CHICAGO (WLS) — You may not know this, but rats like to find shelter and warmth under the hood of your car.
They even like to snack on the wires.
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Now, the ABC7 I-Team is uncovering which neighborhoods have the most complaints and what you can do to fight the rats on your block.
“This car came in check, engine light. Wires are chewed right there by a rodent,” said Berman Infiniti Chicago Master Technician Mark Ferjak.
It is not just chewed-up wires. Brace yourself for what is under the engine cover.
“We’re going to remove this cover and clean it because there’s some feces on it. So, I proceed to take the cover off,” Ferjak said. “Yes, this is what we deal with, folks.”
Mechanics suggest that the rat was likely dining on the soy-based wires and seeking warmth under the hood of Koren Baker’s car in the Irving Park East area.
“I was very shocked because I didn’t know something that large could be in the engine. And we had been driving around with it for several days,” Baker said.
Baker’s repairs cost her more than $1,200.
“I said, ‘Whoa, that’s too much money to pay for just a rat,'” Baker said.
When the check engine light came on, she brought it into Berman Infiniti Chicago. Ferjak made the repairs and found that rat.
“You can see here, where they have been chewing on it,” Ferjak said.
He showed ABC7 signs of rats in another car.
“You can see how they’ll take the insulation, chew it up, make a little nest, and then actually here you can see the excrement. That is a lot, there, and it looks like they were there for a long time,” Ferjak said.
Ferjak and other mechanics say they are seeing the problem more often.
“Start tracing it down, and then, all of a sudden, you have to tell somebody with a year-old car. They have a repair that’s not covered under the warranty, because a rat chewed it the wire,” Ferjak said.
One video shows a rat coming out of the hood as a car was driving. Besides rats liking the soy wires, Ferjak says, there are more spaces in cars for them to hide now.
“Now, I see these plastic covers, and they like to go underneath there. And under those plastic covers is foam. Like to choose the foam, make a little nest, get all cuddly in there and warm air. And it’s a nice warming,” Ferjak said.
The ABC7 I-Team found that from the end of April 2024 through the end of April in 2025, there were 43,400 rat or rodent complaints to Chicago’s 311 city services. That’s a 6.6% decrease from the average number of complaints each year, from 2022 to 2024.
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Some of the neighborhoods with the most rodent complaints in the last 12 months are West Town with 2,116, Lakeview with 1,762 and Portage Park with 1,615.
And some neighborhoods saw spike in that same time period. Gage Park, Beverly and Douglas have had the highest increases in complaints.
In 2023, the I-Team showed you how the Department of Streets and Sanitation baits for rats when responding to 311 calls. The city also provides residents with heavy duty plastic carts with tight-fitting lids to contain garbage, which attracts rats. You can see how they nest and feast in a dumpster, in video taken by Rose Pest Solutions.
“The population explosion of rats has outweighed our efforts collectively to control them, is the bottom line of it. Coming out of the pandemic, the rats kind of just became widespread, not just residential areas, but commercial areas, too. We can’t keep up with it, breeding out of control,” said Janelle Iaccino with Rose Pest Solutions.
Iaccino says food sources have become more available for rats.
Make sure your garbage cans are sealed. Do not park by garbage cans, and check for open spaces in your garage. Rats can flatten their bodies and squeeze in.
“So, a really good thing to check, first of all, is the seal on your garage door? If you see any light coming through that, and it’s the size of a quarter, they will be able to get through that,” Iaccino said.
If you have dog food, bird seed, or grass seed in your garage, it should be in tightly-sealed containers. And if you are inspecting for rats in your garage or car, wear a mask and gloves.
“If you get into contact with their feces or their urine, that can absorb into your skin. It can also cause respiratory issues,” Iaccino said.
Experts say in some cases, rats have become immune to over-the-counter rat poisons, and they can be dangerous to other animals, so call a professional or 311.
The I-Team also found that the average rat complaint to 311 takes about eight days to be closed. The city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation says it is working hard to increase staffing, and it is deploying more crews.
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