2006 Subaru Outback Engine Problems
- 42
- 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 42 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- check engine · 27 records
- engine light · 17 records
- cruise control · 13 records
- accelerator pedal · 8 records
- light came · 6 records
- position sensor · 6 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 16 |
| 60–100k mi | 13 |
| 150–400k mi | 5 |
| 30–60k mi | 4 |
| 1–30k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine · Unknown Or Other
About 4 weeks ago, on late saturday morning, driving down the interstate, from richmond, va my car caught on fire in hampton. The car jolted a little and would not accelerate. Pulled to the side of the road, smoke became visible, but the temperature gauge was not running high. A witness ran toward the car yelling to get out of the car because it was on fire. Even though 2 fire trucks were on the scene, it took a…
Fire reported
ODI 11308055
Engine · Service Brakes · Suspension
My vehicle only has 40,000 miles on it. It is not shifting properly from 2ns-3rd gear while driving, it jerks pretty hard if cold, i have had numerous brake problems, takes a long time to stop at slow speeds, & i'm having numerous issues with suspension. Balljoints keep clicking while reversing, (control arms,balljoints, bushings, bearings, have all been replaced, etc.) this car has been babied and has almost no…
ODI 11184294
Engine
Lost all acceleration while driving on interstate in downtown nashville, tn. Check engine light came on at the same time. Car was on and in drive, but gas pedal was unresponsive. Was able to idle to shoulder. When gear was shifted to neutral or park, car would rev up to 2k rpm. While waiting for tow truck, car resumed normal function and check engine light went off. This has happend twice so far, but auto shop…
ODI 11171096
Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System · Vehicle Speed Control
The cruise and check engine lights flash. Car looses power and stalls while driving.
ODI 11123453
Engine
I have had two incidents with loss of speed control within the past week on a subaru i just bought. The first i was accelerating from a stoplight when i lost response from the gas pedal and the engine went to a low rpm which allowed me to just barely roll into a nearby parking lot. When throttle control was lost the check engine light came on. After turning the car off and letting it sit a moment i tried to turn it…
ODI 11081414
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
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. The contact stated that while driving at 5 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, the cruise control flashed and the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over to the parking lot. The contact restarted the vehicle after few minutes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the throttle assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle…
ODI 10980469
Engine
Ringland issue once again another ringland issue this is with my 2006 subaru outback xt. Yes, this car is out of warranty but has been driven gently by a grandmother and serviced with the precision of a formula race car. Why has subaru not just come out and said yes our vehicles from 2005-2006 were garbage and the ringlands were junk. I can't believe i am even thinking about replacing a stock ringland on a…
ODI 10969593
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
Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
Just received "takata recall" letter stating there are now sufficient parts available. At the same time my check engine light came on and cruise light started flashing. I made an appointment for the recall work and to have the car checked out. I googled this and found that a code p2138 is found with this occurrence and it seems to be happening with many of these vehicles. My wife called me on her way home from work…
ODI 10933812
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. While driving 70 mph, the engine warning indicator illuminated. Shortly after, the engine slowly idled and eventually stalled. The contact stated that the failure was unpredictable. The contact was afraid to drive the vehicle. Once the vehicle stalled, it took over thirty minutes to restart properly. The dealer was notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired;…
ODI 10915248
Engine
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 -- my car has 127,000 miles on it.
ODI 10861791
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
Accelerator Pedal · Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. While driving various speeds, the check engine indicator illuminated and the cruise control warning indicator began to flash. As a result, the contact mentioned that the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the accelerator pedal failed and needed to be replaced. In addition, the accelerator position sensor and the…
ODI 10928560
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
While driving at speed - city street 45mph -- lost ability to throttle. No throttle, engine, or acceleration response when pressing gas pedal. Check engine and cruise lights blinking. After pulling over, turned off engine. Upon restarting after a minute, throttle capability returned. This has happened twice, unexpectedly.
ODI 10808750
Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. While driving at 70 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle lost power, the cruise control deactivated, and 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…
ODI 10789325
Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System · Power Train
I recently had p2138.. One time. No throttle response, stopped on a hill on a [redacted], on a curve, in big sur.. Not good. Rolled backwards down hill after the ones behind had all passed me. Turned off car, waited for 10 minutes, then it fixed itself after a restart. Jiggled the pedal connector and it has been gone for the last 2 weeks while waiting for my mechanic to have room in his schedule to replace my…
ODI 10781463
Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
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.
ODI 10744426
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 · 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
Engine · Service Brakes · Steering
While driving the vehicle stopped accelerating and shut down . Was told that the pedal assembly and sensors stopped working. This malfunction can kill people. Other have has low mileage on the vehicle and have the car shut down while driving. *tr
ODI 10676874
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the engine rpms increased. In addition, the check engine and the cruise control warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle pedal position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure…
ODI 10668731
Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
Slowing at intersection to make a right turn when check-engine-light came on. Cruise control light started flashing (vehicle was not in cruise control at the time) accelerator pedal became unresponsive (could get no acceleration out of the car when pressing the pedal) and was barely able to get through intersection to turn. After a minute or so was able to get enough power to run at about 10mph tops with hazards on…
ODI 10659682
Engine
Driving along - check engine light comes on and cruise control light flashes. I immediately lose acceleration - need to pull over (thank god i was not on a major highway when this accurs). Have to turn car off - wait a few minutes and then restart. Lights still stay on but acceleration is normal. I have seen many different reason codes for this problem - i am now taking to my personal mechanic to have him go over it…
ODI 10668940
Engine · Service Brakes
Found coolant black and possible overheating from head gasket failure in result radiator was exposed to high heat and cracked. Combustion pressure had entered cooling system and caused over pressure of cooling system. Recommend leak down and compression check of engine to determine if internal damage has occurred. Customer has two options, replacement of head gaskets if no other findings internal are found or…
ODI 10652149