2005 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH MY CAR FOR THE 2-YEARS AND HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE. THE THROTTLE PEDAL AT TIMES WILL BECOME NON-RESPONSIVE AND THE ENGINE IDLE CANNOT BE CONTROLLED. AT THIS TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON WITH A CODE. P2138. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER WITH NO LUCK THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE CAR HAS LEFT ME STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES AND I HAD TO LIMP OR BE TOWED HOME. THE RPM CAN BE ANYWHERE FROM IDLE TO 3000 RPM AND AS I SAID THE PEDAL HAS NO CONTROL. I HAVE REPLACED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY AND THE PROBLEM WAS GONE FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS. IT HAS NOW FAILED AGAIN. *TR

SITTING AT STOP LIGHT - LIGHT CHANGES GREEN - NO ACCELERATION. CAR WILL MOVE AT IDLE SPEED CREEP THROUGH INTERSECTION. PULL OVER STOP TURN CAR OFF. RESTART W ACCELERATOR WORKING BUT CRUISE CONTROL INDICATOR FLASHING AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. ERROR CODE INDICATES PEDAL POSITION SENSOR AND DEALER SAYS ENTIRE PEDAL ASSEMBLY NEEDS REPLACED. NEW 'DRIVE-BY-WIRE' ACCELERATOR SYSTEM FOR SUBARU IN 2005. REPAIR: ~$200 WITH NO CHANGE IN ASSEMBLY FROM WHAT THE SERVICE DEPT. REPORTS. *TR

CAR IS NOT SAFE ON PACKED SNOW OR ICY ROADS. ALL ROAD FEEL IS GONE AND IT FEELS AS IF THE CAR COULD SPIN OUT OF CONTROL AT ANY MOMENT. MOST OTHER CARS SEEM TO PASS WITHOUT ISSUE. FOR A AWD CAR THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. YOU MUST SLOW DOWN TO 40 AND BELOW TO HAVE ANY HOPES OF KEEPING THE CAR IN A STRAIGHT LINE. I HAVE PUT NOKIA SNOW TIRES ON THE AND CAR DRIVES PERFECT IN FRESH SNOW BUT STILL CANNOT DRIVE IN SLIPPERY CONDITIONS. I HAVE NOT NOTICED THIS ON WET PAVEMENT. SUBARU FEELS LIKE AN ALIGNMENT WILL CORRECT THE PROBLEM. GOING IN FOR ONE IN A WEEK. IF IT DOES NOT FIX THE ISSUE I WILL SELL THE CAR. I FOUND MANY OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE ON SUBARUOUTBACK.ORG. *TR

SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. WHEN IN A STOPPED POSITION AND INTEND TO PULL OUT, MOTOR RUNNING, BUT GAS PEDAL DOES NOT ENGAGE. PUSH ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR - STILL NOTHING. IN ORDER TO CORRECT, MUST TURN OFF ENGINE AND DISCONNECT BATTERY CABLE SO VEHICLE CAN RESET ITSELF. ALSO HAD PROBLEM WHEN SITTING STILL WHERE VEHICLE BEGAN IDLING AS IF ACCELERATOR BEING PRESSED DOWN - LASTED 5-10 SECONDS THEN BACKED OFF. WHEN PURCHASED CAR USED, HAD PROBLEMS WITH CRUISE CONTROL NOT WORKING AND LIGHT FLASHING CONTINUOUSLY. FOUND THAT INJECTOR HAD TO BE REPLACED - APPARENTLY TIED TO CRUISE MECHANISM. THIS CORRECTED THE PROBLEM BUT QUITE EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE HE NOTICED AN OVERPOWERING SMELL OF GAS. ONCE HE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A LEAK NEAR THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS FRACTURED DUE TO CORROSION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 126,000.

FUEL IS LEAKING FROM THE WELDED SEAM ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK WHEN THE TANK IS FULL. I PARKED THE CAR IN THE GARAGE AFTER FILLING THE TANK, WENT INTO THE HOUSE, AND THE NEXT MORNING FOUND A SMALL PUDDLE OF GAS JUST FORWARD AND INBOARD OF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE, AND A VERY STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE . I COULD SEE A DRIP APPROXIMATELY EVERY 10 SECONDS. MY NEIGHBORHOOD MECHANIC EXAMINED THE CAR AND DIAGNOSED THE LEAK AT THE WELDED SEAM, NOT AT THE FUEL FILLER TUBE CONNECTION AT THE TANK, AND RECOMMENDED IT BE FIXED AT THE DEALER. IT IS AT MINOOKA SUBARU IN MINOOKA, PA. RIGHT NOW. *TR

DRIVING ON ICY/SNOWY ROADS, THE BACK END SWAYS/"GHOST WALKS" EXTREMELY DANGEROUSLY PROBABLY 2-3" EACH WAY REGARDLESS OF BRAKING/TURNING/STRAIGHTAWAY/ACCELERATING. WE WERE DRIVING ALONG WITH A 2WD VEHICLE FROM WI TO MT WHICH HANDLED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN THE OUTBACK (WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE TOP OF THE LINE WINTER CAR). HAD BRAND NEW (300 MILES) QUALITY ALL WEATHER TIRES AND AN ALIGNMENT. THE CAR ACTUALLY APPEARS TO BE DOING THIS NOW IN DRY CONDITIONS AS WELL WHEN I ENCOUNTER BUMPS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE FEELING OF SAFETY IS SEVERELY LACKING. *TR

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. *TR

2005 SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON EXTREMELY UNSTABLE ON SLIPPERY ROADS. UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT ANY SPEED UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. HAS BEEN TERMED 'GHOST WALKING'. THIS PROBLEM CAN BE FIXED / HELPED WITH WHEEL ALIGNMENT, BUT SHOULD NOT BE SUCH A DANGEROUS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. SOME OTHER FACTORS HAVE TO BE CONTRIBUTING TO THE HORRIFIC HANDLING OF THIS VEHICLE ON SLIPPERY ROADS. IT IS NOT A MATTER OF JUST SLOWING DOWN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ON AN INCLINE THE VEHICLE RESPONDED SLOWLY. THE CRUISE CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSIS DETERMINED THAT THE TURBO CHARGER FILTER WAS CLOGGED AND THE SHAFT IN THE TURBO CHARGER WAS BROKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,446.