A news story on KJRH-TV Channel 2 in Tulsa, OK, profiled a local driver who experienced a loss of brakes that was attributed to a rusted brake line that snapped. A local ASE-certified technician told the reporter that he is seeing more and more vehicles with rusted brake lines. Are you seeing this same trend at your shop? Let us know.

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Below is the article as it appeared on the KJRH-TV website.

Government investigating brake line rust

11/02/2010

Remember how cars from the 1970s would start rusting in just a few years?

In the 90’s, they finally improved their rust prevention techniques, so that rusty cars became a thing of the past, until now. Unfortunately, it’s making a comeback.

Brakes Fail Without Warning
Beth Farr was driving her daughter home from soccer in her 2003 Buick Rendezvous SUV, when she tells me the brake pedal suddenly went to the floor.

Beth said "we were going down and hill and I was putting on my brakes to slow down, and hit them to the floor and they would not stop. I panicked. I was like ‘oh no, oh no!’ "

Luckily, Beth says, she was able to coast to a stop on the shoulder of the road, without hitting anything.

So what happened? The repair shop her car was towed to diagnosed a rusty brake line, that snapped without warning when she applied the brakes.

It turns out Beth’s case was not an isolated one.

Mechanics See More and More Rust
ASE certified mechanic Jim Schulten is seeing more and more cars with rusted lines.

He demonstrated by bending a rusty brake line, which snapped like a toothpick, instead of bending into a "U" the way a normal brake line would.

Jim said "we’re finding rust just eating away the brake lines. Brake lines, even fuel lines in some cases."

And he says replacing a set of brake lines can cost $1,000 or more with parts and labor, which may not make economic sense in an older car worth just $2,000 or $3,000.

To read the entire article, visit the KJRH-TV website at http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/money/consumer/dont_waste_your_money/Copy_of_government-investigating-brake-line-rust1288714673885.