2006 Subaru Outback

P2138 CODE - THROTTLE ISSUE --- TODAY AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, LUCKILY ON A SIDE STREET,WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT BEGAN TO BLINK. THEN I LOST POWER TO THE ENGINE WHILE IT WAS STILL RUNNING. I NORMALLY TAKE THE HIGHWAY TO WORK BUT THIS DAY THERE WAS SNOW AND ICE SO I DECIDED TO TAKE THE SIDE STREETS INSTEAD. I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL WITH NO RESPONSE. I COASTED TO A SIDE STREET AND TURNED IN WITH NO INCIDENT, THANK GOD. I WAS NEAR A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND I ASKED FOR THEIR HELP BUT THEY SAID THEY DID NOT WORK ON SUBARU. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO CALL AAA WHEN I THOUGHT TO RESTART THE CAR TO SEE IF IT WOULD GO SO I COULD TAKE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE. I GAVE IT GAS AND IT WENT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND CRUISE CONTROL WAS STILL ON. I DROVE SLOWLY TO ANOTHER SERVICE PLACE AND THEY FOUND THE CODE P2138 AND SAID I COULD DRIVE IT BUT TO GET IT TO A DEALERSHIP AS SOON AS I COULD. THE SUBARU DEALERSHIPS ARE NOT LOCATED IN MY TOWN AND TAKES 20-30 BY HIGHWAY TO GET TO ONE OF THEM. I AM VERY UNSURE OF DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY NOW AND HAVE THIS HAPPENING AGAIN. I DRIVE THE HIGHWAYS A LOT IN ORDER TO FIT MY DAILY SCHEDULE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR ME TO SEE ELDERLY MOTHER WHO LIVES 30 MINUTES AWAY BY HIGHWAY. I LOVE MY SUBARU EVEN AFTER HAVING HAD THE TYPICAL 2006 PROBLEMS LIKE HEAD GASKET LEAK AND SUCH WHICH I CONSIDER ACCEPTABLE FOR THE MILEAGE I HAVE ON HER. I HAD PLANNED ON GETTING ANOTHER SUBARU IN THE FUTURE BUT NOT HAVING POWER IS EXTREMELY SCARY AND WILL MAKE ME SHOP ELSEWHERE IF THIS IS TYPICAL. *TR UPDATED 4/21/16 *JS

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! *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK. SHE WAS DRIVING IN WINTER CONDITIONS. SHE WAS DRIVING THE 2 MILE BRIDGE TO OUR HOME WHEN THE ACCELERATION SUDDENLY FAILED AND THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY SLOWED FROM 55 MPH TO 35 MPH. THE ROADS HAD SNOW AND ICE ON THEM. THE VEHICLE BEHIND HER CLOSED IN ON THE REAR OF OUR SUBARU AND BEGAN HONKING AND FLASHING ITS LIGHTS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IN OUR CAR CAME ON AND THE CRUISE CONTROL FLASHED. SHE WAS SCARED BY THE MISFUNCTION. THE CAR REVVED UP ABOVE 4000 RPMS WHEN SHE PUT IT INTO PARK. SHE SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND I CHECKED AND FOUND AN ERROR CODE. P2138. THE ACCELERATOR HAS 2 CIRCUITS THAT RELAY THE DESIRED SPEED TO THE CAR'S COMPUTER. WHEN THE CIRCUITS DON'T MATCH THE COMPUTER CUTS THE SPEED OUT OF THE VEHICLE. I THINK THAT THE ENGINEERING BEHIND THIS SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE RE THOUGHT SO THAT THIS DOESN'T OCCUR. I READ OTHER REPORTS ONLINE OF PEOPLE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHO HAD NEAR ACCIDENTS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I IMMEDIATELY HAD NO THROTTLE RESPONSE. THANKFULLY IT WAS 10:30PM AND THERE WAS A LOWER VOLUME OF TRAFFIC. I COASTED OFF TO THE SHOULDER. TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF, RESTARTED, AND STILL NO THROTTLE RESPONSE. TURNED OFF AGAIN FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. THIS TIME THERE WAS THROTTLE RESPONSE, BUT CEL WAS STILL ON. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE CEL LIGHT WAS OFF AND VEHICLE RUNNING FINE. NOW, A WEEK LATER, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVE NO POWER WHILE DRIVING. ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS TRAFFIC AROUND. THE FEAR IS BEING RUN INTO FROM BEHIND, OR BEING STUCK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND BECOME PREY FOR THE UNSAVORY. THIS SITUATION NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES. *TR

SUBARU OUTBACK/LEGACY 2006 - INTERMITTENT ISSUE OVER A FEW MONTHS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, CRUISE CONTROL FLASHES AND CAR GOES LIMP, GAS PEDAL STOPS WORKING. AFTER CAR GOES LIMP, ENGINE NEEDS TO BE TURNED OFF, BUT ONCE CAR IS PUT IN PARK FOR IT TO BE TURNED OFF, THE ENGINE REVS TO APPROX. 2000 RPMS ON ITS OWN. THE CAR THEN HAS TO SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES TO ATTEMPT TO TURN THE CAR ON AND THE GAS PEDAL TO WORK AGAIN. THIS PROBLEM HAS THROWN THE CODE P2138. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, EVEN MORE SO AS IT HAS HAPPENED WHILE ON THE FREEWAY, WHERE THE CAR WILL LOSE SPEED DUE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL NOT WORKING AND THE CAR HAS ESSENTIALLY BECOME A ROADBLOCK IN THE MIDDLE OF FAST ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY CAUSED SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM ONLINE, IT APPEARS THAT MANY OTHERS WITH THIS EXACT CAR MAKE/YEAR HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND IT IS PREVALENT TO THIS PARTICULAR CAR. SUBARU NEEDS TO CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION AND OFFER A SAFETY RECALL OF THIS VEHICLE - AT THE VERY LEAST, THE COST OF REPAIRS TO FIX THIS KNOWN AND PREVALENT ISSUE WITH THIS CAR NEEDS TO BE COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN I-25 THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AND HAD NO ACCELERATION. THE CAR WOULD ONLY IDLE, I NOTICED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WHEN THE CODE WAS READ A P2138 THAT HAD TO DO WITH THE ACCELERATOR THE MECHANIC SAID IT HAPPENS ALOT WITH THIS YEAR SUBARU. HE TOLD ME BY JUST SHUTTING THE CAR OFF AND WAITING A FEW MINUTES IT WOULD HAVE DRIVEN NORMAL,WHEN HE STARTED IT AGAIN IT DID DRIVE NORMAL. HE SENDS THEM TO A SUBARU DEALER AND TELLS THE PEOPLE THAT IF ENOUGH OF US COMPLAIN OR FILL IN A REPORT THEN SOMETHING MAY BE DONE. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CAR IF IT LOSES ALL POWER DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY! *TR

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. *TR

DRIVE-BY-WIRE THROTTLE RECEIVES SIGNAL ERROR (P2138) AND ECU CUTS OFF THROTTLE FUNCTION. THIS PRESENTS A SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS CONDITION AS THE DRIVER IS THEN ENTIRELY UNABLE TO MODULATE SPEED. THIS ERROR HAS OCCURRED THREE TIMES WITH NO WARNING ON THE SAME VEHICLE, AND AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND SITUATIONS. THE LATEST ONE OCCURRED ON A HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 60MPH WHERE COLLISIONS DUE TO DISABLED THROTTLE WERE NARROWLY AVOIDED. THIS ERROR AND THE VEHICLE'S ECU RESPONSE COULD KILL SOMEONE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, CAR BEGAN TO "BUCK" AND LOST POWER. CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS STEADY. HAPPENED EXACTLY THE SAME AGAIN TODAY, 6/3/2014. PROBLEM WAS CODED AS P2138 AND ACCELERATOR ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED ONE YEAR AGO. CAR WILL NEED TO GO IN TO MECHANIC AGAIN TODAY. EXPECT SIMILAR PROBLEM. *TR