Cruise Control problems of the 2006 Subaru Outback

I was driving straight down the highway going about 50-60 mph and out of nowhere my throttle peddle failed to work. My car immediately slowed down to a crawl and I had to quickly find a safe place to pull over on a road with barely any shoulder. Luckily not many cars were on the road so I did not have to worry about a pile-up accident. The check engine light came on and stayed on while the cruise control light began to flash on and off. After turning the car off and waiting a few minutes I decided to try and drive the car again since I was in an area with no service and it was below freezing outside. The car started and I could use the throttle peddle and the car drove with no problem for about 5 miles before the same exact thing happened. Luckily someone drove by and I was able to catch a ride with them to get service and call a tow truck. This issue came out of nowhere with no prior issues to the car. This is a very dangerous issue that could result in not only an accident on the road because of the rapid speed decrease but also risks leaving people stranded like I was.

Car will suddenly go limp. With no warning or anything the car is still running but there is no throttle or throttle pedal response. You can floor the gas pedal and nothing happens. It has happens while driving down a road and all you can do is hope that you can get to the side of the road. I was driving down a country road when this last happened. I came to a turn where you either have to stop or merge to the right onto another road. As I went to accererate there was no response from the car. I looked down and the check engine light is on as well as the cruise control light is now flashing. I tried turning the car off and back on several times. I finally shut the car off for 3-5 minutes before the throttle would respond. If this happened on the a busy freeway with heavy traffic, it could be very dangerous!!.

While traveling at highway speed the gas pedal quits working and car goes into limp mode, this is where car travels at 30 mph with no control from the gas pedal, the check engine light comes on and the cruise control light flashes, the only way to reset the fuel pedal is to pull over, shut car off for 1 min. And restart pedal will work but check engine light and cruise control light will flash until error code is reset. Code is p2138 . This may fix pedal temporary but it will happen again. When pedal quits working this is very dangerous in heavy traffic. This has happened to the car at leased 20 times, have not found a permanent fix yet. Needs to be recalled and repaired.

My car has been experiencing episodes where it suddenly stops accelerating while I am driving. This has happening both on city streets, and on the highway. It's mostly about 5 minutes after I initially turned the car on, but not always. I will be driving normally and all of a sudden the check engine lights and cruise control lights will come on and then the car will instantly stop accelerating with no additional warning. The most recent time this has happened, my car actually sped up without me pressing on the gas pedal. The code reads p2138. After turning my car off and waiting a few minutes it drives fine (although sometimes the lights are still on). I have had a Subaru dealership check out the problem and after looking at the car for about one week they could not find the problem. The problem is that this issue appears suddenly but then goes away so that by the time I can get it over to a mechanic it is no longer an issue. This has been going on for about 4 months and I would say I've experienced the issue about 6-7 times. It is very dangerous when I am driving on the highway and the car stops accelerating.

While traveling on the freeway the check engine light came on, as well as a blinking cruise control light. The car would not respond topressure on the gas pedal and I was unable to accelerate. I coasted to the shoulder of the road and turned the engine off. After starting the engine again, I was able to drive off the freeway and went straight to my mechanic. The diagnosis was trouble code p2138 faulty throttle position sensor in the gas pedal leading to no acceleration. The gas pedal assembly was replaced.

On three occasions within a two week period I was driving on city streets and the car would not accelerate when the gas pedal was depressed. On these occasions I was starting from a red light or just after I had braked for something, depressed the gas pedal and the speed did not change. The check engine light came on, the cruise control light flashed and the car went into limp mode. I limped to the side of the road and turned the engine off. On the first try to restart the car it would not turn over. After waiting and trying again the car turned over and the gas pedal would work. The check engine light and the flashing cruise control light remained on and went off after starting the car a couple/few times. I went to my mechanic to check the car and he found p2138 three times in the history. This happened once when entering a traffic circle and twice while crossing intersections, very dangerous! info on this site and a Subaru Outback forum shows this to be a problem many have experienced. I called the manufacturer.

While driving at highway and city street speeds the check engine light comes on/the cruise control flashes and car goes limp, gas pedal stops working. A code that has shown up is p2138. Very dangerous. When I put the car in neutral the engine revs to a constant 3,000 rpm. It has happened to me on 3 occasions.

Was driving to work and stopped at a light. Light turned green and I released the brake pedal, car started faster than normal with no pressure on the gas pedal. I pressed the gas pedal repeatedly but it did not respond. I pulled over and put the car in neutral and the engine started reving high light the pedal was stuck. I tried pressing the cancel button on the cruise control, thinking that it might have gotten stuck but that didn't work so I put it in park and turned it off. Tried turning it back on once and it didn't turn over. Tried it again and it turned on, but this time the check engine light was on, and the cruise control indicator was blinking. Could have been much worse if this was on the highway and it got stuck at a high speed, or if I was trying to turn onto a busy road and couldn't accelerate.

Throttle failure. While driving throttle completely fails. No acceleration, car will only move at automatic idle speed. Cruise control light flashes, check engine light on. Extremely dangerous -- very lucky it didn't happen in an intersection or while passing another car. Turns out to be common for this model -- and mine has only 93,000 miles. I am attaching a sample from an online complaint site. This requires a recall.

While driving car check engine light will come on and cruise control light will flash. Car goes into limp mode and the accelerator will not longer respond dropping the cars speed drastically. This can happen on any road, at any speed, and any weather condition. Temporary fix is to stop and cycle the cars power three or four times. More permanent fix is to replace the pedal assembly-accelerator at a cost of $199. Happened a few dozen times before I finally got the pedal assembly replaced. Issued started early 2016, and replaced the assembly in 2018.

Tl-the contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate as the vehicle lost power and the cruise control deactivated. The check engine warning light illuminated. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the throttle position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 182,000. Oo.

I was driving when suddenly my car would not go forward more than a few mph, the check engine light came on and the cruise control was flashing. Thankfully I was only doing about 30 miles an hour in town. I pulled over, turned my car off, turned it back on and it wouldn't start. I started it for a 2nd time and it started and I drove home. I took it to my Subarus only mechanic of 17 years (I'm on my 4th subie) who thought the error code of p2138 was odd. He told me to let him know if it happened again. . . . And it did a few days later so I took it back in. My mechanic called Subaru and found out this was not an uncommon problem. I've only had it back a day so I'm not sure if the problem has been fixed. I certainly hope it has as I'm terrified of the thought of this happening on the highway doing 70 mph on my way to work in horrible traffic. After getting on the internet, this long-time Subaru lover is surprised and disappointed that Subaru hasn't done a recall on this problem. This is a very dangerous issue that needs to be addressed.

When driving on the highway at 75mph the engine light and cruise control light came on and the accelerator became unresponsive. After pulling over and restarting the car it worked fine. This has happened 7 times so far and after reading many posts on Outback forums it seems that this is a very common and dangerous problem that needs to be figured out by Subaru.

I was stopped at a traffic light, when the light changed I attempted to give the car gas to begin moving and there was no power in the pedal. All the lights on the instrument panel were on and the radio was playing. I had some power and was able to move out of the flow of oncoming traffic. I parked but did not turn the car off. I turned on my hazards and tried the pedal again. Nothing! I turned the car off and restarted the engine. At this point the check engine light came on and the cruise control light began flashing. I attempted and this time there was power in the pedal. The check engine light remained on and the cruise control light is flashing. I have dropped the car off at my mechanic. This was scary with traffic bearing down on me at rush hour and no where to go initially. I am just very thankful I was not traveling at a high rate of speed when this occurred.

P2138 code - throttle issue --- today as I was driving to work, luckily on a side street,when the check engine light came on and the cruise control light began to blink. Then I lost power to the engine while it was still running. I normally take the highway to work but this day there was snow and ice so I decided to take the side streets instead. I pressed the gas pedal with no response. I coasted to a side street and turned in with no incident, thank god. I was near a Toyota dealership and I asked for their help but they said they did not work on Subaru. I was just about to call aaa when I thought to restart the car to see if it would go so I could take it somewhere else. I gave it gas and it went. The check engine light and cruise control was still on. I drove slowly to another service place and they found the code p2138 and said I could drive it but to get it to a dealership as soon as I could. The Subaru dealerships are not located in my town and takes 20-30 by highway to get to one of them. I am very unsure of driving on the highway now and have this happening again. I drive the highways a lot in order to fit my daily schedule. This is especially true for me to see elderly mother who lives 30 minutes away by highway. I love my Subaru even after having had the typical 2006 problems like head gasket leak and such which I consider acceptable for the mileage I have on her. I had planned on getting another Subaru in the future but not having power is extremely scary and will make me shop elsewhere if this is typical.

While driving home the check engine light came on and the cruise control light began flashing. The car began to decelerate and the accelerator pedal became unresponsive. Vehicle continued to idle normally, but depressing the accelerator had no affect on the engine. Searching forums returns that this is a very common and dangerous issue with the drive-by-wire throttle of these vehicles. Had it happened on the freeway as opposed to a 30mph residential street, it would probably have resulted in an accident.

My wife was driving our 2006 Subaru Outback. She was driving in winter conditions. She was driving the 2 mile bridge to our home when the acceleration suddenly failed and the vehicle abrubtly slowed from 55 mph to 35 mph. The roads had snow and ice on them. The vehicle behind her closed in on the rear of our Subaru and began honking and flashing its lights. The check engine light in our car came on and the cruise control flashed. She was scared by the misfunction. The car revved up above 4000 rpms when she put it into park. She shut the vehicle off and I checked and found an error code. P2138. The accelerator has 2 circuits that relay the desired speed to the car's computer. When the circuits don't match the computer cuts the speed out of the vehicle. I think that the engineering behind this system needs to be re thought so that this doesnt occur. I read other reports online of people in heavy traffic who had near accidents.

While coming to a stop at a traffic light, the check engine light came on along with a flashing cruise control light. When I started up there was no response from the gas peddle. My car started to roll and got up to 10 mph ( the speed limit was 45 mph). The rpm gauge stayed at 2000 rpms. I pulled on to a side street with my flashers on and parked. I turned off the engine and started it. Still no response from the gas peddle. I turned the car off a second time. This time the engine didn't start. I tried again and it take a long time (10 seconds) but it finally started. Now the gas peddle responded. I drive my car home without incident but the check engine light stayed on and the cruise still flashed. I went to auto zone where they said the code was p2138. Thank goodness the traffic was light when this happened and I was able to find a side street.

Vehicle suddenly lost power, would not accelerate when accelerator pedal was depressed. When car was turned off and ignition turned, the vehicle was idling at a high rpm. When placed into drive vehicle would move forward at 15 mph, but there was no response from the accelerator pedal. Engine light went on, as did the cruise control light. Depressing the cruise control on/off button did not change cruise control indicator. Took into the dealership and they cleared the code and returned the vehicle back to me. The same thing occurred several days later. When I took it into the dealership, they told me the accelerator pedal assembly was malfunctioning and they charged me $403. 88 as a replacement. I see now on the web that others have had this problem. This is a very dangerous fail and could have caused a serious incident. It is also very frustrating because it all occurred within a few days of having $2400 of service already on the vehicle (engine head gaskets replaced, timing belt, trans fluid flush, tire rotate), and I had to take it back to the dealership 3 times in order to get issues dealt with (twice with the accelerator issue, once because they had failed to properly tighten the power steering belt).

Driving on the highway, the check engine light came on soon followed by the flashing cruise control light. At the point, the car became no longer responsive to the accelerator. I was forced to pull over because after breaking, I couldn't speed back up. Turning the car off and on again did not solve the problem. When I turned the car on the engine revved at a high speed with the cruise control light still flashing. I eventually had to get the car towed.

Subaru Outback/legacy 2006 - intermittent issue over a few months. The check engine light comes on, cruise control flashes and car goes limp, gas pedal stops working. After car goes limp, engine needs to be turned off, but once car is put in park for it to be turned off, the engine revs to approx. 2000 rpms on its own. The car then has to sit for a few minutes to attempt to turn the car on and the gas pedal to work again. This problem has thrown the code p2138. This is a serious safety issue, even more so as it has happened while on the freeway, where the car will lose speed due to the accelerator pedal not working and the car has essentially become a roadblock in the middle of fast oncoming traffic. This could have potentially caused serious accidents. After researching this particular problem online, it appears that many others with this exact car make/year have had the same issue and it is prevalent to this particular car. Subaru needs to conduct an investigation and offer a safety recall of this vehicle - at the very least, the cost of repairs to fix this known and prevalent issue with this car needs to be covered by the manufacturer.

I have experienced this twice in the past 3 months. Both time my car goes to limo mode. The check engine light comes on and the cruise control light flashes. The pedal does not rev the engine. After a number of tries, the pedal will become responsive again. After about 3 restarts once the engine is reving the check engine light and cruise will go out and the car will be normal until it does it again. When I read the code, it's p2138 indicating it's an issue with the 2 reducent sensors on the pedal disagreeing about where the pedal is. This is a very serious defect! call soa and asked to take it to the authorized dealership. Bought the car at west Subaru herr buffalo,live in canada now.

I was driving the vehicle at a steady rate of 50mph. Suddenly the cruise control indicator light illuminated and began to flash as well as the check engine indicator light. The vehicle also became unresponsive to the accelerator when pressed or depressed. The vehicle would maintain a speed about 20mph even after coming to a complete stop. After pulling to the side of the road and engaging the hazard lights, I put the car in park. The rpm gauge then skyrockets to 3000-4000 rpm and the engine becomes really loud. I turn the key off and let the car sit for a few minutes. Neglecting to sit for a few minutes results in the same behavior. After starting the car again the cruise control indicator light still flashes and the check engine indicator light remains on. After 3 restarts both indicator lights are off and all seems fine. After taking it to the dealership they told me it is a "bad accelerator and it has been replaced recently". The dealership then reset the code. This has happened over 10 times in the last 3 months and continues to happen on a random basis. Loss of power and control is unsafe and needs to be addressed.

While driving 70mph in the fast lane down the highway I turned cruise control on. As soon as the cruise control was engaged all throttle was lost. While in motion I put the car in neutral then back into drive and nothing happened. The car was decelerating so I pulled off the highway. Once safely on the side of the road I turned the car off for several minutes and then back on. The acceleration capability returned but the check engine light was on. I took the car to a mechanic to read the code which came back as the throttle control sensor. This is a very dangerous defect and should be addressed by Subaru America.

The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the accelerator failed to respond to acceleration attempts. The contact also mentioned that the check engine warning light and the cruise control light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle also erroneously decelerated while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated that the accelerator pedal would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 94,000. Updated 12/30/cn.

In the 2006 Subaru Outback 3. 0 the throttle is controlled electronically. This failed on me while driving at 70 mph down the freeway. The gas peddle stopped responding. I could not accelerate or maintain speed. I had to pull over. After about 1 minute I restarted the car and the throttle started to respond again. My check engine light is now on and the cruise control light is blinking. This is a safety hazard and needs a fix. After reviewing many forums, it doesn't sound like Subaru knows what is causing the issue. But there are some "recommendations".

While driving at 65 mph, car began to "buck" and lost power. Cruise control light began to flash and check engine light was steady. Happened exactly the same again today, 6/3/2014. Problem was coded as p2138 and accelerator assembly was replaced one year ago. Car will need to go in to mechanic again today. Expect similar problem.

I was driving at 60 mph when the accelerator pedal stopped responding. I couldn't accelerate or maintain speed. Had to coast to the shoulder thru traffic. The check engine light was now on and the cruise control light was flashing. The idle was at 2,000 rpms and the accelerator pedal was still not responding. I turned off the engine for about 2 minutes. When I turned it back on, the accelerator was working but the check engine light was still on and the cruise control light was flashing. Read obd code p2138, reset code and check engine light went out. This is a very dangerous condition and should be recalled by Subaru.

I was driving when the accelerator pedal stopped responding. I couldn't accelerate or maintain speed. The check engine light was now on and the cruise control light was flashing. I pulled over and the idle was at 2,000 rpms and the accelerator pedal was still not responding. I turned off the engine for about 5 minutes. When I turned it back on, the accelerator was working but the check engine light was on and the cruise control light was flashing.

My wife was driving the vehicle when the check engine light came on. The cruise light started flashing. The gas pedal was non functioning. She was able to cost to a safe place. When I arrived the car was running. The gas pedal was unresponsive. I shut the car off and took her to work. An hour later I returned to the car and tried to start it. It took several seconds to start, but did. The gas pedal worked. The check engine light was on steady and the cruise control was flashing. I was able to get the car home. Today 10/20/12 the car has no symptoms. This could have been very scary as my wife was driving on the busiest street in montana during the morning commute.

First incident 4/8/12 - after down shifting and beginning to coast downhill at about 25 mph, the engine began revving as if the accelerator was being pressed and depressed slowly, the car did not respond to the accelerator, the check engine light turned on, and the cruise control light began to blink slowly. The car continued to move very slowly so were able to pull over. Turned the engine off for a few seconds and after restarting, the car was responsive but both lights were still on. The dealer diagnosed a lose gas cap. Second incident 4/18/12 - driving in heavy traffic on a highway at about 20 mph, same problem. Turned the engine off while still in traffic and restarted immediately but the problem persisted. Tried to do so several times while in traffic but the problem continued. Was able to get over to the shoulder, turned the engine off, for about 30 seconds. After restarting, the car was responsive again but both lights were still on. The dealer suggested a faulty throttle sensor but could not confirm until the car was checked. The problem code was given as p2138. The car has a manual transmission.

I was driving at 55 mph in my 2006 Subaru Outback. When I braked for slowing traffic, the check engine light came on and the cruise control light started to blink. The accelerator pedal became unresponsive and it appeared that the car's engine went into idle mode. I was losing speed and pulled to the shoulder of the road. I shut off my engine and a few minutes later I was able to restart the car. The accelerator pedal seemed to function normally, although the two warning lights were still illuminated. The next day I started the car a couple of times, the accelerator pedal functioned normally and both warning lights were no longer lit. My code reader found an error code of p2138, (unrecognized code), the car operated normally until 12/18/2012. This indentical problem recurred and I again read the error code as p2138. This is a potential safety issue. Although both times the accelerator pedal became unresponsive, I was on a road with very few cars and had no difficulty getting safely to the side of the road. The situation could have been more dangerous if I was at freeway speed with traffic around me.

Incident happened at a red light in traffic at rush hour. After pulling up to a red light to a full stop, the light turned green and the throttle stuck open at exactly 2500rpm. The car accelerated from a dead stop and continued to do so with no input from me. The gas pedal does nothing at all. I had to apply brakes and move off the road to avoid traffic. Check engine light is solid and the cruise control light flashes.

The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle suddenly decelerated. The contact also stated that the check engine lamp and cruise control warning lamp illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, who diagnosed that a sensor on the accelerator pedal needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 58,000.