Subaru recalls 660,238 cars because of corroded brakes

Subaru is recalling 660,238 Outback, Legacy, Impreza and Forester vehicles in the U.S. because of corrosion in the brake lines.

The Japanese automaker called the recall a “precautionary measure” and said owners should have their brakes checked for corrosion. Dealers also will spray a protective material over the brake lines to prevent corrosion.

The recall is for cars registered in cold weather states where salted roads during winter contribute to corrosion problems.

The vehicles affected are the 2009-13 Forester, the 2008-11 Impreza and the 2008-14 Impreza WRX/STI, the 2005-09 Outback and the 2005-09 Legacy.

This recall brings the number of vehicles called back by automakers in the U.S. to about 40 million so far this year, surpassing the previous high of 30.8 million set in 2004.

General Motors, which has had problems with ignition switches in a wide selection of its vehicles, accounts for about 26 million of the recalled autos.

But there also have been large recalls by Toyota, Ford, Honda and others. The rest of the industry has recalled about 14 million vehicles so far this year, about two-thirds of the number all automakers recalled in the U.S. in all of last year, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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