1.6

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
102,971 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Subaru Outback engine problems

engine problem

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2006 Subaru Outback Owner Comments

problem #5

Jan 122018

Outback

  • 160,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. While driving at 35 mph, the contact attempted to depress the accelerator pedal however, the pedal remained in the upright position. The vehicle shifted into limp mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over, turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Neither a dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.

- Hauser, ID, USA

problem #4

Jun 122020

Outback

  • 190,000 miles
Gas pedal quits working leaving my daughter stranded, must be in the drive by wire electrical system, looking at forums, this is a common issue.

- Clinton, UT, USA

problem #3

Jan 142016

Outback

  • 77,000 miles
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 epm were also replaced. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000.

- Brandy, MD, USA

problem #2

Nov 132011

Outback 4-cyl

  • 63,700 miles
I was driving at night at 55 mph in my 2006 Subaru Outback. 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 decided to move my car to the shoulder of the road. I shut off my engine and waited a minute or two and tried to restart the car without success. A few minutes later I was able to restart the car and 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. The car operated normally for about one week. This indentical problem recurred again one week after the first incident. I drove my 2006 Outback to my independent Subaru mechanic who read the error code as P2138. He has seen several of his client's cars with this problem recently and recommended that I take my car to a Subaru dealer for inspection and repair. A few days later I had my Outback serviced at my local Subaru dealer. They diagnosed the problem as a faulty accelerator pedal sensor (integral to the pedal assembly) and confirmed the P2138 error code. The pedal sensor was replaced and (two days later) the car appears to be functioning normally again. The repair bill was about $320 for the parts and labor. I do believe 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 trying to change lanes at high speed with lots of traffic around me.

- Boulder, CO, USA

problem #1

Dec 182010

Outback

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,157 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. The contact was driving 55 mph and attempting to accelerate but the vehicle would not respond. The check engine light illuminated as the engine was turned off momentarily and the failure would reset itself until recurring with the illumination of the check engine light. The vehicle was previously taken to the dealer in which a diagnostic test was performed and it was determined that the accelerator had failed. The accelerator pedal was replaced yet the failure recurred. A second diagnostic was performed which also indicated a failure within the accelerator pedal. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer and offered no further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired further. Updated 02/23/11 updated 04/28/11

- Beverly, MA, USA

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