2006 Subaru Outback electrical system problems
42 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the electrical system on the 2006 Subaru Outback — 15% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“The accelerator pedal position sensor is faulty. It is prone to wear in these vehicles based on my research. This caused my car to go into limp-mode on the highway, rapidly cutting my speed in half. The accelerator provides no response until vehicle was restarted. The ECU put out the code P2138 for…”
filed Jan 1, 2022
“OBD Code P2138 (Throttle/ Pedal Position Sensor/ Switch D / E voltage correlation). This code pops up intermittently resulting in the car going into "limp mode". Truly dangerous, if this occurs when traveling at speed in traffic or when pulling away from a stop light. It is hard to pin down; but…”
filed Oct 14, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switchCampaign 19V297000 · Apr 11, 2019
Related service bulletins
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or…
15-308-23R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
15-304-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 13, 2026Techtips newsletter locator index.
Article Locator · Other · issued Aug 5, 2026This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin
15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2026
Electrical System problems in other Outback years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Outback | 12 | 15% |
| 2024 Outback | 16 | 16% |
| 2023 Outback | 17 | 19% |
| 2022 Outback | 51 | 11% |
| 2021 Outback | 75 | 25% |
| 2020 Outback | 258 | 29% |
| 2019 Outback | 363 | 35% |
| 2018 Outback | 265 | 33% |
| 2017 Outback | 391 | 43% |
| 2016 Outback | 309 | 48% |
| 2015 Outback | 127 | 25% |
| 2014 Outback | 32 | 15% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2006 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.