2005 Subaru Outback: sudden loss of power

Filed Nov 6, 2018 · Fuel system · 120,000 miles · ID

As I was driving, I all of a sudden lost all power and control from the gas pedal. The car decelerated and I was only able to idle forward. The gas pedal became completely unresponsive. I turned the car off and restarted it. The check engine light is on and the cruise control light blinks but the car drives fine until the the problem happens again. There is no way to predict it. I'm glad it has not happened in the middle of an intersection or a more dangerous situation where decelerating that quickly was more dangerous. The car is in motion on city streets when this happens. I believe the check engine code reading is p2138.

Filed Aug 13, 2015 · Engine · 150,000 miles · RI

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru outback. While driving at approximately 25 MPH, the accelerator pedal was applied and the vehicle experienced a loss of power as the check engine light blinked off and on. The vehicle was merged over to the side of the road and then driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

Filed Nov 20, 2014 · Electrical, Visibility · 80,000 miles · CO

The rear windshield wiper stopped working due to a bad electrical connection that occurs where the hatchback opens up. The wires fray and break from normal usage of the hatchback, causing loss of power to the rear windshield wiper, defogger and backup lights. I have experienced this problem and there a numerous blogs and videos on the internet showing this problem, this should be recall item for all 3rd generation subaru outbacks (2005-2009).

Filed Jul 23, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · 112,000 miles · AZ

Just after getting off I-43 near sheboygan on frontage road my car lost all power and no acceleration on gas pedal. Check engine light came on and cruise control light was blinking. I had to shift to neutral and pull over to a shoulder. Turned the car off for couple of minutes while I check under the hood. Started the car just fine but check engine light was still on and cruise was blinking. Subaru mechanic read error code p2138 throttle/pedal position sensor/switch 'd'/'e' voltage rationality. They said it was caused by bad contacts on tps sensor by the gas pedal. He reset the code and it has not appeared again for almost a week. I am afraid of it going off again while my wife and kids are driving it on the highway. Does someone need to die before subaru takes action on this.

Filed Dec 4, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 102,075 miles · UT

Driving on interstate freeway, in heavy traffic, with the cruise control set, when the vehicle suddenly lost all power and throttle response. The "check engine" light came on, and the "cruise" light started blinking. Engine continued to run at high idle but speed and RPM were not maintained. I was lucky enough to cross 4 lanes of traffic and stop. Turned off the engine, which was running at 2200 RPM. After a brief stop and investigation, I was able to restart the engine and drive normally to an auto parts store. I scanned the obd ii code (dtc code) and found p2138 - throttle position sensor. No injuries, but this is a potentially deadly issue. Has recurred one time since.

Filed Jun 19, 2011 · Engine · NV

2005 outback x limited with 67,000 miles. Check engine light comes on followed by a whining sound from engine compartment and then rattling noises accompanied by loss of power. Car was transported to garage and diagnosed with blown turbo. Metal shavings discovered in oil filter. Total engine loss. Subaru denies coverage and will not accept responsibility for design flaw.