Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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 vehicle becomes uncontrollable on light ice. The rear end will "ghost walk" (seems to steer on its own). I have driven in snow my entire life and have never experienced this issue in any other vehicle. I am also an ASE certified master technician. It only happens if I have passengers in the rear seat or groceries in the cargo area. The car is not even close to its cargo limit. The tires have been replaced and an alignment performed and the issue remains. I found that this is a commonly reported problem in the forums. The car is absolutely unsafe in this condition. I was being passed by every other car on the road. The rear end will float back and forth over 35 mph regardless of any driver input (acceleration, deceleration, steering input etc).
Purchased this car used last jan. No incidents yet, but can not drive (with passengers in the back or weight in the cargo area) over 35 MPH in certain road conditions, mainly when there is ice and dry pavement together. Has dangerous rear steer problem in those conditions. I have driven every type of vehicle from semi's to older Subaru outbacks and was born and raised in michigan. This car is very dangerous to drive with my family or other passengers in the car! Have tried tires, stiffer springs and struts and alignment. The car is 90% better when I am the only one in the car. Note** I am not an aggressive driver and not expecting too much because it's AWD.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, a toxic odor emitted from outside the vehicle. The contact discovered that front passenger's side had caught on fire. The contact extinguished the fire and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the axle boot had failed. The vehicle had been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.
Subaru Outback began to exhibit "ghost walking" while driving straight during a winter storm. Rear end attempted to race the front end, and could not regain control. This "ghost walking" is well discussed in the online form at subaruoutback.org. Car eventually made it to the edge of the road where it then proceeded to roll 3 times. The experience was not the normally sliding on ice. The rear end seemed to have a mind of its own.
I am in my third season driving my 2006 Subaru Outback to lake tahoe for winter ski season. I've always felt confident driving on snowy or icy roads until my last two trips--christmas 2008, and new year's 2009. On these trips, I experienced very disturbing fishtailing that everyone in the car noticed, and I had to fight to compensate for. This occurred even on long straight sections. Each time I had to slow down well below the flow of traffic, and the speed of previous trips. This issue made me wonder about improper tire inflation pressure, so we called the tire dealer, who confirmed this was not the cause. It felt as if the rear wheel traction was overcoming front wheel traction, that made me also wonder whether the all-wheel drive was functioning properly. …
I have a 2006 Subaru Outback 2.5i. Occasionally, while driving on snowpacked/icy roads the rear end begins to sway abruptly back and forth, even on straight sections of road. It causes the car to become almost uncontrollable as it wants to start fishtailing. The only way to stop it is to slow well below a safe speed and the speed of traffic, creating another potentially dangerous situation. It appears to happen more frequently when the car is loaded with 3 to 5 passengers plus ski gear. I do a lot of driving in winter conditions in the mountains of co and have never experienced anything like this. I just had my car in to the local Subaru dealership (for the 2nd time) and they could not recreate the problem or find anything wrong with the vehicle. The technician did acknowledge that other customers had the same complaint and they couldn't find anything wrong with their vehicles either. …
When driving on poor traction roads (ice or compacted snow), the rear of the car is very unstable and shifts left to right by as much as 2-3 feet - while going in a straight line, straight road - maintaining a constant speed (no acceleration or braking). This happened several times, over a 3400 mile road trip this winter - sometimes lasting for hours, making for very difficult and unsafe driving, almost going out of control on several occasions - even at very slow speeds (20-30 MPH)! There were two people in the car, but a lot of luggage - probably exceeding 400 lbs of weight in the rear, but nothing excessive, and well within the specified limits for this car. I had my alignment adjusted 3 months ago to factory specs. …
I took my 2006 Subaru Outback 2.5 in for routine service and tire rotation. Was told that my left outer cv boot was torn. Took the car to the dealership who verified the problem and was given a price to repair, which I could not afford. Since the car only had approx. 55,000 miles, and my extended warranty had just lapsed, I contacted Subaru and was told they would reimburse me for half of the cost of the repairs if they were made at a Subaru authorized mechanic, I.e. Dealership. The cost my mechanic of choice quoted was less than half of the dealership fee, so I declined the offer from Subaru. July 2012, 60,000 miles, took car in for routine servicing again and was told the right inner cv boot is torn and the left rear strut is leaking. I cannot afford these repairs and have done research to find out that cv boot tears are quite common in Subaru's. …
While driving vehicle in snow covered, slush covered roads conditions varied during day. The vehicle kept feeling like it was washing out side to side. I had 5 passengers in vehicle and they all could feel it and it scared them and I had to slow down to a dangerously slow speed on interstate, that was causing disruption to traffic flow. On way home took secondary roads so as to not disrupt traffic. This was my first experience in taking this vehicle for drive in snow conditions since it is new to me. We purposely took Subaru for legendary handling in snow, it downright shook me up and wished we had our front wheel drive Pontiac vibe. I inspected vehicle, made some changes to front suspension, ball joints, sway bar links, control arm bushings, only two control arm bushings were notably bad all other parts changed because I was there. Both tie rods were good. …
Straight line driving on flat concrete highway, rear end of vehicle May start to wander when road is slippery. This occurs generally over 25mph, when all other vehicles are able to travel at a higher rate of speed than the 2006 Subaru Outback 3.0r is able to. Cars will pass while I am white knuckled, concerned the rear end is going to break loose and cause complete control failure. I have found other instances of this issue from other Subaru drivers, and this is being referred to as "ghost walking" - this is a very good description as this is what it feels like. Essentially, the all wheel drive system feels like it is sending too much power to the rear end, under even/constant speed, and causing the rear to break loose. Or, there is a alignment geometry problem. Very unsettling and very unexpected for a highly regarded all wheel drive system. …
Suspension complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2006 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the suspension of the 2006 Subaru Outback, 13% of the model year's 277 complaints. The component named most often is rear (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Subaru Outback suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension 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 suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to suspension 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.