2006 Subaru Outback Check Engine Light Cruise Control Flashing

Last updated on July 16th, 2023 at 02:59 pm

Is your 2006 Subaru outback check engine light cruise control flashing? This article guides you all the way to fixing your Subaru flashing and blinking light issues and what to if when you notice Subaru outback cruise control light flashing.

Subaru, a Japanese automobile manufacturer, is one of the largest automobile producers across the globe.

Most of Subaru’s vehicles are renowned for using boxer engine and are more than 1,500 ccs.

However, Subaru has grown an ill reputation for the numerous issues the vehicle develops.

The major areas that Subaru car owners and automobile enthusiasts have formed an ill reputation about the vehicle are:

Check engine light is on and cruise control light is blinking on 2006 outback
when Subaru outback cruise control light flashing constantly
Subaru head gasket problem and
2006 Subaru outback check engine light cruise control flashing

These complaints have created a dent and a stain on the remarkable record of Subaru Company, a company that was mostly known for manufacturing first-class vehicles, until now.

2006 Subaru outback check engine light and cruise control light blinking

Most Subaru car owners have complained that the car automatically stops accelerating when they are on a major highway. It could have been the pedal assembly and sensors that failed.This usually occurs in cold weather. This is extremely dangerous as it could have led to the loss of lives.

Subaru would have to address this design flaw that even affects the owners financially too, as they would have to pay regular visits to auto mechanics. Subaru vehicle may lose power at high speed, a problem that most people have complained over.

Subaru would have to recall this vehicle for such a safety concern. It is expected for a reputable company like Subaru to stand behind this dangerous flaw with their product and fix the design problem.

The issue is why Subaru has chosen to do nothing about the numerous complaints from the vehicle owners who patronize their product. Most people have vowed never to buy a Subaru again since the vehicle has several problems and are asking for the product to be recalled before it leads to loss of lives.

Have you ever been driving a Subaru along a major highway and the check engine light comes on and cruise control light flashes? This may cause you to immediately lose acceleration and to pull over. A Subaru owner complained of having this same issue.

He waited for a few minutes before restarting the car. He noted that the lights still remained on even though the car was on normal acceleration. The check engine light can come up for a lot of reasons, so there is really no way of confirming if it’s for a loose gas cap or a more serious problem without a code scan.

In 2005 Subaru designed the car in such a way that the Cruise light flashes and disables the cruise control to get your attention.

When the light is on steady and there is no ostensible change in the way your Subaru is performing its most likely passable to drive.

However, you’ll need to contact a professional auto mechanic to look into it.

If the check engine light starts flashing, that could be a warning that the engine is misfiring and really should not be driven, but rather should be towed to a repair facility.

It may be helpful to purchase a Code Scanner and keep in your glove box for just these type of circumstances.

Also, there could be an updated software related to the code and perhaps a TSB. So, you may have to call a Subaru Specialist nearest to you.

It necessitates a Subaru Select Monitor device to upload new software once it has been confirmed it can rectify the issue.

It could also be that the vent solenoid has an issue or the charcoal canister is full.

Though cleaning the sensor may or may not help fix the problem, you may need to have an experienced technician to perform a proper diagnosis.

This is a common symptom and each situation is different, so only testing is required.

In some cases, people who have reported that their Subaru suddenly stops accelerating said they have taken the car to different mechanics and the problem still persisted.

All the mechanics did was to reboot the computer, and for a fee, claiming they couldn’t identify a problem.

Another Subaru owner said he’ll stop in traffic and suddenly, the car will just start idling between 2500 and 3000 RPMs.

When peddle is pushed all the way down to the floor, it will shoot up extremely high mid-shift, causing him to stick to manual drive.

When the clutch is pushed down to shift to a higher gear, it will rev up to 2500 to 3000 RPMs mid-shift.

This acceleration problem can go on for years and necessitates regular visits to an auto shop every 3-4 months, which can be costly.

This issue may cause a Subaru car to drive with no acceleration and always in a “Limp home mode”. This problem needs the attention of Subaru Company.

An identical problem reported in other complaints saw Subaru car running fine, then suddenly, there’s no response from the throttle, high revs in neutral and park, flashing cruise control and solid check engine lights.

This can really be a frightening situation.

This has been a lingering problem for the last 30,000 miles.

The problem can just cause the check engine light to come on for no apparent reason and disabling the use of the cruise control. It is a sporadic problem with no solution.

You may be driving down the street and the accelerator will just give out. The engine may be running yet no thrust on the pedal.

Some persons may suspect it is a problem from the fuel injection.

In some cases, the gas pedal may be depressed and the car does not respond or move forward, it may idle and coasts forward and if the brake is depressed or put in park, the car engine revs, making it sound like the gas is depressed, but actually, it is not.

This problem normally occurs when the car is on and in the drive.

This problem has happened to some Subaru owners while driving at 85 mph, 40 mpg and after taking off from being stopped at a stop sign.

This issue can occur at any time while driving.

2006 Subaru Outback Check Engine Light Cruise Control Flashing

Solution

You can be able to restart the car and get the gas pedal responsive, making it accelerate and surge the car forward.

The short term solution is to:

Turn off the car

Pull up on the gas cap release lever on the floor of the driver’s side

Get out of the car

Remove and reinstall the gas cap

Get back in the car and start it

The first attempt may fail, but the second attempt constantly works

NOTE:

When the light is yellow, it means you can proceed with caution.

If there is a change in the vehicle performance, get it checked out immediately.

If the Check Engine light flashes, then tow it in.

The Cruise control light will normally flash on 05 and newer models. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to tow it in.

If you have a Scan Tool, scan it and send the code to your mechanic

Contact your mechanic.

You may also want to watch the video below for more insight.

You may be driving normally and the car accelerator becomes unresponsive suddenly, causing you to pull to the roadside, put the car in park and restart the car.

You may find that the CEL and cruise light was on.

The accelerator may have acted normally after the restart but the following day when you try to start the car, you’ll discover there’s no CEL or flashing cruise light.

A code reader may indicate that it’s a code P2138, accelerator pedal sensor problem.

After some mileage, the probable cause of a Subaru losing power on acceleration is if the smoke sensor in the exhaust has failed and has to be replaced, the error should be cleared by car scanner.

If you don’t want to replace the sensor you can clean it. The sensor is located on the exhaust pipe but however, you still need to visit a car technician to clear the fault from the Subaru’s computer log.

Some people with a similar incident reported pulling out their battery cable for 10 minutes and all the lights went off.

Though whenever the check engine light comes on and the cruise light flashes, it is normal.

The check engine light will not come on with low fluid levels or if the temperature is too high.

The On-Board Diagnostics only sets a check engine light when the Electronic Control Module (ECM) reads a too high or a too low sensor value.

However, it may have to read that same fault 3 consecutive times in a row to turn on the check engine light.

Else your check engine light would always be going on and off.

Contact your mechanic to have them check the codes for free because a dealer will have to charge you labour for them to check due to the knowledge required to use the highly sophisticated scan tool they make use of.

So, you can either go to an autonomous shop or a dealer to check what the other scanner says is the fault. This way, the cost of repairs is reduced.

They may probably ask you if you fueled up just before the engine light came on, in which case, that would be code P0440: EVAP leak, which is quite a small leak.

This means that the fuel tank sensor doesn’t like how you placed the fuel cap on.

For a Subaru car, it recommends at least three (3) clicks when tightening your fuel cap.

However, until that code is checked you won’t know what the issue is with your vehicle.

If the issue ends up being a fuel cap leak, then just loosen the cap and put it back on and just make 1 full revolution, and just keep driving it.

The light should go off within 3 full warm-up cool-down cycles.

All cars have problems. It is how the company deals with the problems that make a difference.

Cars like Toyota and Infiniti have had recalls for accelerator pedal issues, but no recall has yet been made for Subaru.

This is a safety issue and the Company ought to do something about it.

All cars or vehicles do have faults, but it is how the company deals with the problems that make the difference. You might love to read the history of 2006 Subaru Outback Head Gasket Problems

The Symptoms of Subaru Head Gasket Problem

The signs of gasket failure will normally appear in a systematic order, one after the other:

Oil trickling down between the head and block surfaces. The leakage will get bigger with time and may lead to coolant leaking.
The odour of Sulphur or fuel from the coolant reservoir and you will also notice higher readings in the coolant temperature gauge.
Frequent overheating of the engine during a long drive.

What is the Solution?

The problem of the Subaru head gasket can be resolved and repaired if it is detected on time. This early detection will solve the issue altogether. After the repair, a properly maintained vehicle can run for thousands of miles without any problem.

The things you can do to keep your Subaru in good condition:

Try Changing Your Subaru car oil regularly.
Make sure to clean your Subaru car battery surroundings and the terminals on a more frequent rate to move accumulated rust and corrosion.
Always check your Subaru car coolant cylinder and try to change fluid when it is due to change or dirty.
Make sure to only use/hire an experienced Subaru mechanic who is specialized in Subaru models or at least is knowable on Subaru vehicles.

We have already covered a full details article for the solution to Subaru head gasket issues please read it here for all what you need to do.

Jeffery Ekweghi

Hi dear, my name is Jeffery Ekweghi, and I am a certified mechanic and autobody parts technician. I created this site to share my expertise and experience with car lovers looking to resolve their car-related issues. I am certified in private cars and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. I have worked as a mechanic since 2015 and have experience in vehicle brands like Subaru, Jeep, Toyota, TATA, BMW, Mazda, Honda, Nissan, Kia, TVs, and Others; however, I primarily specialize in Toyota vehicles.