Brake lines between the area of the brake fluid reservoir and abs modulator heavily corroded. one or more lines failed on 7/10/2016 requiring vehicle tow. vehicle was operational aside from the failure of braking system. when depressed, vehicle brake peddle had little resistance and traveled completely to floor panel under normal pressure from foot. the incident/failure occurred during normal travel and during an attempted stop at red light. brake system failure prevented a safe stop and the vehicle continued through the intersection running a red light. fortunately, the intersection was clear and no accident occurred. the vehicle was parked immediately afterwards and a tow vehicle called. the vehicle is currently parked until repairs can be applied. towing expense- 125.00 parts expense- 85.00 (replacing all affected lines, front braking system.) labor- 100.00 approx.
While vehicle was stationary at idle i noted excessive brake pedal travel after placing my right foot on the brake. the brake pedal traveled all the way to the floor board and was very slow in return. i shut the vehicle off and visually checked the master cylinder and connections. i noted the master cylinder brake fluid reservoir was not completely at the full mark. i continued to observe the hydraulic connections and found no active leak and no fluid on the ground beneath the vehicle. i drove the vehicle to a repair shop in town (out of state visit) advising the shop owner of the problem involving brake travel. a mechanic determined the brake lines on my vehicle were routed along the vehicle frame, made of steel, and unprotected resulting in corrosion, holes, and active leaks. two of the lines were repaired and now the remaining two lines require repair. i observed and noted corrosion of the brake line distribution system along the vehicle frame running to the rear of the vehicle and crossing over the right side. i believe the brake line corroded and failed immediately behind the driver's side located immediately next to the vehicle identification tag. this location was obscured from view because a plastic wiring harness is routed between the brake lines and exterior of the frame. i believe the placement of the plastic conduit conceals vision / inspection of corroding brake lines. i believe unprotected steel brake lines are subject to physical abrasion and moisture between the unprotected brake line and the vehicle frame resulting in brake line fatigue and water based corrosion resulting in holes and failure of the hydraulic brake system. i never observed the operation of the "brake" icon located on the vehicle message panel. *tr