Why are animals chewing holes in my car plastic and gas tank?
Rodents and wildlife chew on vehicle parts like plastic wheel covers and gas tanks because modern engine components use soy-based wiring and materials that attract pests. This leaves vehicle owners dealing with expensive physical damage and rendered equipment that cannot be safely used until repaired.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 24.5× more often in r/Pestcontrol than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Spray some deterrent on itDid this help you?
- 2use cayenne pepperDid this help you?
- 3ignore itDid this help you?
- 4Using ultrasonic rodent repellentsDid this help you?
- 5Spraying peppermint oil or using repellent bagsDid this help you?
- 6Putting mothballs inside old socks and placing them under the hoodDid this help you?
- 7Parking in a garage instead of outdoors or near fieldsDid this help you?
- 8Setting out rat trapsDid this help you?
- 9Comparing the height and style of the damage to typical animal behaviorDid this help you?
- 10Wrapping vulnerable lines and wires with automotive-grade, capsaicin-infused tapeDid this help you?
- 11Placing electric and sticky traps around the parking areaDid this help you?
- 12Spraying rodent repellent around the vehicles and lotDid this help you?
- 13Clearing away overgrown vegetation and trash that harbor rodentsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Four separate times now, some sort of rodent has chewed through the coolant tubes above the batteries.”source ↗
“Each time the van is completely inoperable and the repair is about $5K.”source ↗
“Just noticed this damage to the bottom of my pantry. Someone’s been trying to sneak in (unsuccessfully!). I don’t see any other evidence of mice/rats but seems most likely? I do have a dog but she’s never done something like this before, and we’ve all been away for a few days.”source ↗
“Happened on some soy wires on my car and luckily no issues since.”source ↗
“Returned from a trip and saw these holes on the plastic cover above my wheels.”source ↗
“They chewed a hole in my lawnmower gas tank 🤬”source ↗
“Do you have any other ideas to stop rats from getting into engines?”source ↗
“Only outside parking, I live in the woods :/”source ↗
“Damn, they had to replace my wiring bc the rats chewed through it.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 40How to stop animals from digging holes in my lawn at night
- 17How to stop a puppy from scratching furniture and appliances?
- 6How to stop animals from digging trenches around house foundations
- 8Can I fix major car body damage myself?
- 3How to fix a chewed electrical conduit
- 3How do I fix a door scratched down to the wood by a cat?