Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 01/17/2013 | 76766 | 1 | |
| There have been two incidents so far. one was traveling on the freeway at 65mph when the throttle completely stopped responding. the other incident occurred at much lower speeds when turning a corner and the throttle no longer responded. in both cases the car would not accelerate or maintain speed. pressing on the accelerator did not have any effect at all. in both cases the car would coast along at whatever speed the engine idling would move it - roughly 15 mph. *tr | |||
| 11/26/2012 | 62000 | 1 | |
| 2006 subaru outback. consumer writes in regards to vehicle sudden acceleration. *smd the consumer stated on the morning of november 26, 2012, whole pulling out of a parking space in a public garage, the vehicle became uncontrollable and smashed into a concrete garage post and then the garage wall. there was significant damage to the car and to areas in the garage. the consumer stated as she started to leave the parking space, the vehicle accelerated backwards and hit a post. not knowing what caused the problem, she put the vehicle in drive in order to move away from the post. the vehicle instantly accelerated, and her efforts to control it through applying the brake and steering were unsuccessful. the consumer sold the vehicle to the body repair shop for $500 after no longer feeling comfortable driving the vehicle. *jb | |||
| 01/20/2013 | 95000 | 1 | |
| I was driving at 60 mph when the accelerator pedal stopped responding. i couldn't accelerate or maintain speed. had to coast to the shoulder thru traffic. the check engine light was now on and the cruise control light was flashing. the idle was at 2,000 rpms and the accelerator pedal was still not responding. i turned off the engine for about 2 minutes. when i turned it back on, the accelerator was working but the check engine light was still on and the cruise control light was flashing. read obd code p2138, reset code and check engine light went out. this is a very dangerous condition and should be recalled by subaru. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2013 | 95000 | ||
| I was driving at 6o mph when the accelerator pedal stopped responding. i couldn't accelerate or maintain speed. had to coast to the shoulder thru traffic. the check engine light was now on and the cruise control light was flashing. the idle was at 2,000 rpms and the accelerator pedal was still not responding. i turned off the engine for about 2 minutes. when i turned it back on, the accelerator was working but the check engine light was still on and the cruise control light was flashing. read obd code p2138, reset code and check engine light went out. this is a very dangerous condition and should be recalled by subaru. | |||
| 11/29/2011 | 101200 | ||
| I was driving at 55 mph in my 2006 subaru outback. when i braked for slowing traffic, 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 pulled to the shoulder of the road. i shut off my engine and a few minutes later i was able to restart the car. 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. my code reader found an error code of p2138, (unrecognized code), the car operated normally until 12/18/2012. this indentical problem recurred and i again read the error code as p2138. 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 at freeway speed with traffic around me. | |||
| 11/12/2012 | 96000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 11/12/2012 | 96000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 10/26/2012 | 63755 | 1 | |
| My wife was driving the vehicle when the check engine light came on. the cruise light started flashing. the gas pedal was non functioning. she was able to cost to a safe place. when i arrived the car was running. the gas pedal was unresponsive. i shut the car off and took her to work. an hour later i returned to the car and tried to start it. it took several seconds to start, but did. the gas pedal worked. the check engine light was on steady and the cruise control was flashing. i was able to get the car home. today 10/20/12 the car has no symptoms. this could have been very scary as my wife was driving on the busiest street in montana during the morning commute. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2011 | 45052 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. the contact was traveling 55 mph when the vehicle decelerated despite the accelerator pedal being depressed. the contact mentioned that the check engine and cruise control warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer twice. also, the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who confirmed that the accelerator pedal and sensor needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 45,052 and the current mileage was 45,078. pmb | |||
| 08/10/2011 | 45052 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. the contact was traveling 55 mph when the vehicle deacclerated despite the accelerator pedal being depress. the check engine and cruise control light illuminated during the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer two times. the vehicle was also taken to a private mechanic. the mechanic confirmed the accelerator pedal and sensor needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 45,052 and the current mileage was 45,078. rds | |||
| 04/08/2012 | 44378 | ||
| First incident 4/8/12 - after down shifting and beginning to coast downhill at about 25 mph, the engine began revving as if the accelerator was being pressed and depressed slowly, the car did not respond to the accelerator, the check engine light turned on, and the cruise control light began to blink slowly. the car continued to move very slowly so were able to pull over. turned the engine off for a few seconds and after restarting, the car was responsive but both lights were still on. the dealer diagnosed a lose gas cap. second incident 4/18/12 - driving in heavy traffic on a highway at about 20 mph, same problem. turned the engine off while still in traffic and restarted immediately but the problem persisted. tried to do so several times while in traffic but the problem continued. was able to get over to the shoulder, turned the engine off, for about 30 seconds. after restarting, the car was responsive again but both lights were still on. the dealer suggested a faulty throttle sensor but could not confirm until the car was checked. the problem code was given as p2138. the car has a manual transmission. | |||
| 06/02/2009 | 30000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle suddenly decelerated. the contact also stated that the check engine lamp and cruise control warning lamp illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, who diagnosed that a sensor on the accelerator pedal needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 58,000. | |||
| 06/02/2009 | 30000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle suddenly decelerated. the contact also stated that the check engine lamp and cruise control warning lamp illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, who diagnosed that a sensor on the accelerator pedal needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 58,000. sm. | |||
| 06/02/2009 | 30000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph the vehicle decelerated. the contact mentioned that the check engine lamp and cruise control warning lamp illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a local who diagnosed that a sensor on the accelerator pedal needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 58,000. pm | |||
| 11/13/2011 | 63700 | ||
| 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 reoccurred 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. | |||
| 10/21/2011 | 81000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 12/18/2010 | 24157 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2006 subaru outback. while driving 55 mph the accelerator pedal stops functioning, when pressing the pedal it has no effect on the engine speed and there was no ability to acclerate. the check engine light illuminates as the engine was turned off for a minute and the problem goes away but the light stays on for a day or more and turned off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer previously in which a diagnostic test was completed and the code read an acclerator code problem in which they replaced the accelerator pedal under warranty. however the problem occurred again and the dealer read the same code but since the pedal was not the problem they did not replaced it again. they stated they could not find the failure due to everything was working fine. the failure continues to occur. the manufacturer was contacted and informed him to take the vehicle back to the dealer and offered no other assistance. the failure mileage was 24,157 and the current mileage was 42,800.-mw | |||
| 01/23/2006 | 1 | 2 | 01/02/2006 |
| 2006 subaru outback. hi, problem (1) head rest is so big that between the seat belt strap and the head rest there is no view to see vehicles about to pass in the left hand lane. can result in side swiping when changing lanes. all the safety features in the world won't help if the end result of the feature is to cause injury or fatality. safety problem (2) the speedometer. in order to make the instrument panel look cute you have destroy the ability to see what speed the vehicle is moving. no need to go to 140 mph to start with. the jumps between markings make it just about impossible to quickly determine the speeds 50, 60, and 70 mph and forget trying for 55,65,75. what do you intend to do about these two very serious safety problems on my 2006 subaru outback?????? i am dead serious about this and will search all possibilities for a remedy.*ak | |||