2006 Subaru Outback Problems, Recalls & Reliability
404 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Subaru Outback, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 31/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Speed control leads the reports, typically around 100,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2006 sits among all Outback years
What owners report
“The cruise and check engine lights flash. Car looses power and stalls while driving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Outback
“While driving at speed - city street 45mph -- lost ability to throttle. No throttle, engine, or acceleration response when pressing gas pedal. Check engine and cruise lights blinking. After pulling over, turned off engine. Upon restarting after a minute, throttle capability returned. This has…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Outback
“Sudden loss of acceleration while driving; connection between gas pedal and engine control is faulty. Forces driver to coast to a stop and turn off car. No ability to use gas to get out of the way faster.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Outback
“I was driving on the interstate and when i got onto the exit ramp, the vehicle gas pedal stopped working and the check engine light came on along with flashing cruise control light. I coasted into a dealership with hazard lights on at about 10mph. Diagnosis was a faulty accelerator pedal sensor.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Outback
“Takata recall. February 2016 recall 15v-323. 6 months have not heard from dealer.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Outback
“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…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Outback
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 333 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 96,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 66,116 and 133,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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,…
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…
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2006 Subaru Outback reliable?
The 2006 Subaru Outback drew 404 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 31/100, scored against the model's worst year (2019).
What are the most common 2006 Subaru Outback problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Subaru Outback are speed control (99 complaints), engine (50), and electrical (46).
At what mileage do 2006 Subaru Outback problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Subaru Outback problems around 96,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 66,116 and 133,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Subaru Outback have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 Subaru Outback. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.