KnownCarProblemsHome › Subaru › Outback › 2006
2006 Subaru Outback Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 277 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Subaru Outback, most often about the speed control (35% of complaints, typically around 98,000 miles). It is 13th of 27 Outback model years by number of complaints and has 7 recalls.
Most common 2006 Subaru Outback problems
Speed control
98 complaints · 35%Half of these problems showed up before 98,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
Driving on the highway, the check engine light came on soon followed by the flashing cruise control light. At the point, the car became no longer responsive to the accelerator. I was forced to pull over because after breaking, I couldn't speed back up. Turning the car off and on again did not solve the problem. When I…
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…
Engine
50 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
Subaru has recall on wheel bearings and state my Outback does not fit into recall. However it is the same part that has failed, yet they state they fixed the problem. Headgasket is leaking at 125,000, Subaru states replacement gaskets are better however I am expected to pay 2000 for the repair.
Subaru head gasket has failed. This is a known issue across just about all Subaru models with 2.5 engine. If you contact various Subaru owners you will see that this head gasket failure is high at an abnormal rate. I am hoping that you investigate and hold the responsible and accountable. This is unacceptable.
Electrical
42 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, 12v/24v/48v battery.
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…
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…
Air bags
40 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 118,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Air bag light stayed on after engine start. Research indicated that the solder joints on the circuit board located in the overhead console fail over time (the same board that contains the indicator lights for the passenger air bag status). Apparently the air bag system is disabled when the air bag light stays on -…
Airbag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated after bit test completed on engine start. Owners manual states an illuminated airbag warning light could mean the airbag system will not deploy or perform as designed in the event of an accident. I believe this is result of a Subaru design flaw that Subaru…
Fuel system
40 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 106,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, fuel injection system.
In the 2006 Subaru Outback 3.0 the throttle is controlled electronically. This failed on me while driving at 70 MPH down the freeway. The gas peddle stopped responding. I could not accelerate or maintain speed. I had to pull over. After about 1 minute I restarted the car and the throttle started to respond again. My…
Sudden deceleration of vehicle. Check engine light comes on and the car goes limp. Vehicle is restartable after 5 minutes, however the throttle does not work properly afterward and the vehicle will not accelerate normally, thus it drives much slower, and will not go above 60 MPH. Problem comes and goes.
Suspension
37 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 57,500 miles. Parts named most often: rear, front.
I have a 2006 Subaru Outback with about 55,000 miles on it, I have had the rear struts replaced and know I am having the front struts replaced. It is expensive to replace struts. The mechanic that is replacing them says they shouldnt have to be replaced yet. If I dont replace them it affects the steering on the car.…
When driving on poor traction roads (ice or compacted snow), the rear of the car is very unstable and shifts left to right by as much as 2-3 feet - while going in a straight line, straight road - maintaining a constant speed (no acceleration or braking). This happened several times, over a 3400 mile road trip this…
Brakes
19 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 110,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the brake warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and the brake pedal failed to respond. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the brake line was completely rusted. The vehicle was…
Found coolant black and possible overheating from head gasket failure in result radiator was exposed to high heat and cracked. Combustion pressure had entered cooling system and caused over pressure of cooling system. Recommend leak down and compression check of engine to determine if internal damage has occurred.…
Transmission
17 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 96,500 miles. Parts named most often: driveline, axle hubs, transfer case (4-wheel drive), automatic transmission.
When coming to a stop, our Subaru Outback shudders and stalls out. This happens on various occasions and has become a bit of a safety concern when stopping in traffic. On february 6th 2017, I went to our local Subaru service center and they inspect the car and explained that they need to replace the torque converter…
Boots crack and you must replace entire drive shaft. Left front drive shaft was just replaced @100,000 miles as the boot cracked on the other side as well. Think this is a design flaw as drive shaft sits over the top of the catalytic converter with no shield to block the heat.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Subaru Outback recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began january 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the saab customer assistance center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tkb-20.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 forester, 2003-2006 baja, 2004-2011 impreza, 2004-2014 wrx (including sti), 2003-2014 legacy and outback, and 2006 saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia or "zone b." these vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began january 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the saab customer assistance center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tka-20.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 forester, 2003-2006 baja, 2004-2011 impreza, 2004-2014 wrx (sti included), 2003-2014 legacy and outback, and 2005-2006 saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." these vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began january 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the saab customer assistance center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tkc-20.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 forester, 2003-2006 baja, 2004-2011 impreza, 2004-2014 wrx (including sti), 2003-2014 legacy and outback, and 2005-2006 saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alaska, colorado, connecticut, idaho, iowa, maine, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, oregon, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, washington, wisconsin, and wyoming or "zone c." these vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Electrical: switch
Risk: The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began may 10, 2019. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is wuf-91.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 forester vehicles, 2008-2011 impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 wrx vehicles, 2005-2014 legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 outback vehicles and 2006-2008 tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners and general motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The subaru recall began on june 17, 2015. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The saab recall began on july 27, 2015. Owners of saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is wqr-53. Note: the recall completely supersedes recall 14v-399 (wql-48) and partially supersedes recall 14v-763 (wqp-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 subaru impreza and model year 2005 saab 9-2x vehicles are now only par
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 subaru baja vehicles manufactured january 22, 2003, to july 21, 2004, 2004-2005 impreza vehicles manufactured january 28, 2003, to may 31, 2005, 2003-2008 subaru legacy vehicles manufactured january 22, 2003, to may 2, 2008, 2003-2008 subaru outback vehicles manufactured february 18, 2003, to may 5, 2008, and 2005 saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured february 11, 2004, to march 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began july 2014 and second notifications will run through november 2014. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is wqk-47. Note: this recall super
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 outback and legacy, 2008-2011 impreza and 2008-2014 impreza wrx/sti, and 2009-2013 forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began on may 30, 2013. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is wqg-43.
Full defect summary
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 outback and legacy vehicles manufactured from december 2003, through april 2009 and currently, or formerly, registered in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2006 Subaru Outback
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Subaru Outback?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: speed control (98 complaints, typically around 98,000 miles); engine (50 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles); electrical (42 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Subaru Outback have?
- 7 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 2, 2020 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Subaru Outback?
- It is 13th of 27 Outback model years by number of complaints, with 277 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.