This car is practically brand new. The rats are apparently attracted to the warmth of the engine where they then feast on the soy-based wiring inside the engine. This was a $2700 repair to replace the wires and the harness. Apparently, Honda got the judge to toss the civil case against them for this problem, though they knowingly sold cars without altering the wiring, despite numerous incidents.

They even sell tape that is rodent-resistant, a clear acknowledgement that they knew of this problem, yet they refuse to acknowledge responsibility or liability. This is a problem that should lead to a recall, with new wires. I know of at least two other people who have had the same thing happen to them. In all cases, Honda denied their responsibility.

The rodents have struck again, only four weeks later. Same problems: loss of power steering and VSA and Break Check indicators on. Dealer claims to have wrapped the wires with an capsicum flavored anti-rodent tape after the first incident. I had also placed rat poison near the front left tire. Neither effort deterred the rodents.

Turns out Geico will cover this under my insurance policy. I've met the deductible after the first incident. I will have the work done by my regular mechanic which should be cheaper than the dealer, even after I bargained the dealer down 40% last time by threatening to have the car towed to my regular mechanic.

Before I have the repair work done, I'll see if there is a non soy-based 3rd party alternative to the Honda parts: 53680-TBA-A00 (EPS Harness) and 53682-TBA-A01 (Harness). No luck finding one yet. Or perhaps the wiring can be wrapped with a stiff metal foil. This is a really annoying problem. Honda should fix this issue as a recall. Imagine if you went camping for a couple of days at a remote trailhead and found your car without power steering and several other potential problems. Our 18 year-old Acura RSX is proving more reliable than a one year old car which is bullshit.

Lost power steering. VSA and Check Break indicator lights also came on. I assumed it had to be a warranty or recall issue and so had it towed to the dealer (for free under Honda's 3 year Roadside Assistance program). The replacement parts (53680-TBA-A00 and 53682-TBA-A01) were only $26 but the dealer wanted $1000 what they claimed was about 4 hours of labor, owing to the difficulty of getting to the wiring. I checked with my regular mechanic, factored in the cost of having it towed again, and told the dealer I would have it towed if they wouldn't do it for $600. The dealer almost immediately accepted my offer, claiming their mechanic had agreed to do the work at a reduced rate, "in order to keep me in the Honda family." This place proudly claims they give a 5% military discount, and yet they immediately capitulated to a 40% price cut. So bargain with your dealers, folks!

This environmentally friendly soy-based insulation is crap. I have an 18 year-old Acura RSX with 210,000 miles on that has been parked in the same spot for 10 years. Not one wire has been eaten, though I did recently clean a mouse or rat nest out of the cabin air filter and remove additional crap from the blower fan. But this just cost me a bit of time, not money.

This is a brand new vehicle, got it February 8, 2018. Drove to work today and when I went to drive home the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree- Emission problem, lane mitigation system problem, cruise control problem and a few others. Turned the vehicle off then restarted, with difficulty. Managed to drive to the dealership as I was not impressed that a brand new vehicle could have this many problems. At the dealership they informed me that rats/and or mice had made a nest and manged to chew through wires and eat away at the battery. I have yet to know the cost, but this is very disappointing to say the least.