Just out of curiousity, how old was/is your van? Around 2004 or so, a lot of auto manufacturers started using soy based plastics for wiring insulation. I'd read accounts of rats and rabbits going after vehicle wiring and was wondering if squirrels were starting to get into the act as well!
It was a 1993 Dodge Caravan, one of the best vehicles I’ve ever driven. The squirrel not only made a mess of the driver’s side of the van, but chewed through the air safety bags; discovered that when air bag light was staying on constantly. That resulted in the van failing inspection. That and the other repairs made it too costly and had to sell the van to junk yard. The culprit was trapped and released several miles from home. Hope it is happy in the nature park.