US ends brake line rust probe, urges people to wash vehicles

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DETROIT (AP) — People who live in areas where salt is used to clear roads of snow are getting some advice from U.S. safety regulators: Wash the underside of your car.

The message comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closes a five-year investigation into rusting pipes that carry brake fluid in about 5 million older Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC pickups and SUVs without seeking a recall. Instead, the agency blames the problem on rust caused by road salt.

The agency urged people in 20 cold-weather states and Washington, D.C., to get their car and truck undercarriages washed during the winter, and to get brake lines inspected and replace them if necessary. The warning underscores the importance of washing away road salt because it can cause critical parts to rust and fail.

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APPHOTO NY112: FILE - As temperatures rise, cars line up for a car wash at the Washery System Touchless Automatic Car Wash on Terry Reiley Way in Pottsville, Pa., in this Jan. 31, 2014 file photo. If you live where salt is used to clear the roads of snow and ice, U.S. safety regulators have a message for you: Wash the underside of your car. The message came Wednesday April 8, 2015 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agency blamed the rusting pipes that carry brake fluid in about 5 million older Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC pickups and SUVs on rust caused by road salt and a lack of washing. It determined that it was not the result of a manufacturing or design defect.(AP Photo/Republican-Herald, Jacqueline Dormer, File) (31 Jan 2014)

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