2006 Subaru Outback problems
Owners have filed 404 complaints about the 2006 Subaru Outback with NHTSA. Vehicle speed control accounts for 24.5% of them — the clear leader, ahead of engine at 10.6%.
Complaints404
Crashes12
Fires4
Injuries4
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Vehicle speed control 24.5% · 99
Engine 10.6% · 43
Electrical system 10.4% · 42
Air bags 9.7% · 39
Suspension 9.2% · 37
Fuel/propulsion system 7.2% · 29
Power train 4.5% · 18
Service brakes 4.0% · 16
Severity
Of those complaints, 12 describe a crash, 4 describe a fire and 4 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 28 model years of the Subaru Outback in this data, 2006 sits 12th by complaint volume. 2019 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 4 in the last three years against 40 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 95,316 miles.
In owners' own words
Upon pushing the accelerator to enter traffic, there was no response from the throttle. The engine remained running and the car idled into the street and driver was able to avoid an accident and coast to a stop. Vehicle was towed to dealership where the dealer service department diagnosed the cause as failure of the accelerator position sensor component of the throttle by wire system. Vehicle speed control · reported at 102,000 miles
Accelerator randomly stops working. Once you stop the vehicle and wait about 10-15 seconds then restart I seems to work fine. Also check engine and cruise lights flash when this occurs. So far this has only happened right after starting the vehicle while leaving a driveway or parking lot so at slow speeds. If this happens on a 6 lane freeway system, it could be very dangerous!!!!!!! Vehicle speed control · reported at 3 miles
I was driving on the highway traveling about 70 miles per hour in the mountains of colorado when my car's accelerator stopped working. I was on a sharp downhill curve when I was no longer able to accelerate my car to keep up with traffic. This was extremely dangerous as I was almost hit by the cars behind me. There was no warning prior to the incident. Vehicle speed control · reported at 107,866 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…