Massive Subaru Recall Over Brake Line Rust

A Subaru recall involving over 660,000 cars and SUVs has recently been issued on Wednesday. The Subaru recall is prompted by recent complaints over rusting brake lines. When brake lines rust, they can leak fluid causing the car to have difficulty braking in time.

The vehicles in question are primarily the 2005 through 2009 Outback and Legacy, the 2008 through 2014 Impreza as well as the 2009 through 2013 Forester.

A similar Subaru recall was announced in March of 2013 for the same brake line issue. Around 274,000 Legacy and Outback vehicles were taken off the road as a result of the recall.

The Subaru recall is primarily targeting states commonly afflicted with cold weather. The concern is that the salt used to clear the icy roads during winter could turn into salt water that could splash onto the brake lines through an opening in the fuel tank protector. The salt water would then cause the brake lines to erode and leak brake fluid.

According to ABC News, the states being covered by the Subaru recall are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.

In order to remedy this problem, dealers plan to replace brake lines and apply anti-corrosion wax to prevent further damage.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a document detailing the Subaru recall process:

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge.

Michael McHale, the spokesman for Subaru, said in an email to ABC News that he is not aware of any crashes or injuries that have happened because of the brake line issues and that Subaru is announcing this recall simply as a precaution.

This recall follows another Subaru recall that was announced just a few days ago. The New York Times reports that the previous recall involved up to 8,500 cars in response to defective Takata air bag inflators. The air bag inflators were prone to produce too much pressure when ignited and cause the inflator’s metal case to explode, injuring passengers in the process.

{Image via Jeff Haynes | AFP]