Mine are original. 2004 with 284,000 miles. Well past their life expectancy but showing no signs of deterioration yet.

 

I would say it has everything to do with where you live. I've lived in Southern California, Florida, Arizona, and in the Carolinas for a bit and have never had to replace a rubber brake hose on any vehicle I or my family have ever owned.

 

Don't forget maintenance. I flush my brake fluid every few years. Old contaminated brake fluid will harm the rubber in the braking system including the hoses.

 

Two or three years ago I replaced the brake hoses on an '87 with about 200k to get it ready for the track. The original ones were still working fine but I wasn't comfortable with them in that application. So I would say "a long time" given normal use.

 

Only rubber brake line failure that I've ever experienced, was when a ham-handed mechanic at Pep Boys suspended the brake caliper by the brake line. Rookie mistake.

 

The estimated life of a typical 'rubber' brake hose is 6 years, according to BrakeQuip, the manufacturer of aftermarket rubber and high-performance stainless steel braided brake hoses.

Inspecting Automotive Brake Lines

Simple guide to inspecting your brake hoses for signs of ware. Links to related resources.

www.mfcp.com

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I've only had one failure (internal). Dragging brake (with newly rebuilt caliper). The hose looked fine, even after it was removed from the car. That hose was about 12 years old. I've replaced all four on my 06. I thought this might be a trial on a NH winter car, but it turned out to be very easy.