recall: brake line corrosion

[ElZorro]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/04/autom ... .html?_r=0

Subaru Recalls 660,000 Vehicles for Brake Line Corrosion
By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
JULY 3, 2014

Subaru is recalling about 660,000 of its newer vehicles in the United States because the brake lines might corrode, according to a report the automaker posted Thursday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

The recall covers the 2009-13 Forester, the 2008-11 Impreza, 2008-14 Impreza WRX and WRX STI and the 2005-9 Legacy and Outback wagon. About 241,000 of the vehicles being recalled are Foresters; nearly 185,000 are Outbacks and about 141,000 are Imprezas, including the WRX/STI models.

The vehicles are being recalled only if they were ever registered or are currently registered in 20 states that make heavy use of road salt during the winter — Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia — or in the District of Columbia.

Consumer advocates such as the Center for Auto Safety tend not to approve of these geographic recalls, arguing that they serve only to save automakers money and could miss vehicles that need to be repaired as their owners move around the country. Automakers and the safety agency, which approves of geographic recalls, say it is practical and consumers are not harmed by it.

Owners outside the recall area can also take their vehicles to a dealership for inspection, and if necessary a free repair, Michael McHale, a spokesman for Subaru, said in an email. Owners who had previously paid for that repair are eligible for reimbursement, he said.

Subaru told federal regulators in its report that examination of returned parts showed that some brake lines could rust through after several winters because a gap in the shielding around the fuel tank could allow salt water to reach them. A hole in the line would allow brake fluid to escape. The automaker said that if that happened, a warning light would illuminate. The vehicle would not lose all its braking power, the automaker said, but the driver “might misjudge the amount of brake pedal travel required to achieve the desired stopping distance.”

Subaru said it began investigating the problem in 2011 after seeing some vehicles with worse than usual corrosion. That led to a recall last year of about 215,000 vehicles.

The repair under the current recall involves replacing corroded lines and protecting them with an anticorrosion wax. Lines that do not need to be replaced will get the protective coating.

In a separate action, the safety agency is investigating whether about 260,000 Dodge Ram 1500 pickups from the 2005 model year should be recalled because the rear differential could fail suddenly, making the vehicle difficult to control. The investigation was prompted by 15 complaints from owners, according to a report posted on the agency website. Owners said there was “little or no noise or other warning” before the differential failed. Two owners complained that “the rear axle lockup caused the truck to go into a spin.”

One owner said he was driving on a highway in February 2013 when “without warning at 60 miles per hour my rear tires locked up, the drive shaft disconnected from rear and my truck went into an uncontrolled spin.”

“It was five seconds of terror that I thought would surely end in disaster,” he said. “I stopped dangerously, blocking the exit ramp.”

There were no reports of accidents or injuries.

Last year, Chrysler recalled about 278,000 pickups and sport utility vehicles because the rear differential might fail. That action covered 2009-12 Ram pickups and Dodge Dakota pickups, as well as the 2009 Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango.

[ElZorro]

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/ja ... 1-8690.pdf

[zaxrex]

So, I'm guessing that this is not an excuse to go to stainless steel brake lines as the part in question is up under the gas tank?

I'm kinda torn on the geographic area recall. What is the process that is supposed to happen if I get a used Outback at Bobs Auto Barn in Albermarle VA that had previously been registered in Texas after being purchased new and registered in New Hampshire and is now subject to the recall?
I doubt Bob or any of his cousins are going to call me and Nashua Motors isn't going to track down one of their sold cars and notify the current owner if it is not registered in New Hampshire or nearby Massachusetts...
It is still up to the owner to be on the look out. And since there is no charge for an inspection or subsequent fix/replacement, I don't see the difference.

Thoughts?

[ElZorro]

Yea, i'm a bit against a geographic recall as well. People move.

[HappyIdiot]

We were at Subaru last night, cam positioning sensor being replaced in mine, and they said they would look up the VIN to see where it originally came from. For example, Anna's came from NJ and was bought in MD. So her's would most likely qualify even though its life has been spent in VA.

[captainslow]

So, I'm guessing that this is not an excuse to go to stainless steel brake lines as the part in question is up under the gas tank?

I replaced my brake lines with SS ones a while back. It sounds like you're inferring that due to the location of the problem, even with the SS lines, rust could still be an issue for me. Is this correct?

[zaxrex]

I'm guessing that the lines in question are the hard lines that come off of the ABS pump and are routed to the corners, the ones for th rears pass between the body and the gas tank. Seems like that is where they are indicating corrosion could take place on the unprotected hard lines.

[captainslow]

I'm guessing that the lines in question are the hard lines that come off of the ABS pump and are routed to the corners, the ones for th rears pass between the body and the gas tank. Seems like that is where they are indicating corrosion could take place on the unprotected hard lines.

Thanks for pointing that out. I bought my car in MD so maybe I can get the issue handled there.