Squirrel (Rodent) Damage

D

drb77

Well-Known Member
While parked outside during a 10-day cold snap and waiting on a carrier-bearing replacement, some squirrels built a nest under the hood of my '12 TRD OR Tacoma. Apparently they were hungry as well as cold. Below is the damage done to the wiring bundle that extends through the firewall. This corner seems to be just perfect for nest building. IMG_0704.JPG
 
My local independent auto repair shop made the repair. They only charged 2 hr. labor, $140. I had checked to see if my comprehensive insurance coverage with State Farm would cover it and they said it would, but the deductible was $500 so no claim was filed.IMG_0744.JPG
 
I wanted a bit more protection so I wrapped the repair with some sticky foil tape and added a bunch of split flex tubing as shown. BTW, the opposite corner could be vulnerable to nesting as well.
IMG_0746.JPG
 
drb77 said:
My local independent auto repair shop made the repair. They only charged 2 hr. labor, $140. I had checked to see if my comprehensive insurance coverage with State Farm would cover it and they said it would, but the deductible was $500 so no claim was filed.View attachment 43790
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That was what I was going to ask, the cost, and I would have paid the $140 in a heartbeet for that kind of damage. Glad ya got it fixed.
 
TexasBigBlue said:
That was what I was going to ask, the cost, and I would have paid the $140 in a heartbeet for that kind of damage. Glad ya got it fixed.
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I was sweating it when I priced a completely new wiring harness at over $3000 (not including labor). No doubt, I lucked out on that repair.
 
When I first knew something was amiss, I started the engine and the wipers came on. I thought that was weird, and the wiper switch had no effect. A day later, the ABS dash light was on and the tranny shifter was locked in "Park". 'Popped the hood, found the large rodent nest, and cleaned it out. Depressed at that point, I took pictures and called the insurance agent. I thought I'd have to have it towed in for repairs, but the tow truck driver knew his stuff and showed me the override switch. In my last 12 years of Tacoma ownership, I have never known about or used that little thing hidden under the small piece of plastic next to the shifting lever.
 
drb77 said:
When I first knew something was amiss, I started the engine and the wipers came on. I thought that was weird, and the wiper switch had no effect. A day later, the ABS dash light was on and the tranny shifter was locked in "Park". 'Popped the hood, found the large rodent nest, and cleaned it out. Depressed at that point, I took pictures and called the insurance agent. I thought I'd have to have it towed in for repairs, but the tow truck driver knew his stuff and showed me the override switch. In my last 12 years of Tacoma ownership, I have never known about or used that little thing hidden under the small piece of plastic next to the shifting lever.
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Pictures ?
 
IMG_0749.JPG

Just above the "P" is a small, square plastic plug shown above. Using a small screwdriver or pocket knife, pop it out and below you'll feel a small push button. This is the tranny lock override switch (in my "12 TRD OR Tacoma). Once the engine has been started, hold the button down while shifting into D, R, N. What are the conditions causing the computer to lock down the shifter? I'm not exactly sure except it must have detected a wiring fault from the rodent damage. I would assume that manual tranny models have no such features.
 
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Here's my 2nd gen '12 TRD OR, dedicated as my 'work truck'. Had I known about the override, I'd have saved a $100 service call. Yet I was able to recover the cost from State Farm since I have 'road assistance' in the policy. 'Never used that before w/ the reliability of the Toyota's. Nautical Blue Metalic was the color term in '12. No longer pretty and has some hail damage (just 2 weeks after delivery), but still going strong. Access cab, 4 door with a 6' bed, and still my favorite design.
IMG_0752.JPG
 
The gen3 doesn't have that little plastic cover in those locations, but it does have a similar one more centered with the shift rod on that console. I'm not so sure a switch is located under it...thinking its a screw for fastening the console instead.
 
drb77 said:
Here's my 2nd gen '12 TRD OR, dedicated as my 'work truck'. Had I known about the override, I'd have saved a $100 service call. Yet I was able to recover the cost from State Farm since I have 'road assistance' in the policy. 'Never used that before w/ the reliability of the Toyota's. Nautical Blue Metalic was the color term in '12. No longer pretty and has some hail damage (just 2 weeks after delivery), but still going strong. Access cab, 4 door with a 6' bed, and still my favorite design.
View attachment 43852
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I love your setup drb, how much did that headache rack set ya back ?
 
tacojoel said:
The gen3 doesn't have that little plastic cover in those locations, but it does have a similar one more centered with the shift rod on that console. I'm not so sure a switch is located under it...thinking its a screw for fastening the console instead.
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That's what I thought until the tow truck driver explained it to me. Pop it out and tell us what you find, if you want.
 
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TexasBigBlue said:
I love your setup drb, how much did that headache rack set ya back ?
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That rack dates back to my '83 Datsun 4X4, and was constructed by an employee/welder in Cushing, OK. Sorry, I can't remember cost details that far back. But it's made of extra heavy wall square tubing that's been abused but hasn't flexed a bit in the 41 years. Needs another paint job though.
 
drb77 said:
That's what I thought until the tow truck driver explained it to me. Pop it out and tell us what you find, if you want.
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I tried to pop that small square plastic plug, but no luck trying to remove it. I felt anymore pressure trying to pop it out would have broken it off leaving me with a small square hole in the console. Idk about every gen3 taco trim, but I'm still not convinced there's an override switch under that plug.
 
tacojoel said:
I tried to pop that small square plastic plug, but no luck trying to remove it. I felt anymore pressure trying to pop it out would have broken it off leaving me with a small square hole in the console. Idk about every gen3 taco trim, but I'm still not convinced there's an override switch under that plug.
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I get it, I was surprised mine didn't break apart. My long-term wager to you is that any small square single plastic plug located close to the AT shifter will be an override switch. We may never know for sure, and hopefully, no one on this forum has a tranny lockdown that requires such.
 
Here's a better pic of the plug and push button switch. The plug-gripping tabs are on either side, towards the top/front, as you can see.IMG_0755.JPG
 
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