2006 Subaru Outback: won't start

Filed Mar 26, 2018 · Engine · 149,800 miles · NM

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. Before I turned the car off the engine was idling rough, about 2000 RPM. Again it took two tries to start but then I was able to continue with the check engine light still on. After driving it two or three times the next day the check engine light had gone off. In either situation I could have easily been in an accident if I had not been able to pull off quickly, especially in a high speed area as the vehicle could only maintain a low speed due to the low engine RPM (2k-3k). There is no warning before it occurs. I believe there is a fault in the throttle by wire system.

Filed Oct 26, 2016 · Acceleration · 152,500 miles · NY

On three occasions within a two week period I was driving on city streets and the car would not accelerate when the gas pedal was depressed. On these occasions I was starting from a red light or just after I had braked for something, depressed the gas pedal and the speed did not change. The check engine light came on, the cruise control light flashed and the car went into limp mode. I limped to the side of the road and turned the engine off. On the first try to restart the car it would not turn over. After waiting and trying again the car turned over and the gas pedal would work. The check engine light and the flashing cruise control light remained on and went off after starting the car a couple/few times. I went to my mechanic to check the car and he found p2138 three times in the history. This happened once when entering a traffic circle and twice while crossing intersections, very dangerous! Info on this site and a subaru outback forum shows this to be a problem many have experienced. I called the manufacturer.

Filed May 5, 2016 · Acceleration · 141,000 miles · OH

Was driving to work and stopped at a light. Light turned green and I released the brake pedal, car started faster than normal with no pressure on the gas pedal. I pressed the gas pedal repeatedly but it did not respond. I pulled over and put the car in neutral and the engine started reving high light the pedal was stuck. I tried pressing the cancel button on the cruise control, thinking that it might have gotten stuck but that didn't work so I put it in park and turned it off. Tried turning it back on once and it didn't turn over. Tried it again and it turned on, but this time the check engine light was on, and the cruise control indicator was blinking. Could have been much worse if this was on the highway and it got stuck at a high speed, or if I was trying to turn onto a busy road and couldn't accelerate.

Filed Oct 8, 2015 · Acceleration · 115,000 miles · OR

I was driving when suddenly my car would not go forward more than a few MPH, the check engine light came on and the cruise control was flashing. Thankfully I was only doing about 30 miles an hour in town. I pulled over, turned my car off, turned it back on and it wouldn't start. I started it for a 2nd time and it started and I drove home. I took it to my subarus only mechanic of 17 years (I'm on my 4th subie) who thought the error code of p2138 was odd. He told me to let him know if it happened again....and it did a few days later so I took it back in. My mechanic called subaru and found out this was not an uncommon problem. I've only had it back a day so I'm not sure if the problem has been fixed. I certainly hope it has as I'm terrified of the thought of this happening on the highway doing 70 MPH on my way to work in horrible traffic. After getting on the internet, this long-time subaru lover is surprised and disappointed that subaru hasn't done a recall on this problem. This is a very dangerous issue that needs to be addressed.

Filed Feb 11, 2015 · Electrical · 77,000 miles · CO

My fiancee was driving my 2006 subaru outback on the highway approximately 65 MPH when there was a sudden loss of power. The throttle was unresponsive, but the engine remained idling. My partner pulled over to the side of the highway and tried restarting right away but the engine wouldn't start. After waiting a few minutes he was able to restart and drive normally. The cel was on with the cruise control blinking. When I took the car in to get the code read it gave the p2138 error code. In the last month this has happened 3 more times, including when on the way to the mechanic this morning. The mechanic said he has heard of this problem previously with '06 subarus and recommended I get the wvu31 recall update, which I am really hoping will make a difference. This is extremely unsafe and essentially makes my car undriveable as I am never certain when a sudden loss of power will occur. If this happens where there is no shoulder it could easily cause an accident. This is an extreme safety concern that needs to be addressed!

Filed Dec 2, 2014 · Acceleration · 183,400 miles · NY

While coming to a stop at a traffic light, the check engine light came on along with a flashing cruise control light. When I started up there was no response from the gas pedal. My car started to roll and got up to 10 MPH ( the speed limit was 45 MPH). The RPM gauge stayed at 2000 rpms. I pulled on to a side street with my flashers on and parked. I turned off the engine and started it. Still no response from the gas pedal. I turned the car off a second time. This time the engine didn't start. I tried again and it take a long time (10 seconds) but it finally started. Now the gas pedal responded. I drive my car home without incident but the check engine light stayed on and the cruise still flashed. I went to auto zone where they said the code was p2138. Thank goodness the traffic was light when this happened and I was able to find a side street. *tr updated 12/21/15

Filed Nov 20, 2014 · Acceleration, Engine · 56,400 miles · WY

Slowing at intersection to make a right turn when check-engine-light came on. Cruise control light started flashing (vehicle was not in cruise control at the time) accelerator pedal became unresponsive (could get no acceleration out of the car when pressing the pedal) and was barely able to get through intersection to turn. After a minute or so was able to get enough power to run at about 10mph tops with hazards on to get a location where I could pull over out of traffic. Car would not start immediately after (three cranks with no response) after a few minutes, though, it restarted and seemed to operate normally, no problems with speed. Diagnostic code was p2138 (throttle/pedal position sensor/switch "a"/"b" voltage correlation.

Filed Aug 1, 2014 · Electrical, Fuel system · 138,000 miles · WA

The first incident with this car was me putting the transmission into park after stopping at a gas station and the rpms suddenly shot up to 2000. After filling the tank, I tried to start it but it wouldn't turn over. I let it sit for a moment and then tried again and it started with now the "check engine light" on and "cruise" flashing. The lights self-corrected later that day before I could have the code read. The next incident I was in a left hand turn lane with a green arrow. The check engine light and cruise came on and I suddenly lost the use of the gas pedal. It was completely limp. No matter how hard I pressed on it the car just moved along at idle speed, less than 5 MPH. I barely made it through the intersection before I lost the green arrow. I pulled over, put it in park, the rpms went to 2000, then I turned it off. Tried starting it again and it wouldn't turn over. Tried it a second time and it fired right up and the gas pedal functioned properly. The check engine light and cruise were on again. I took it to an auto parts store to have the code read and it came up with p2138, an issue with the throttle position sensor. These incidents occurred twice more before I was able to get a proper diagnosis from a mechanic and they occurred anywhere from one to two weeks apart. This is a potentially very dangerous issue with these cars and should be addressed by a recall by subaru.

Filed Nov 11, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 80,000 miles · LA

Incident initially started in february, went to accelerate after starting car in the am, did not respond, cel and flashing cruise button came on, engine seemed to idle and wouldn't respond to trying to accelerate again. Turned engine off, tried to turn back on, would not start. Repeated process with starting 2-3 times until started again. Cel and flashing cruise remained on for a couple days, took to repair garage and they said that they couldn't find anything wrong on the diagnostic run. This has continued to occur off and on for the last several months. I have taken it to 2 different shops who could never find anything wrong with the car or get it to reproduce when they drove it, and then to dealer 2 weeks ago, they replaced throttle body and did a fuel injector service. Again, this morning, accelerating at 30-40 MPH in start/stop traffic, could not accelerate at 30 MPH, engine started to rev, pulled over to side, shut off engine, repeated 2 more times, again cel and flashing cruise. These lights are still on but car drove normally. Very frustrated as I cannot get it to reproduce for shop or for dealership because it happens so erratically.