There are 7 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2006 Subaru Legacyin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TPS MALFUNTION. STOPS ACCELERATION AT THE HIGHWAY THAT ALMOST CAUSES AN ACCIDENT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK (NA). WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE. THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000.
MY 2006 SUBARU LEGACY WAGON SUDDENLY LOSES ACCELERATION SOMETIMES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, CRUISE CONTROL FLASHES, AND THE GAS PEDAL DOES NOTHING. THE CAR THROWS A P2138 CODE "THROTTLE/PEDAL POSITION SENSOR" CODE WHEN CHECKED. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 10 TIMES OVER THE LAST YEAR. IF YOU RESTART THE CAR, IT SOME TIMES GOES AWAY, MOST TIMES IT REQUIRES SEVERAL RESTARTS AND TIME. THE CAR WILL DO THIS WHEN MOVING FAST ON THE HIGHWAY OR JUST SITTING. THE GAS GOES LIMP AND THERE IS NO REVVING OR ACCELERATION. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND APPARENTLY DISCUSSED ON MANY FORUMS, ALL INVOLVING SUBARU'S FROM THE SAME ERA. *TR
WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 55MPH, MY LEGACY'S THROTTLE BECAME UNRESPONSIVE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE CRUISE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY COAST OFF THE ROAD AND A SUBSEQUENT CODE CHECK REVEALED A CODE 2138 (THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR). IN THE ENSUING MONTHS I REPLACED THE TPS, WHICH DIDN'T HELP, THEN RESEATED THE CONNECTION ON THE THROTTLE ITSELF, WHICH WORKED FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS. THE PROBLEM HAS RECENTLY RECURRED AND SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. *TR
2006 SUBARU LEGACY, BOUGHT NEW, IT HAS EXPERIENCED A STUTTER SINCE NEW. THE STUTTER OR LACK OF HESITATION OCCURS EVERY TIME I STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL. IT CAUSES ME TO HESITATE AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND EVERYWHERE ELSE AS I KNOW THE CAR WILL NOT RESPOND PROPERLY. I MISSED THE LEMON LAW POTENTIAL OF THIS ISSUE BECAUSE I WAS GOING THROUGH A DIVORCE, CHANGING JOBS AND MOVING. THE BIGGEST REASON I MISSED THE LEMON LAW RECOVERY IS I KEPT BELIEVING THE DEALERS COMMENTS THAT IT WOULD BE FIXED AT THE MAJOR TUNE UP. I CONSISTENTLY REPORTED TO THE DEALER AT EVERY SERVICE VISIT THAT THE CAR STILL HESITATES TO NO AVAIL. I HAVE FOUND ONLY LIMITED INFORMATION SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THIS QUALIFIES AS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I CANNOT DRIVE DEFENSIVELY, IF I WAS REQUIRED TO HESITATE QUICKLY TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO SO. THANK YOU! *TR
ABOUT A MONTH AGO I PURCHASED A 2006 SUBARU LEGACY 2.5 GT MT. I HAVE TWO MAJOR COMPLAINTS THAT MOST PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT. 1) HESITATION UNDER ACCELERATION. THIS PROBLEM IS KNOWN BY SUBARU. ONE TECH TOLD ME THAT THE ECU NEEDS TO BE REFLASHED, BUT THAT SUBARU HAS NOT COME UP WITH A FLASH TO FIX THE PROBLEM YET. 2) BAD SMELL FROM THE CLUTCH. HAPPENS MOSTLY IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, BUT OCCURS AT OTHER TIMES TOO. I'VE HAD IT HAPPENED WHEN I FIRST START THE CAR, AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A LONG TIME, CRUISING ON THE HIGHWAY AND SHIFTING. IT IS VERY BOTHERSOME.*JB
CAR HESITATES FOR 1 SECOND BEFORE MOVING. *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026