Patent ID: 8186686

Claim:
A seal for a vehicle having a transmission output shaft and a transmission output shaft housing, the seal comprising: a poorly-conductive contact member at least partially surrounding and contacting the transmission output shaft; a poorly-conductive support member coupled to the poorly-conductive contact member, the poorly-conductive support member at least partially surrounding the transmission output shaft and extending along the transmission output shaft, the poorly-conductive support member coupled to the transmission output shaft housing; a first electrically-conductive surface overlying at least a portion of the poorly-conductive contact member and at least a portion of the poorly-conductive support member, the first electrically-conductive surface contacting the transmission output shaft and the transmission output shaft housing; a poorly-conductive sealing member physically coupled to the transmission output shaft housing and surrounding the transmission output shaft; and a second electrically-conductive surface overlying the poorly-conductive sealing member electrically coupling the transmission output shaft to the transmission output shaft housing.