Gas Pedal / Accelerator Failure on 2005 Subaru Outback
Summary: This is a short review / opinion article about a used car I purchased. The problem the car had was a complete loss of response from the gas pedal / accelerator. The information is for anyone doing research into this problem with the Subaru “drive by wire” system, the failure of which I consider a significant safety hazard.
This data is concerning a 2005 Subaru Outback VIN# 4S4BP61C257367735.
- 2012-06-01: Purchased car @ about 69,000 miles.
- 2013-12-08: While driving at highway speed lost all response from gas pedal. Check Engine light came on and Cruise Control light flashed, while the engine continued to run fine. Did not regain use of gas pedal until car was turned off completely and then back on again. Check engine light eventually went off while driving (unkown time).
- 2013-12-27: Quote from the dealer’s repair receipt. “Found code in memory for throttle response. Need to start with replacing throttle control relay.”(FYI=$232)
- 2014-01-xx: Backing up in driveway and again lost use of gas pedal, along with the same warning light scenario. Engine continued to run normally. Gas pedal only worked after completely turning off car.
- 2014-01-31: Returned to dealer with data from internet concerning owners of Subarus with similar problems. Was told the mechanics “reseated the connector to the gas pedal” because that seemed to fix the problem for one owner with similar gas pedal failure.
- 2014-03-xx: While driving at highway speed lost all response from gas pedal. Check Engine light came on and Cruise Control light flashed, engine running fine. Did not regain use of gas pedal until car was turned completely off and then back on again.
- 2014-03-06: At dealer was told that “these things happen” by service rep and that they didn’t know how to fix it, except for taking out all of the wiring and completely redoing the system, at a cost to me of about $3,000. Service rep also told me that the service manager would not get the car fixed if it was his. I felt very unsafe driving the car and bought a new model with extended warranty. Was told I was getting a great deal, but it was the “internet price” that anybody with an internet connection could get. I never received any paperwork documenting the fact they could not repair the used car.
- 2014-03-25: In an email from the sales manager at the above dealership, he stated that “…if we sold a car that had this same acceleration problem, we would be expected to fix it regardless of the cost.” So I really hope you don’t have this cursed car with the same persistent problem.
Remarks: Something that really struck me while reading the book that came with my new car was that it mentioned a few times, concerning the brakes, (paraphrase) “If this fancy braking feature fails, you will still have the standard brakes”. Why is there no backup of any kind for the “drive-by-wire” accelerator? If you are driving in front of a huge truck on the highway and loose all acceleration, it could clearly be a life-threatening situation. I don’t know enough about cars to suggest a fix, but some kind of backup is in order.
Normal review-type of information: I had the car for less than 2 years, so keep that in mind. The 2005 Subaru Outback had a comfortable ride, good all-wheel drive, and a powerful enough engine to accelerate with a car full of people, etc. The 2005 Outback is more of a station wagon than the new 2014 Outbacks, which are a good deal larger and classified as a “crossover” type of car. Still, it had ample room with the seats down and still drove like a sedan. If you feel confident in the quality of the car you are getting, the all-wheel drive system that comes with a decent MPG rating makes it an economical choice over many SUVs or minivans.
Special Used Car Note: Beware of used cars with a strong perfume smell! I bought this car and assumed they sprayed everything with a cleaner. What they were really doing was covering up the fact that the previous owner smoked a lot of cigarettes in the car! After the perfume finally wore off, there was still a significant cigarette smell embedded in the car fabric.