loved my prius until i realized its a rat mobile!

I heard one member here had problems with it. Mices ate his wires.

 

The rear bumper ventilation port is where they get in most of the time via climbing up the rear wheel and hopping on to the bumper, just wrap it with some mesh net should solve the porblem.

 

never heard of it before. maybe your kids are dropping candy under the cushion.

 

YES I have had a major problem with my 2006, 2010 and 2013. I live in the country and mice are a part of life. But until we became Prius owners, we never had a problem. And every time we have it services, they always appear "so surprised" to find such things as nest in air filter. Like it has never happened before. And they tell me I need to get rid of our mice before they destroy the cars wiring

 

Why is everyone so 'class action lawsuit' happy?

 

no 'out of pocket' costs. let someone else push the paper, and you get a few shekels in the end.

 

There's no way Toyota is liable here. NO WAY.

They built a car. They built it to the standards of safety and operation for a vehicle.

Toyota can in no way be held responsible for the actions of the rodent population that co-exists with humanity.

At least thousands, perhaps millions of years of evolution has lead to todays rats and mice...and other rodents. They are very good at getting "into" places.

While I have read threads and posts and evidently a percentage of Prius owners DO suffer from rat/mice problems, this is NOT Toyota's problem, unless you can prove the vehicle was built to ENTICE rodents into it. Such as all the wiring is coated in tasty cheese sauce then there is NO class action suit here. Toyota built a Prius not a Rat Trap. If your Prius happens to trap rats? That's too bad, but not Toyota's problem.

Owners who have suffered with this problem have gone as far as to take measures to make their vehicle more rodent resistant. And I would recommend this action to anyone suffering from these "attacks". This includes adding screens and mesh to various area's of the Prius.

But the problem really is humanity and the rodent population living together. And it's always been a problem for humanity.

If you live in Alaska, and Bears get into your trash, you don't launch a Class Action suit against he makers of the trash can because it's not Bear Resistant.

Toyota does not sell or represent the Prius as being "Rodent Resistant". Toyota is not responsible for the existence of Rodents in the real world.

I'm sorry and commiserate with anyone who has had their vehicle damaged by "pesky critters" but you really can't blame them, or blame the builder of the vehicle.

 

So one of points of cabin ingress is those flaps behind the rear bumper. Is that it, any others? I've got some mesh kicking around, just thinking to do a little project.

 

In the same way they aren't liable for acidic bird poop damaging paint.

 

The rear ventilation flaps and also the cabin air intake vent are where they can gain access into the car. The cabin intake vent located is right below the front windshield on the passenger side. There was a write up on this site done by someone on what they did to mouse/rat proof their car.

I traded in the 2010 for a 2013 because of a rat. It got into the vehicle from the cabin intake vent. It tore up the cabin air filter, and then tore up wiring. When I got my 2013, the first mod I did was rat proof it. I formed and cut out metal mesh and secured it to the cabin air intake vent and the rear ventilation areas.

 

Moth balls are the solution place them insecure areas around the motor and that will keep rats and mice away

 

over the last 2 years I had issues with rats in my garage and hence I use rat poisons and traps. However, the rats never attacked my prius nor the other toyota car i keep inside. I have a habit of opening hoods of cars while they are garaged and this may help some.

 

Would I be correct in assuming they can make and end run around this, ie: they can get in behind this grill, and then they have an opening?



I've had this off a couple of times, but didn't pay enough attention.

 

You can't 'rat-proof' a car; you might slow them down a bit is all. Rats can fit through holes the size of a quarter, depending how big they (the rats) are, and mice even smaller. There are myriad entry points on the firewall and floorpan a rodent could easily get through to get to the interior of the car, and absolutely nothing stopping them getting into the engine bay, which is where they can do real damage. My last car, rodents chewed up the fuel injector wires, twice. The best you can do is trap them; snap trap if you don't want to kill it yourself, live trap if you do.

 

I have never had any problem with rodents in my Prius but when I first read this thread I took this precaution. My garage is open so I placed this homemade wooden box beside it with a trap door partially blocked open so there is only room for small rodents to enter. In it I placed poison bait so hopefully if any approach they will smell it and enter first and meet their doom before entering the car. The opening is too small for dogs or cats to get into it. This probably wouldn't be an option at work but at home it might.

 

ironically, they were rebuilding the wiring harness eaten by mice on a buick or something on garage squad last night.

 

I have had multiple rodents in my Prius V. I don't have time or money to deal with it. Why are Prius' prone to this? I'll have to sell it.

 

a lot of cars are prone to it, if you search other boards. be careful what you buy.

prius are rumoured to have soy based wiring insulation, tasty

honda or vw sell aftermarket rodent tape, not an easy fix.