Huge Subaru Recall Prompted by Brake Issue: Is Your Car Unsafe?

Do you drive a Subaru Outback or a Subaru Legacy? Your car might be among a huge safety recall. Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it’s going to recall about 215,000 Subaru cars due to a brake line issue. The recall involves some of Subaru’s most popular models.

Research has shown that the brake lines in certain Subaru Outback and Legacy cars can corrode and potentially leak fluid in areas where road salt is used heavily due to harsh winter driving conditions.

While this research is still ongoing by both Subaru and the NHTSA, this recall can nevertheless potentially impact a lot of drivers, especially those located on the East Coast and other regions that see rough winter seasons.

A color photo of a 2010 Subaru Outback on the street.

The Subaru Outback can experience corrosion on its brake lines after seven or more severe winters.

Can’t Stop: Winter Driving May Cause Brake Fluid to Leak

Driving conditions can be pretty dangerous during the winter months. Those of us living in warmer parts of the country might not even be familiar with something like road salt, which is often used to boost traction on streets when there’s dangerous ice or other hazardous road conditions.

What the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has found, however, is that certain Subaru cars can experience some very serious brake problems after too much winter driving. These problems can lead to the leakage of brake fluid — a potentially very dangerous situation.

The issue has occurred on some of Subaru’s most popular models. In particular, Outback and Legacy models from 2005 to 2009 have been found to experience dangerous brake line corrosion.

While the initial recall is set to cover 215,000 vehicles, the NHTSA and Subaru are both saying that more research is necessary to determine the extent of the issue.

Regional vs. National Recalls

Currently, the brake line issue seems to be restricted to Subaru cars that are used during harsh winter conditions, so the recall won’t extend to the entire US.

The recall is mostly limited to the East Coast, as well as midwestern states that experience especially cold winters and tough driving conditions.

Some are wondering what happens to cars that aren’t actually in their home states when the recall is issued. As the New York Times points out:

“Such a regional recall…has been criticized by consumer advocates who say it saves automakers money, but in a mobile society may miss vehicles that need repairs.”

It’s a legitimate question, and one that will likely be answered once both the NHTSA and Subaru have had a chance to do some more research and come up with a bit more information about the extent of the problem and how they can go about fixing it.

In the meantime, stay tuned to the Scambook Blog to keep up to date on recent automotive recalls and other consumer safety issues. We’ll help you get the information you need to protect yourself.

Have you ever owned a recalled car? Tell us about it in the comments!