Alarm triggered by rodents?

[Mack444]

Strange question, but I’m wondering if anyone else has rodent issues? Our MachE wiring was nibbled on so we took precautions with both vehicles to prevent nesting and such. However, we might need to be more vigilant since the Expedition alarm started going off in the middle of the night the last 2 nights and either rodents are setting it off or a wire has been chomped? Regardless, I’ll be soaking the undercarriage in peppermint oil again but want to know where I should look for any wiring damage that might trigger the alarm, or would a rodent be big enough to trigger the alarm just by seeking refuge without destroying wiring? Thanks for any feedback!

 

[ExpyCPT]

I had this issue with my 2019 Expedition. We (kids) left snacks in the car. The interior motion sensor camera was set off when a mouse went through the AC to gain access to the cabin and eat his weight in goldfish.

Needless to say, we don't keep snacks in the car anymore.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

peppermint oil doesn't last more than a week or two on warm weather before it needs to be reapplied.

These last about 3 months, I generally put two under the hood, one on each side, like one by the battery, and one by the ABS unit.

 

[Mack444]

I put similar pods all over the engine bay, and we still smell them inside the cabin, but maybe more angles are needed? Great note on the interior sensor…I really hope it isn’t that though . The kids do leave many crumbs…

 

[SyndicateZ]

Car gonna be smelling like a candy cane

 

[wakeboarder]

It could also be a bug. I had a moth set mine off again a few nights ago.

 

[ROBERT BONNER]

Unfortunately, the green weenies have struck yet again. In the last decade more and more manufacturers of all types of outdoor equipment have been using soy based wire insulated wiring to avoid cheaper and more durable PVC to comply with various manufacturing and product environmental regs. Less informed manufacturers haven't spent as much time as Ford has covering the wires with other pvc based armor (chicken neck, tape, etc.). If you have bought a trailer in recent years and park it outside, you know what I'm talking about. We have a lake house in Northern MI that has boat and utility trailers that up until recently we parked outside. When checking the lights and brake lockout on our 1 year old pontoon trailer, we discovered multiple failures. On inspection we found long (10 ft +) lengths of wire in the trailer that rodents had completely stripped the insulation off of the wire, leaving long lengths of bare copper strands. We had to rewire the entire trailer, we used aluminum shielded LV wire. Similar problems were experienced on the utility trailer. Then we built a barn to house the trailers.

I have a friend with a Fiat (Mazda) Spyder that he used to park outside in the summer, under a cover. Until he had to have some of the engine compartment rewired for over $1,000.

Recently, my '22 F150 had a recall action to tape the last ~1" of wire to the E-parking brake calipers to protect them from varmints.

A friend with a 2.0L Jeep Plug in Hybrid that was recently recalled due to unintentional thermal events during charging was told by the dealer that the thermal events were caused by varmints chewing high voltage/current conductors during charging.

Do NOT take this lightly, if your new vehicles are parked for long term in areas where, chipmunks, squirrels, or mice are in abundance, take measures to keep them away from your vehicle!

It is interesting to note that Henry I experimented with soy based insulation on wiring to allow a more vertical supply chain nearly 100 years ago...and quickly abandoned the idea due to....wait for it....varmint induced field failures....Those who don't read history, are doomed to repeat it.

 

[Maxine the Max]

peppermint oil doesn't last more than a week or two on warm weather before it needs to be reapplied.

These last about 3 months, I generally put two under the hood, one on each side, like one by the battery, and one by the ABS unit.
View attachment 83203

We use these in our tractor cabs. They are pretty effective and I actually like the smell.

 

[LG_123]

I’ve had mice set up in our car once before when camping and some traps fixed the issue