Subaru recalls 660,000 cars and SUVs because brake lines can rust and leak fluid

DETROIT – Subaru is recalling more than 660,000 cars and SUVs, including more than 105,000 in Canada, because the brake lines can rust and leak fluid, and that can mean it will take longer to stop the vehicles.

For about half the vehicles, it’s the second recall for the same problem.

Affected are 2005 through 2009 Legacy and Outback, the 2008 through 2014 Impreza and the 2009 through 2013 Forester.

A posting on the Transport Canada website said 105,649 vehicles are being recalled in Canada.

“For the units that are affected the owners will be notified and directed to their local dealer to inspect and or correct as required,” a spokesman for Subaru Canada said in an email.

In the U.S., the recall covers vehicles sold or registered in 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., where salt is used to clear roads in the winter.

The company says in documents posted Thursday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that salty water can splash onto the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, causing rust. If they leak fluid, it could take longer to stop the car and increase the risk of a crash.

Dealers will inspect the lines and replace them if leaks are found. They’ll also apply anti-corrosion wax.

No crashes or injuries have been reported due to the problem, and Subaru is taking the action as a precaution, spokesman Michael McHale said in an email.

About 274,000 Legacy and Outback vehicles were recalled for the same problem in March of last year. The safety agency says additional areas have to be rust-proofed in those cars.

— With files from The Canadian Press