Two weeks ago, my girlfriend work up early on Sunday to drive to the airport, and the tire warning, break warning, ABS warning, and possibly another light was light up. We took the car to the dealer’s shop when she got back, the called and said the wire to the anti-lock break sensor on the left-rear tire was cut. we both remembered seeing a squirrel poking around by the back tire during some rain on Saturday. We paid to get it fixed, got the car back on Tuesday, and this Saturday we get in the car to take a trip ad all the lights are back up. We took the car back in, and was told it was the same thing but now the wire is cut in two places. We don’t believe that a squirrel could have done the same thing twice like this. We considered neighborhood vandals, but the ABS sensor wire seems too specific and obscure. We’ve called the police to get the ball rolling and see if there are similar reports, but nothing back yet. We are wondering if there could be a bigger problem with the car that is causing the wire to get cut. Any insight would be helpful.
I’d bet on rodents of some sort before vandals. Rodents like to chew on the plastic insulation that surrounds automotive wiring. Pray they don’t start chewing in the engine compartment, because then the damage gets REALLY expensive.
If this happens again, ask the service tech to show you the damaged wire so you can see for yourself. A wire that’s been cut looks different from a wire that’s been chewed.
We feel that it is a squirrel over vandals as well, but what I am really interested in is if anyone know/has heard of a mechanical reason that the wire keeps getting cut. Is it possible that there is some larger problem that is resulting in this problem that the mechanics are missing or not thinking to look for? Thanks for any responses.
If you think the problem is mechanical, do a Google search and see what you find. My guess is you will find nothing, but you never know.
The wire is not being cut, it’s being chewed through by rodents. Squirrels, mice, rats, take your pick, they all love to chew on wiring insulation.
Perhaps you need a cat.
We have pretty much accepted that it is an animal. We are going to get some spray on rodent repellent to spray on the tires and around where the car is parked, but is there anything we could ask the mechanics to do, like put a piece of harder rubber tube around the wires? This has happened twice in two weeks, and it is not covered by insurance and we really need to find a permanent solution.