2006 Subaru Outback Electrical System Problems
- 34
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 34 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- check engine · 24 records
- engine light · 20 records
- cruise control · 18 records
- control light · 9 records
- accelerator pedal · 7 records
- light came · 6 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 15 |
| 100–150k mi | 14 |
| 30–60k mi | 3 |
| 150–400k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System
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…
ODI 11300105
Electrical System · Power Train
I was driving my 2006 subaru outback at around 40 mph, going straight on a busy road. Without warning, the accelerator stopped functioning and the vehicle slowed down abruptly. It apparently entered a "safe" mode, with a maximum speed of about 10 mph regardless of how much pressure i applied to the accelerator. The "check engine" warning light was illuminated, and the cruise control light began flashing. I pulled…
ODI 11152338
Electrical System · Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
On street, from park with engine idling, car in drive, accelerator pedal dead at first, then high rpm 3000+ with pedal released. No control of engine rpm. Cel and cc illuminated on instrument panel. Put transmission in neutral. Killed ignition switch. Engine shut down. Restarted engine and rpm was normal. Very frightening! Found dtc p2138 acc pedal sensor failure. Called subaru support, no such record of failure.…
ODI 11045117
Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System
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…
ODI 10959658
Electrical System · Vehicle Speed Control
Tl* 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…
ODI 10937255
Air Bags · Electrical System
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…
ODI 11032627
Electrical System · Engine
Tl* 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.
ODI 10885575
Electrical System · Fuel/Propulsion System
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…
ODI 10823828
Electrical System · Vehicle Speed Control
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.…
ODI 11058469
Air Bags · Electrical System
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…
ODI 10986154
Electrical System
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.
ODI 10873223
Electrical System · Vehicle Speed Control
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.
ODI 10734716
Electrical System · Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
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…
ODI 10724171
Electrical System · Vehicle Speed Control
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…
ODI 10690232
Electrical System
My fiancee was driving my 2006 subaru outback on the highway approximately 65 mph when there was a sudden loss of power. The throttle was unresponsive, but the engine remained idling. My partner pulled over to the side of the highway and tried restarting right away but the engine wouldn't start. After waiting a few minutes he was able to restart and drive normally. The cel was on with the cruise control blinking.…
ODI 10682756
Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System
Sudden deceleration of vehicle. Check engine light comes on and the car goes limp. Vehicle is restartable after 5 minutes, however the throttle does not work properly afterward and the vehicle will not accelerate normally, thus it drives much slower, and will not go above 60 mph. Problem comes and goes. *tr
ODI 10676662
Electrical System · Fuel System, Gasoline · Vehicle Speed Control
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 abruptly 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…
ODI 10670275
Electrical System · Vehicle Speed Control
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…
ODI 10654942
Electrical System · Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
While driving down i-25 the car lost all power and had no acceleration. 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 accelerator 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…
ODI 10648362
Electrical System · Vehicle Speed Control
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…
ODI 10649680
Electrical System · Vehicle Speed Control
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 occurred three times with no warning on the same vehicle, and at various speeds and situations. The latest one occurred on a highway at approximately 60mph where collisions due to disabled throttle were…
ODI 10607749
Electrical System · Fuel/Propulsion System · Power Train
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…
ODI 10618186
Electrical System · Vehicle Speed Control
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…
ODI 10564625
Electrical System · Fuel System, Gasoline · Vehicle Speed Control
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…
ODI 10549940
Electrical System · Fuel System, Gasoline · Vehicle Speed Control
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…
ODI 10549601