I am filing a claim to notify other consumers about an ongoing issue I've experienced with my 2012 Toyota Prius V. we purchased the car in January 2012 and since then we've had 3 incidents (that we know of) in which rodents have infested our vehicle.. the first incident occurred (August 2012), we brought it to the dealers attention and were told there was nothing they could do but we could contact Toyota headquarters. The dealer determined that the rodent had climbed in to the rear of the vehicle through an air vent, and chewed the wires of the rear harness system (the wiring system that affects the hybrid technology). The estimated repair was $2 - 3K. After contacting Toyota headquarters, I was told Toyota does not consider this to be a defect in the design of the car or a safety issue. I was told it was an environmental issue and I needed to do something to correct my surroundings. They advised that I open a claim with my insurance provider to cover the costs for the rear harness wiring damage. After researching this, it appears there are 6 openings/gaps within the vehicle that rats can get into to access the interior cabin. Neither Toyota or the dealership offered to block/cover these vents to prevent any future attempts by a rodent getting in. They didn't offer any suggestions or advice as to what I should do to prevent this. This morning (April 27, 2013) we woke up and realized the rodents had entered the vehicle again, this time chewing up my child's car seat and the leather of the rear seats. There are numerous people that have experienced this issue dating back to 2007 and yet Toyota has done nothing to repair this design/safety flaw. Following is a link to a prius forum where prius owners complain of this issue: priuschat.com/threads/Toyota-claims-not-aware-of-mouse-problem.113690/.

- Long Beach, CA, USA