Subaru Recalls 660,000 Vehicles Because Being Able To Stop Is Necessary

Some Subaru owners may be having a little deja vu today. The car company is recalling more than 660,000 vehicles, half of which were recalled for the same problem last year – a brake line issue that could make it difficult to stop.

Subaru announced the recall Friday because the brake line in the vehicles can rust and leak fluid, which could cause the car to take longer to stop, the Associated Press reports.

Affected models include the 2005 to 2009 Legacy and Outback, 2008 to 2014 Impreza and the 2009 to 2013 Forester.

The recall covers vehicles sold or registered in states were salt is used to clear roads during the winter months. Those states include: 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.

According to a notice [PDF] filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the problem can occur when salt water splashes on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion. Overtime, that corrosion can cause brake fluid leakage that would require longer distances to slow or stop the vehicle.

Subaru will notify owners of the issue and dealers will perform tests on the brake system. If no brake fluid leak is found, dealers will rustproof the area with anti-corrosive wax. If there is a leak, the brake line will be replaced followed by rustproofing.

Nearly 274,000 model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy cars were recalled for the same issue back in March of 2013.

Subaru recalls 660K vehicles for brake line rust [The Associated Press]