ATTENTION:

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IMPORTANT - All
Service Personnel
Should Read and
Initial in the boxes
provided, right.

SERVICE MANAGER

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SERVICE PROGRAM BULLETIN
APPLICABILITY:

SUBJECT:

2017-18 MY Impreza
2018MY Crosstrek

NUMBER: WUR-03R

Brake Hose Swelling Service Program

REVISED: 02/05/20

DATE: 11/12/19

INTRODUCTION:
In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is initiating a service
program to replace brake hoses that may swell due to fluid which can squeeze in between the hose’s
inner and outer layers.
AFFECTED VEHICLES:
Model Year

Carline

Production Range

2017-2018

Impreza

7/28/2016 – 3/29/2018

2018

Crosstrek

5/09/2017 – 3/21/2018

Coverage for all affected vehicles must be confirmed by using the Vehicle Coverage Inquiry function
on subarunet.com. This information is now available.
DESCRIPTION OF THE REPAIR:
Subaru retailers will replace all four (4) brake hoses with the appropriate updated parts.
RETAILER RESPONSIBILITY:
Retailers are to promptly perform this repair on any affected vehicles that may be in their inventory.
Additionally, whenever a vehicle subject to this service program is taken into inventory or in for
service, necessary steps should be taken to ensure the repair has been made before selling or releasing
the vehicle.
Any vehicles listed in a service program that are in the retailer’s stock must be:
•

Immediately identified.

•

Tagged or otherwise marked to prevent their delivery or use prior to inspection and/or repair.

•

Updated in accordance with the repair procedures outlined in this Service Program Bulletin.

CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS COULD
RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS.
Subaru Service Bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians ONLY. They
are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur in some vehicles,
or to provide information that could assist in the proper servicing of the vehicle. Properly
trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to
do the job correctly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that this
Service Bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition.

Subaru of America, Inc. is
ISO 14001 Compliant
ISO 14001 is the international standard for
excellence in Environmental Management
Systems. Please recycle or dispose of
automotive products in a manner that is friendly
to our environment and in accordance with all
local, state and federal laws and regulations.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WUR-03R; Revised: 02/05/20

Page 1 of 9

OWNER NOTIFICATION:
Subaru is in the process of acquiring registration data and will notify affected vehicle owners by first
class mail by the mid-December. Retailers will be advised when owner notification occurs.
RETAILER AFFECTED VIN LISTS:
Each Subaru retailer will receive an affected VIN list from their Zone Office. Vehicles will be
assigned to retailers as follows:
•

Original vehicle owners are assigned to the original selling retailer when their current address
is within a 100-mile radius of that retailer.

•

If the original selling retailer is inactive, the VIN has been assigned to the nearest active
retailer.

•

For any new owners or when original owners live more than 100 miles from the original
selling retailer, the VIN has been assigned to the nearest active retailer.

IMPORTANT: Retailer affected VIN lists include information for vehicles affected by this service
program. This information will enable retailers to follow up with owners of affected vehicles. The
lists contain owners’ names and phone numbers obtained from State Motor Vehicle Registration
Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any other purpose is unlawful.
Accordingly, retailers are required to limit the use of these lists for the sole purpose of completing
this service program.
PARTS INFORMATION:
Description
Brake Hose Kit
Brake Fluid

Part Number

Application

26592FL000

Impreza

26592FL010

Crosstrek

SOA868V9221

All

CAUTION: Always confirm the part number of the brake hose kit as shown in the chart and photos
below BEFORE installation. The hoses for IMPREZA and CROSSTREK are different lengths and
NOT interchangeable. If the incorrect part is installed, the hose may be damaged. In a worst case
scenario, the brake fluid leaks after the vehicle is returned to the customer.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WUR-03R; Revised: 02/05/20

Page 2 of 9

Brake Hose
Part Number
IMPREZA:
Brake Hose
Kit p.n.
26592FL000

Front

CROSSTREK:
Brake Hose
Kit p.n.
26592FL010

Front

Rear

Rear

RH
LH
RH
LH
RH
LH
RH
LH

26540FL04A
26540FL05A
26541FL04A
26541FL05A
26540FL020
26540FL030
26541FL060
26541FL070

Marking
Color at
Banjo Bolt
Side
Blue
Blue
Blue
Blue
Purple
Purple
White
White

Number
of ID
Markings

Marking Color
at Mounting
Bracket Side

Number
of ID
Markings

1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Purple
Purple

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
1
1

NOTES: p.n. 114130151, banjo bolt sealing washers (Qty. 8) are included in both brake hose kits.
The brake hose part numbers can be ordered individually.
SERVICE PROCEDURE / INFORMATION:
REMINDER: Customer satisfaction and retention starts with performing quality repairs.
1) Replace all four (4) brake hoses following the procedures supplied in the applicable Service
Manual.
HELPFUL TIPS:
• To minimize brake fluid loss, replace the brake hoses one at a time.
•

Maintain the brake fluid level in the reservoir at the MIN level or higher as each line is
replaced to reduce the amount of air entry into the brake system as some air will enter as each
line is replaced. Brake bleeding will be required to complete these repairs.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If the brake fluid level drops below the MIN level at any time during these
hose replacements, refer to the Cautions and Notes in the Service Manual Brake Bleeding Procedure
as separate bleeding of the master cylinder and/or VDC HCU may be required. Additionally, if the
vehicle is equipped with manual transmission, clutch system bleeding will also be required.
•

Before attempting to remove the flare nuts from the hoses, spray them with a silicone-free
penetrant / lubricant to help make their removal easier and reduce chances of damaging the
brake pipes. Since the original brake hoses will be discarded, use a Vise-Grip® or equivalent
to hold the brake hose female ends while breaking the brake pipe flare nuts loose. This will
prevent damaging the mounting brackets on the frame rails. Once removed, clean the flare
nut with brake parts cleaner to remove any residual lubricant prior to reassembly.

•

After removing the hose from the brake pipe, use a rubber caliper bleed screw cap on the end
of the pipe to minimize fluid loss.
Continued...

Bulletin Number: WUR-03R; Revised: 02/05/20

Page 3 of 9

Rubber Bleeder
Screw Cap

IMPORTANT NOTES: There have been a small number of reports from the field describing
difficulty removing the flare nut from the female brake hose connection. Normally, once the flare
nut is broken loose, it should thread out by hand and thread back into the new hose end the same
way until the flare on the end of the brake pipe contacts the seat prior to final re-torqueing. In some
cases, Technicians report having to use a wrench to fully remove and re-install the flare nuts. When
this occurred, some Technicians reported the brake pipe was not fully seated when the flare nut
was re-tightened and a fluid leak resulted. The following procedures are being supplied to provide
Technicians a way to evaluate and address this condition should it be found.
If during removal a wrench is required to fully remove the flare nut from the brake hose, thread
damage may have occurred. To determine this and address it where necessary, use the following
process.
After threading the flare nut into the new hose by hand (NO Tools) as far as possible, measure the
length of the insertion as shown in the image below. If the length shown below is more than 9mm,
thread damage is likely. Loosen and remove the line and proceed below for further instruction.

The flare nut thread size is M10 X 1.0 (thread pitch). If a wrench is needed to remove the flare nut,
it will most likely also be needed when reinstalling the flare nut into the new hose end. To alleviate
this, the use of a thread “chaser” to repair the flare nut threads is recommended over the use of a
die to repair the flare nut threads. Using a thread chaser will clean and re-align the existing threads
without removing much if any material whereas, a die will achieve the same results but, be more
aggressive and may re-cut the damaged threads which must be avoided.
Regardless of which tool is used, it is critical for the flare nut to be “square” or perpendicular to
either tool before proceeding as shown in the comparison photos below.