Four problems related to vehicle speed control have been reported for the 2003 Subaru Outback. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Subaru Outback, 2003, 4-cylinder with 90,000 miles s/n: [xxx] significant acceleration from very slow speed; turning off the engine was the only method of stopping the car. Drove through garage wall; occurence over six months; about one-time per month. Progressively got worse until the car went through the garage wall. Per dealer: "significant carbon build-up in throttle housing & idle control valve. Carbon build-up caused by reformulated gasoline. " repiar action: clean throttle housing & replace idle control valve = $ 750. 00 at may 11, 2010. No service bulletins or history, per dealer. My comment: "potential disterous safety issues: not only property damage, but significant personal injury could be caused if this happens in parking lots, crosswalks, driveways, etc. " [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Serious hesitation in first gear when starting at intersections (manual transmission, 2. 5l engine). Engine speed drops sharply. Must stomp gas pedal in unsafe manner to recover. Very dangerous in traffic - speed is impossible to modulate in first gear without using clutch. Engine is strong and predictable in all other gears.
Throttle stiff when first opened. Rpm's will jump when throttle pressed. Not smooth at all. Hard to regulate speed, without bucking. Dealer says this is normal for computer regulated car. Baloney.
The vehicle surged after coming to a stop when the brakes were applied. The dealer reset the computer, but could not duplicate the problem. The vehicle surged numerous times after that, always after coming to a stop. The consumer had taken the vehicle to a different dealer, who suggested the computer be refreshed. The vehicle had not surged since then.