Federal regulators closed a five-year probe into failing brake lines in older General Motors Co. trucks and sport-utility vehicles without finding a manufacturing defect, underscoring the limits of the government’s ability to intervene on safety issues even amid numerous complaints, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration instead today is issuing a safety advisory urging owners of the vehicles and all other truck, SUV and car models more than seven years old to inspect brake lines and thoroughly wash the undersides of the vehicles to remove salt and other chemicals that can lead to corrosion over time. Regulators are taking the action instead of pursuing a recall.
