2005 Subaru Outback vehicle speed control problems
40 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle speed control on the 2005 Subaru Outback — 15% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“P2138 code. Gas pedal stops responding to inputs. Car goes into limp mode and managed to get car off the road. Shut off and waited 5 minutes, restarted and it works again. Associated P0500 code also present. First time this has happened on this car.”
filed Mar 14, 2026
“The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing cruise control failures. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at 50 MPH up a steep hill of a bridge, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle decelerated significantly to 20-25 MPH. The…”
filed Mar 10, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Vehicle Speed Control problems in other Outback years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Outback | 2 | 3% |
| 2024 Outback | 3 | 3% |
| 2023 Outback | 3 | 3% |
| 2022 Outback | 4 | 1% |
| 2021 Outback | 18 | 6% |
| 2020 Outback | 18 | 2% |
| 2019 Outback | 26 | 3% |
| 2018 Outback | 21 | 3% |
| 2017 Outback | 28 | 3% |
| 2016 Outback | 20 | 3% |
| 2015 Outback | 26 | 5% |
| 2014 Outback | 14 | 7% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2005 Subaru Outback
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.