOT done any of the recall work while the car had been sitting on their lot waiting for this victim to buy it!
Meanwhile the service department at a neighboring Subaru dealership (Bert Smith in St. Petersburg, FL) was very accommodating and showed me the photos of the rodent eaten housing and totally missing wires :-( they were also very happy to complete the needed recall work.
Just wondering if any other owners have had their wires eaten by rodents, or is this just another wonderful aspect of living in Florida?

Or to slam them return the vehicle and buy from another Subaru dealership! Why wouldn’t they fix the vehicle for warranty- they want you to return!