2004 Subaru Outback: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Jul 22, 2014 · Acceleration · 250,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 subaru outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH and the cruise control engaged, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The contact also began to hear an abnormal sound in the front of the vehicle and deactivated the cruise control. The vehicle persisted to accelerate independently and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the cruise control cable was disarranged causing the cruise control to fail. The vehicle was repaired however, the mechanic informed the contact that the vehicle was damaged due to a rod in the engine from the damage of the cruise control failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v128000(vehicle speed control). The approximate failure mileage was 250,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Mar 15, 2010 · Transmission · 90,000 miles · WV

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 suburu outback. The contact was driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated when the vehicle suddenly shifted from overdrive to first gear. The vehicle stalled. When the contact drove into the emergency lane, he noticed that the cv joint had broken. One week after having the vehicle repaired, the failure occurred again. The second time the failure occurred, it sheared 1 inch off of the drive shaft. Suburu confirmed that they are familiar with the failure. Several mechanics have stated that 350 pounds of pressure on the drive shaft was being held together by a single o-ring. The contact did not have the VIN when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 120,000. Updated 04/28/10 updated 05/13/10. *lj updated 02/17/12

Filed Apr 28, 2008 · Engine, Suspension · 94,000 miles · WV

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 subaru outback. While driving uphill at 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the RPM's increased to 6,000. The RPM's then decreased and the tires churped. The contact heard a bumping sound, which was the sound of the front axles failing. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was 94,000.

Filed Jan 8, 2008 · Acceleration · CA

The cruise control on my 2004 subaru outback will disconnect on its own at random after being set. It has done this since shortly after I bought it new, and I have reported this numerous times during the warranty period to subaru dealerships, who have attempted to replicate and/or repair it, all to no avail. It used to be that it would usually disconnect after I had driven for approx. 1 1/2 hour. Now, it disconnects in under 1/2 hour on drives. It will not reset and stay set, and will continually refuse to accept to "resume" or "set" after it initially disconnects. This has resulted in situations where speed has abruptly dropped, nearly causing accidents from following vehicles overrunning me. Looking around online, there are reports that this is a known problem for subaru's, but there has been no fix or recall made, and subaru has seemingly made no effort to fix this problem. Incident date is most recent date it has disconnected, and the number of failures is probably underestimated.

Filed Jun 8, 2005 · Acceleration · 12,361 miles · CA

Throttle intermittently stuck open when driving from 40-45 MPH, and vehicle surged when applying the accelerator pedal from the stop position. Both issues caused the vehicle to suddenly/unexpectedly accelerate and lurch forward. Consumer had a concern that this problem will lead to an accident. Vehicle had been to the dealer on five separate occasions. Twice the dealer could not duplicate the problem, and three times dealer was able to duplicate the problems, but unable to correct the problem. *ak as of may 13, 2005 vehicle has failed 6 times, 4 times the dealership was able to duplicate the problem and twice they were unsuccessful in finding the problem. Vehicle gets stuck in cruise control and doesn't want to go below 40 MPH.

Filed Nov 1, 2004 · Transmission · 7,700 miles · NC

Auto started running rough. Transmission shifting abruptly. Throttle would remain open after foot taken off accelerator. Car would maintain last speed before foot off accelerator. This would continue on level ground and even uphill to a large extent speed would be maintained with no input from driver. Cruise control was off. No codes generated and no check enging light. Dealer notified. Could not duplicate. This occurred on three separate occasions before dealer replace throttle positon sensor.

Filed Aug 31, 2004 · Acceleration, Brakes · 5,000 miles · KY · crash

My subaru, forester xt has had numerous problems since it had 5000 miles. The engine performance is inconsistent. The car has an intermittent miss at idle, cruise control that disengages at will, is difficult to start intermittently; spitting and sputter for 30 seconds, acts as if it will stall occasionally while braking, and the clutch does not grip the flywheel properly. While passing on 2 lane roads, I have nearly had numerous head-on accidents; the car does not accelerate consistently. The cruise control defect has nearly caused many other accidents in distinct conditions: 1. While ascending hills, I have nearly been rear-ended by other cars when my car loses speed without warning 2. While descending hills, I have nearly lost control as the car accelerates while cruise control has disengaged I have problems with the car when I must take off hard, especially when crossing a busy street. When launching hard, the clutch will slip excessively. The car will not accelerate; it will only burn the clutch creating a large cloud of smoke. It does not matter which gear I switch too or how much throttle I apply; the clutch will not grip until it cools down. I have nearly been hit numerous times because of this. I am experiencing problems with the brake pedal. After braking to a stop, when the engine idles down, the brake pedal will sink an additional half an inch. I have brought my car to 2 different dealerships, and involved subaru's regional service manager. All efforts to repair my car have been unsuccessful or ignored. The dealerships have only adjusted switches and replaced an oxygen sensor. The manufacturer has now claimed that they will not issue a repair order, since the problems are intermittent, even though the lead tech has experienced the problem, and they can't replicate the problems. I am stuck with a defective vehicle that is going to cause a serious accident, as I drive 1500 miles per week throughout a 6 state region.

Filed Apr 27, 2004 · Visibility · KS

I purchased my 2nd forester, a 2004 in oct. 2003. I have complained from the beginning about the dials on the dash. The background is black and it is recessed into the dash. When the sun is low in the sky like morning or evening it is almost impossible to check your speed or set a cruise control. You have to really stare at the dial and wait for it to come into view to see it which is very hazzardest. Is there anything you can do about this?