general problems of the 2006 Subaru Outback

Same symptom happened twice: once just after starting from a service area on the interstate, the second on suburban roads I describe here. During a normal 30 mile suburban trip, after about 20 miles the vehicle suddenly lost power and the check engine light came on. The engine continued running but the accelerator pedal seemed to have no control over the engine speed or power. After coasting to a stop and turning the engine off for a minute the car started and ran normally, though the check engine light stayed on for a day or so. When we took the vehicle to the dealer after the first incident they were not able to interpret the check engine codes; after the second incident they found a p2138 code -- "accelerator position sensor" failure. They replaced the accelerator assembly and the vehicle seems to be running correctly again. As I understand it the issue is a failure in the accelerator position sensor: there are dual sensors in the assembly and if their readings differ the accelerator pedal is effectively "disconnected" and the driver loses all power. I believe this is a serious safety issue: the failure could just as well have taken place at high speed on the interstate without the possibility of a safe stop, and having the first indication of trouble being "losing all power" is not acceptable.

Happened twice in one week. All of sudden, accelerator not responsive and lost of power. Check engine light comes on and cruise flashing. After turning on and off or stay off for a night, lights went out themselves. Error code p2138 accelerator position sensor. Check sensor no obvious loose on connector. Press connect on and no issue so far. It seems the connector too close to the floor and easy to kicked or touched by foot. \ car was bought in buffalo west herr Subaru and used in toronto.

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.

The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback wagon. The contact smelled a strong gasoline odor inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle. An independent mechanic was unable to determine the exact source of the odor. When utilizing the heater or defrost system, the odor became overpowering. While traveling on the highway at various speeds, the odor was not as strong, yet still present. No repairs have been made. The failure mileage was 80,903 and current mileage was 90,198.

The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. After starting the vehicle in colder weather, he smells a strong odor of gasoline. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. No repairs were made. The failure mileage was 20,000. The current mileage was 30,000. Updated 02/17/10. Updated 02/18/10.