2017 Honda Civic: Rodents chew soy based wire covering
Common wear/failure (not a recall)
Symptoms
Owners of the 2017 Civic report: rodents chew soy based wire covering. CarComplaints.com lists 9 owner complaints, average mileage 14,850 miles.
NHTSA has 103 owner complaints for the 2017 Civic in this area. Examples:
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11767614 (filed 09/28/2026): “I was sitting in my car with it turned off. about 1.5 minutes after it being off the electric parking brake engaged, which is not normal and i wasn’t parked on a hill. i turned on my car after hearing the e-brake engage. the dash board showed “electric parkin…”
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11767039 (filed 09/25/2026): “The car failed to turn on and the brake pedal froze in a locked position. the warning lights flashed on the dash indicating a system failure of the brakes. this is a known safety issue with this vehicle but not acknowledged by the manufacturer.…”
Likely causes
Sources do not establish a single root cause; diagnosis is needed. Owner-reported fixes are listed below.
Fix, in plain English
Most common owner-reported solutions on CarComplaints.com: rewire (6 reports) replace sub wiring harness for steering (1 reports). Check for open recalls and extended warranty coverage with a dealer before paying out of pocket.
DIY difficulty: Moderate
Finding and splicing chewed wiring is doable with a multimeter and patience but can be time-consuming; harness replacement is pro work. (Our assessment.)
Cost
CarComplaints.com owners report a typical repair cost of about $650 (owner-reported average, not a quote).
Typical parts (search links, no affiliate codes)
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