Rusted Rear Brake Lines - Subaru won't honor their recall?

Just saying, Subaru had a recall for rusty brake lines. They had to know there is the potential problem, isn't that negligence ? Do you think that coating the rusty metal is going to stop the rust that has penetrated into the metal ? Remember this a brake line which is used at high pressure.

 

Any body shop will tell you to stop rust you have to replace that area that has any rust in it.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Max Capacity

Not that it applies to the brake lines but if the rust is completely and throughly covered so no moisture and air can get to it, the rust is stopped.

Just thought I'd add my recent experience to this thread... I have an '06 Legacy wagon that I'm very fond of (many suspension mods = fun to drive) and have taken good care of for 166k miles. Living here in Maine, I dutifully took it in about a year and a half ago (at 151k) for the brake line recall. At that time they pronounced the brake lines sound, coated them with the infamous goop, and sent me on my way.

 

Fast forward to yesterday, had my car at my usual shop for a new wheel bearing, and he tells me the rear brake line is rusted out, leaking fairly badly, and a definite hazard to drive until fixed (estimate = $600-800.) (His exact words were, "Well, one hard stop, and your brakes will probably be gone.") So this morning I dropped by the dealership where the "safety recall" "work" was done and advocated that, really, they should replace the brake line.

 

They disagreed. They said the recall was just a one-time inspection: if the brakes were not leaking at that moment, their job was done (oh, except the magic goop) and they had no further responsibilities. The manager on duty did say that in these situations they cover the cost of parts, but I'd have to pay for the labor (estimate: $1,200.) I argued that their "anti-corrosion" treatment was obviously not successful (what life did it add to the brakes? Maybe 5K miles??) and that if there was a known, advertised, and RECALLED FOR design and safety defect in the brake system (of all things), then it shouldn't matter when or how it finally came to the point of dangerousness, it should be addressed.

 

They still disagreed and clearly were not going to change their minds. And obviously I can't live without brakes. So I have scheduled my mechanic to deal with this (though he doesn't have time for 2 weeks...) I figure I'll write a letter to the dealership manager, and to SOA, but I'm not optimistic and obviously I can't wait around. Happy to hear any suggestions on a better approach.

 

BTW, I agree with some of the above comments that, hey, any car could have brake lines rust out at 166k. So I would make no deal about this at all, if it were not for the existing recall. Hell, I feel like I wasted several hours of my life two years ago going for the "inspection"-- what was the point of that, if not to ensure this eventuality (or worse) didn't befall me? Plus, this is my 3rd car to get to that milage, and the first to have a brake leak... maybe I've just been lucky, but I don't think it's a coincidence.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Dan F

Call SOA and talk with them first about it. It's always possible they will disagree with the dealer / work with you to get the dealer to replace them.

 

Honestly, this is beyond ridiculous and turns me off completely from Subaru - you have a known issue, issued a recall, then refuse to fix the brake lines when cars come in with the known issue.

 

That's such bullshit.

In my case, the dealer thought that SOA might foot the bill. I called SOA, and the only words that would come out of the representative's mouth after he heard my car had 164k on it was 'I'm sorry, but we cannot offer any financial assistance based on the age and mileage of the vehicle.' I tried a few angles, including the fact that my last 5 cars have been Subarus, got the same response each time. I took that as my sign to just take care of it myself. Maybe it's easier to make your case if the lines have already let go.

For those of you who've done the replacement yourselves - any tips on avoiding having to bench bleed the MC? Last brake line I replaced I got away with just topping the MC up and replacing the actual line in pretty quick order. Having to cut and flare multiple lines here, not sure if that's a reasonable approach or if the drain will be too quick to intermittently top up the reservoir. Thoughts?

I just replaced my rear lines this past week. Barely any fluid is lost after cutting the lines at the back seat. I used the harbor freight vacuum bleeder that connects to an air compressor. It uses a fill bottle at the reservoir so you don’t have to keep topping it off. Worked great although I saw a lot of bubbles in the bleeder hose which I think were introduced at the bleeder screw. After seeing fresh fluid I had my son help with manual bleeding which resulted in no bubbles at all.

An update to my post above (#203). I called SOA and got the same answer Awfulwaffle did: "Can't help." As with AWaffle, the rep inquired about the current odometer reading on my car (166k) before giving me a clear answer. I wish I had not given him that information-- how is it relevant? I bought the car new and I've taken good care of it. More relevant, I told him, was how many miles it was between the "inspection" and the brake line failing (15k), which isn't even the lifespan of a brake pad. He said that didn't enter into it-- the inspection "satisfied the recall" and there was nothing they could to do help after that point. According to his logic, if the brakes had failed even 1 mile after they "inspected" them, well, too bad, not their problem.

 

In retrospect, I should've held off on taking my car in for the recall and just had my own mechanic keep an eye on the lines until they started leaking. THEN go present for the recall & get them replaced. Would've saved me a lot of money!

 

Lines to be replaced by my mechanic tomorrow. I'll be writing a letter to SOA, just for the hell of it. Not pleased.

Maybe you should send a copy to NTSB as well.

Im in the same boat on my 2005 Outback XT. 128kmi on her and the pedal hit the floor while I was pulling into a turning lane to goto work. I almost rear ended the car in front of me, somehow I was able to avoid them. Fluid leaking at the rear connector block like they all do. I had the wqk-47 recall done 7/2014. I work at a Subaru dealer and had the service manager submit an auth. to Subaru for replacement. A week later he informs me that Subaru is willing to cover the parts cost but not the labor. It should be the other way around, I pay for the parts and they cover labor.

 

What gets me is that late last year my friends 05 legacy with over 200kmi had the same issue and they covered the labor and parts. I understand that the car is 14 years old and all, but how Subaru picks and chooses to cover or not cover complete costs is beyond me. I was thinking about picking up a 2020 obk xt, but this kind of puts a sour taste in my mouth. Subaru is cheaping out on their product as I have seen in recent years of working at a Subaru dealership, but using sub-par parts seems to be the norm for many auto manufacturers now.

Glad to find this thread.

 

I exported my Subaru new from USA to Canada in 2007. Couple weeks ago, my brake lines let go. I was lucky - in a slow residential street and was able to use parking brake. I was only in 1st gear. Whew.

 

So I call my dealer, subaru canada, and subaru USA; they all tell my my 07 GT 5MT was not part of the recall "because it doesn't show up on the VIN"

 

I'm wondering if mine slipped through the cracks: The USA ones were subject to recall if they were registered in certain salt belt states. My VIN was never registered in one of those.

 

Now, here's where it gets kinda weird. On the phone again with Subaru Canada, and we are both typing in my VIN. My car shows up, and indicates I've had teh oil cooler recall done, and have the side airbag stiil outstanding. No mention of brake line recall. Except, 2 days after I call Subaru Canada, I type in my VIN, and now the web page is telling me it's an INVALID VIN, WTF? I copy+paste the VIN into SoA, and it still shows my car, so I know there's no typo in the VIN.

 

Car is sitting in my driveway while I wait for a response to my letter asking 1: Can my car be included, and 2: If not, a technical explanation (other than my VIN) as to why the recall would not apply to my car.

 

FYI - the brake recall is also in Canada ; Transport Canada Recall # 2013092 and # 2014223, roughly 130,000 vehicles.

Edited August 12, 2019 by GINge!

I'm pretty sure your car should be covered by the recall for the brake lines, as both my 05 and 09 are covered.

 

As you may have read, my local dealer put all new brake lines under my 05 a couple years back without any hassle.

 

Now I have spent a lot of money there, so may be that made a difference.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Max Capacity

TBH, I was not even aware of the recall until I shared my brake fail experience on a local subie FB page.

 

All I am getting from Subaru is No VIN match = No recall.

 

I am kind of relieved in a way - this was an unplanned trip to the local library with my 9 year old daughter. The next morning, we were scheduled to take the highway into the city. It could have been much worse.

 

Edit - I've also contacted Transport Canada for advice.

Edited August 12, 2019 by GINge!

Good Luck with SOC, I called them before the Local Dealer but wasn’t fair enough to consider my brake failure so I dig in and did myself done it’s been a year now and replace it with copper so no rust to worried about.

Thanks, I'm not hugely hopeful this will work out in my favour. After seeing some of the estimates quoted by dealers in this thread, I'm going to have to look at other options to repair.

 

I'm really not much of a mechanic, as in, not at all. Is this something that some amazon parts and a youtube video can walk a novice through? Honestly, if I could even get it repaired enough to get to a mechanic without having to flatbed it, would be great.

I wouldn't drive the car as is. It's not terrible to do yourself - you'll need some line, the proper fittings, a line cutter, bender and a flare tool. The two things that might be difficult if you don't have experience will be making sure the master cylinder doesn't drain down - mine almost did - and maneuvering underneath the car to make sure the lines get routed properly.

 

That said, some in this thread seem to have gotten reasonable rates from run of the mill mechanics. Why not try that route? A couple hundred bucks versus a couple thousand.

FWIW, you can get brake lines in different lengths that are easy to bend from auto parts stores. Did those on the front of my 86 Ford F150.

 

Make sure the lines are the proper threads on the ends.

Oh yeah, car is not driveable! :-)

 

SoA got back to me and said the same thing...my VIN is not part of the recall. Did not answer the question "why" though.

Here’s my thread to give you idea, parts came mostly from Can-tire as it is returnable if you got a wrong parts unlike Autosupplies they won’t consider a return sometimes.

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/rusted-recall-brake-line-failed-269503p3.html

May be your was purchased in a southern state back when it was new...?

Time to check up on the consumer protection legislation in Canada just to make sure. If you are lucky it's possible that you can get help from a government agency in your specific state.

 

 

I did find this at a simple search: https://www.ontario.ca/page/filing-consumer-complaint

Max Cap - I bought it new in Seattle, but only have a temp export permit to Canada. This was back in 2007 when our dollar was at par with the USD, and a Subaru was around $15k less in the USA. It has been in Canada since.

 

ehsnils - I've filed a letter to Transport Canada recall, not sure where that will go. I quoted the both TC (our NHTSA) recall #'s on the Legacy.

 

edgmoulic - awesome, thank you for that thread and the pics. Is the back seat easy enough to remove?

 

 

Tha

Is the back seat easy enough to remove?

 

The back seat is extremely easy to remove. It literally just snaps into place. Grab onto the front of it (like under where you sit) and yank straight up. Should pop right out

 

You might not even have to pull the seat though, the section of mine that needed to be replaced was just under the car next to the fuel tank, from the junction block back. Instead of dropping everything to replace the line above the tank I just put a line that wrapped around the back of it instead. (just be sure to keep it away from the exhaust and driveshaft wherever you decide to route it)

Edited August 15, 2019 by RecklessWOT

i've been getting these recall letters for years now while my car is sitting in my driveway... I didn't really think anything of it until reading some of the horror going on in this thread... i better go look at my brakes lines immediately. This and some airbag shrapnel nonsense.

^^^ What RecklessWOT said, I routed mine the same way he did, and zipped it to the bulky evap hose that sits atop the fuel tank to keep it from vibrating. I did pull the seat to splice inside the car, but that's because my lines were super bad upstream of the junction block too.