Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Subaru Outback owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The engine will randomly loose power. This has happened three times now. You must coast to a stop, turn the key off and try to restart the car. Sometime it will take several tries to restart. I see this as a real safety concern in heavy traffic. Especially so if heavy traffic makes it impossible to reach the side of the road safely. The service code points to the throttle peddle position sensor. Reading some of the internet forums it seems to be a fairly common issue. Of course internet forums must be considered carefully. However with the above said I see this issue as a real safety concern. Not only for my safety but those around me if this happens in heavy traffic. Thank you
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 little while to extinguish the fire and everything under the hood was burnt to a crisp. Unfortunately, it was not recoverable. Are you aware of what May have possibly caused this to happen?
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 on again, but it wouldn't start. I tried a second time and it started, but the check engine light remained on. The next time I started the car the check engine light had gone off. The second time was nearly identical but driving up a steep hill on a highway around 65 MPH. Again throttle control was lost and engine went to low RPM so I could barely progress up the hill at 20-30mph to find a place to pull off, check engine light went on immediately. …
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 year and twice this year; the last time being 2/17/17. I was lucky. The first time it happened I was on a country road. The second time was more difficult as I was on a busy city street in winter, and the last time I had a green light and had just gone through an intersection in a suburb and was able to pull off the road. I did bring it to my mechanic who ran the code, which was p2138, the throttle position sensor. I will be getting this repaired. …
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 and said the car would not accelerate. She pulled off of the highway into a parking lot. I drove to her location. She started the car and gas pedal seemed to be operating as it should. I followed her home and was thankful there were no problems getting back. I will determine whether to drive vehicle or have it towed to dealer for scheduled appt. …
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 vechicle...no other car....none has had as many issues with ringlands as Subaru. Car is now experiencing misfires, and some loss of oil as loss of power...compression in cylinders is now down to 30% so this is not a catastrophic failure...this is a defect a manufactures defect or a metallurgical defect and they really need to take care of this and make it right for older customers...we are all just sitting on ticking bombs. Love ya guys and stay classy
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. Called dealer from which car was purchased, answer was bring car in and will try to repair. This is a serious failure and danger. Please see this failure on google. Many people are reporting the same issue. I am apprehensive to put this car on the road especially with other people in it. An investigation should be pursued in these drive by wire vehicles as this car is. Please take this seriously.. Thank you
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; however, the contact managed to get a computer code from a local auto parts store while the engine warning indicator was illuminated. The failure code was (p2138). The failure mileage was 110,000.
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 sensor) came up. After much research I found it usually is related to gas pedal assy. It has not yet happened since clearing the code and making sure the plug on the pedal was tight.
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 epm were also replaced. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000.
Engine complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2006 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 50 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2006 Subaru Outback, 18% of the model year's 277 complaints. The component named most often is engine › gasoline › turbo/supercharger (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Subaru Outback engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2006 Subaru Outback, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Subaru Outback engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.