general problems of the 2006 Subaru Outback

Rear hatch door malfunction of security lock.

The accelerator pedal position sensor is faulty. It is prone to wear in these vehicles based on my research. This caused my car to go into limp-mode on the highway, rapidly cutting my speed in half. The accelerator provides no response until vehicle was restarted. The ecu put out the code p2138 for loss of voltage in throttle system.

Obd code p2138 (throttle/ pedal position sensor/ switch d / e voltage correlation). This code pops up intermittently resulting in the car going into "limp mode". Truly dangerous, if this occurs when traveling at speed in traffic or when pulling away from a stop light. It is hard to pin down; but, it generally happens with high humidity or when you start the car after a cool night when there has been a lot of condensation that has formed on the car. A check of Subaru forums shows that this is a prevalent and / or recurring problem with many Subaru models. (I have also found mention of similar problems with other manufactures. ) dealers and mechanics have confirmed this problem with other Subaru makes. There is no advance warning of this malfunction until after it occurs. Once it occurs the car goes into "limp mode", the check engine light flashes and the cruise control light flashes.

2006 Subaru Outback head gaskets went bad at about 35,000 miles. Had to replace those called Subaru and they help me get those replaced. Thought all was well soon after, the electrical system including the air conditioner and the heater . Then I was told that the airbags were defaulted and to bring it into replace them which I did. The final straw is that they called me again two weeks ago to bring the rigging to replace that same airbag again. I asked them why they gave me a car that wasn't safe. The wheel bearings also wore out very early around 50 miles. This car has been so expensive. And now they informed me that there was a second recall on the airbag. So I bring it in for the second time realizing that now in 2021 this car has not been safe the whole time I've been driving it with my family my daughter learned how to drive in this car and so did my son. As they were repairing the faulty airbag they cracked the dashboard and then informed me that it would be $300 to fix it because it had a tiny crack in it. Please note that they were the ones that took the dashboard off in the first place. Super rude! I called Subaru of America and they decided to reimburse me for the dashboard. They were talking about gluing it back together last I heard I'm very much hoping this is not the case my daughter ensures me that it isn't but we'll see. Also he informed me that my head gaskets were leaking again. The mechanic said that this is common once you've had your gaskets replaced. This makes no sense to me. My car has about 160,000 miles on it and it seems like it's already played out and not safe. What a joke. I'll never buy a Subaru again. This has been the worst car and apparently the most unsafe car I've ever owned. Note:this car was consistently unsafe while driving for the last 15 years. I bought it because it had a five star rating for safety what a joke!.

No heat, air and of all defrost for the front window stops working while driving, also everything is controlled thru the radio whick could have bad cold solder joints . Very dangerous when shuts down while driving on the highway ## #vpic# 1 - check digit (9th position) does not calculate properly #vpic#.

Vehicle developed issue error code p2138, throttle sensor on gas pedal desynchronizes causing vehicle to go into emergency safety mode where power is lost, goes into a high idle, and vehicle must be parked and restarted multiple times before powertrain reactivates. Caused by faulty design of potentiometer on throttle pedal that wears a bare spot. Replacement of throttle (gas pedal) required to resolve issue, which will eventually start occurring again due to poor design. Has occurred when pedal isn't being used (cruise control only), as well as during normal driving at all different speeds.

Unexpectedly, while driving, the check engine light will come on, the car will idle high, the accelerator pedal will not respond, and the cruise control light will also come on. The car won't move even while pressing down on the accelerator pedal. I have to pull off the road, turn the car off, and wait until the car starts, the idle returns to normal, and the accelerator pedal responds. This has happened once last year and twice this year; the last time being 2/17/17. I was lucky. The first time it happened I was on a country road. The second time was more difficult as I was on a busy city street in winter, and the last time I had a green light and had just gone through an intersection in a suburb and was able to pull off the road. I did bring it to my mechanic who ran the code, which was p2138, the throttle position sensor. I will be getting this repaired. I am very concerned about the severity of this safety issue where the car just stops responding while driving.

The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,341.

Car intermittently loses all power as you are driving and rpm gauge goes up as cruise control and check engine light go on. A very dangerous situation that Subaru customers have complained about, but Subaru ignores need for recalls. Money spent on troubleshooting is ridiculous! car works fine after pulling over and restarting after a couple of minutes, only to happen suddenly weeks later. Gas pedal accelerator assembly and or throttlebody issues. Also Subaru cars from 2006 and older all have head gasket leaks. They never recalled cars for that problem. That costs $1600. They used a different gasket material after 2007.

The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. While driving 50 mph, the vehicle stalled and the cruise control and check engine lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. The VIN was not available.

My vehicle lost all ability to accelerate while driving on the freeway. I had to coast into the emergency lane, which was a wall of snow in colorado at this time of year. Blocking traffic in the slow lane, I waited for a tow to my Subaru dealer. They told me that my pedal accelerator assembly had failed. After repairs, I experienced the same problem 2 weeks later. This time they are stating that my electronic throttle body has failed. I have researched carcomplaints. Com and see that I am one of over 50 consumers that have experienced this problem.

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.

Hi, I'm writing you to to inform you of a safety issue with the 05-09 Subaru Outback airbag system. The passenger airbag notification board, located in the dome light assembly is assembled with poor quality solders between the board and diodes, this results in failure of the board, this is often seen in lower temperatures when the solders crack due to thermal contraction. When one of these solders fails, it causes 2 issues, 1, the indicator lights don't come on correctly, and 2, the entire airbag system is disabled. This is an issue known to the Subaru owners community. My dealer wants about $260 to fix it. Thanks.

Broken wires in hatchback portion that affects license plate lights, radio antenna and potentially all taillights. Was this way when car was purchased and owner was not notified at time of purchase.

Sudden loss of acceleration while driving; connection between gas pedal and engine control is faulty. Forces driver to coast to a stop and turn off car. No ability to use gas to get out of the way faster.

Was driving at approx 55 mph when all of a sudden check engine light came on, cruise light was flashing, and sport light was flashing, car slowed down to 10 mph and could not go any faster. It was revved up to redline and there was no response with the gas pedal. I was only 2 miles from my destination, so I limped it there and shut it off. I had it scanned with a code scanner and code "p2138" (throttle position sensor) came up. After much research I found it usually is related to gas pedal assy. It has not yet happened since clearing the code and making sure the plug on the pedal was tight.

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.

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 driving on the highway, the check engine light came on and I immediately had no throttle response. Thankfully it was 10:30pm and there was a lower volume of traffic. I coasted off to the shoulder. Turned the vehicle off, restarted, and still no throttle response. Turned off again for about 15 minutes. This time there was throttle response, but cel was still on. The following day, the cel light was off and vehicle running fine. Now, a week later, it happened again. It is a very dangerous situation to all of a sudden have no power while driving. Especially when there is traffic around. The fear is being run into from behind, or being stuck on the side of the road and become prey for the unsavory. This situation needs to be remedied before someone dies.

While driving down I-25 the car lost all power and had no accelleration. The car would only idle, I noticed a check engine light on. I had the car towed to a repair shop and when the code was read a p2138 that had to do with the accellerator the mechanic said it happens alot with this year Subaru. He told me by just shutting the car off and waiting a few minutes it would have driven normal,when he started it again it did drive normal. He sends them to a Subaru dealer and tells the people that if enough of us complain or fill in a report then something may be done. This is a very unsafe car if it loses all power driving down the highway!.

Drive-by-wire throttle receives signal error (p2138) and ecu cuts off throttle function. This presents a serious and dangerous condition as the driver is then entirely unable to modulate speed. This error has occured three times with no warning on the same vehicle, and at various speeds and situations. The latest one occured on a highway at approximately 60mph where collisions due to disabled throttle were narrowly avoided. This error and the vehicle's ecu response could kill someone.

The first incident with this car was me putting the transmission into park after stopping at a gas station and the rpms suddenly shot up to 2000. After filling the tank, I tried to start it but it wouldn't turn over. I let it sit for a moment and then tried again and it started with now the "check engine light" on and "cruise" flashing. The lights self-corrected later that day before I could have the code read. The next incident I was in a left hand turn lane with a green arrow. The check engine light and cruise came on and I suddenly lost the use of the gas pedal. It was completely limp. No matter how hard I pressed on it the car just moved along at idle speed, less than 5 mph. I barely made it through the intersection before I lost the green arrow. I pulled over, put it in park, the rpms went to 2000, then I turned it off. Tried starting it again and it wouldn't turn over. Tried it a second time and it fired right up and the gas pedal functioned properly. The check engine light and cruise were on again. I took it to an auto parts store to have the code read and it came up with p2138, an issue with the throttle position sensor. These incidents occurred twice more before I was able to get a proper diagnosis from a mechanic and they occurred anywhere from one to two weeks apart. This is a potentially very dangerous issue with these cars and should be addressed by a recall by Subaru.

While driving down the highway I lost the ability to accelerate forward, meaning my gas pedal stopped working and I began to coast. At the moment I lost the ability to accelerate, my check engine light appeared and my cruise control became disabled. Luckily, I was able to safely pull to the side of the road. After turning on and off the engine several times, I was then able to accelerate again. I then went to o'reilly's to have a diagnostics performed, which resulted in code p2138 (throttle pedal position sensor d-e voltage rationality). This problem continues to occur without warning.

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.

I was accelerating to get on the freeway entrance in my Subaru Outback (with my wife and two small children) when I notice a complete loss in throttle response. The car was just barely moving due to the engine idle. Check engine light came on. I drove at that pace to a parking lot to check my options. I had not noted, until now, that this car has no throttle cable and is completely drive-by-wire. I looked at the connection of wire harness to the pedal assembly and did not see any red flags - no corrosion, etc. It appeared to be in good shape. I shut the car off, waited about 30 sec, and restarted it. It then got us home. When I got home tonight, I ran my obd diagnostic tool and got a p2138 error code. This is listed as "throttle/pedal position sensor/switch "d"/"e" voltage correlation" trouble code description. I am going to check into my options tomorrow, but felt this was worth reporting since it appears there are others out there that have experienced this problem as well. There is definitely a safety concern with a failure of this nature as I was traveling at a good rate and in traffic. Luckily, everyone is ok - but my wife and I worry when this will happen again. Thanks.

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 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.

While driving on a limit access highway, the check engine light came on and the vehicle immediately went into "limp home" mode. This event nearly resulted in a high speed rear end collision.

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.