FaultScore

2002 Subaru Outback acceleration problems

12 of the 172 complaints about the 2002 Subaru Outback are about the throttle and cruise control — 7% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 44,500 miles.

C

12

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Vehicle Speed Control 8 66.7%
Accelerator Pedal 4 33.3%

Acceleration & Cruise Control across every Subaru Outback year

1998 14 2.9%
2000 14 2.9%
2001 17 3.5%
2002 12 2.5%
2003 10 2.1%
2004 20 4.2%
2005 40 8.3%
2006 99 20.6%
2007 17 3.5%
2010 13 2.7%
2011 25 5.2%
2013 26 5.4%
2014 14 2.9%
2015 26 5.4%
2016 22 4.6%
2017 28 5.8%
2018 21 4.4%
2019 26 5.4%
2020 18 3.7%
2021 19 4.0%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

at 83,033 miles Kalamazoo, MI

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

UPPER FRONT FUEL LINE AND CONNECTION TO THROTTLE BODY? IS LEAKING RAW GAS AND FUEL IS POOLING ON TOP OF ENGINE JUST OUTWARD OF UPPER EXHAUST MANIFOLD AREA.

NHTSA complaint #10563982 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 71,000 miles Losaltos, CA

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT INTO PARK, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO A NEARBY FENCE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER TESTING TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 71,000. UPDATED 07/19/2010. *LJ UPDATED 07/26/10

NHTSA complaint #10330190 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

West Hartford, CT

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE AROUND A CORNER AND WHEN I EASED OFF THE GAS PEDAL IT REMAINED STUCK DOWN. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND BRAKED SO I COULD PULL OVER. I SHUT OFF THE CAR, AND WHEN I RESTARTED IT, THE ENGINE REVVED . I HAD TO PUT MY FOOT UNDER THE GAS PEDAL AND LIFT IT UP TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #10194716 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 43,000 miles Cape Girardeau, MO

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

JUST STARTED CAR AND PULLED UP TO STOP LIGHT AND HIT BREAK PEDAL. ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND THE CAR STARTED FORWARD AND I HAD TO LEAN ON THE BREAK VERY HARD TO STOP. THIS OCCURRED 2 TIMES BOTH AFTER STARTING THE CAR AFTER AT LEAST A 1 HOUR OFF TIME. I THOUGHT AT FIRST IT WAS MY FOOT ON BOTH PEDALS BUT THE SECOND TIME I STOPPED THE CAR WITH MY LEFT FOOT AND WAS NOWHERE NEAR THE ACCELERATOR. I CONTACTED SUBARU BUT THEY DENIED ANY PROBLEM. I PUT IF OFF UNTIL I SAW AN ARTICLE IN ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH TO LETTERS TO TOM AND RAY MAGLIOZZI THE CAR GUYS AND THE LETTER WAS FROM ANOTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #10158438 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 47,888 miles Peabody, MA

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

2002 SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON HAS 48,000 MILES. CAR STALLS AT RED LIGHTS, SPUTTERS AND HESITATES WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. DANGEROUS TRYING TO GET ON HIGHWAY. DEALER TESTED ALL SYSTEMS AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TESTED IT AND SAID MAIN COMPUTER NOT WORKING PROPERLY. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. MECHANIC RESET COMPUTER BUT SUGGESTED I GET RID OF THE CAR ASAP

NHTSA complaint #10125447 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 41,000 miles Plainwell, MI

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION. OWNER WAS PULLING INTO A SCHOOL PARKING LOT WHEN SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. THE ENGINE REVVED, AND THE DRIVER HAD BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE WHILE THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. DRIVER PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL, AND ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO COAST BEFORE IT SHUT DOWN.

NHTSA complaint #10117722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 31,200 miles Woodbury, CT

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

DANGEROUS HESITATION IN FIRST AND SECOND GEARS ESPECIALLY. AT STOP LIGHT, UPON ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, CAR BOGGED DOWN, RPMS DIPPED AND NEARLY STALLED BEFORE CAR FINALLY ACCELERATED WITH A VIOLENT JERK FORWARD AND BACK. HAS HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. VERY DANGEROUS-NEARLY BEEN IN THREE ACCIDENTS ALREADY. SO FAR THE DEALER HAS BLED THE CLUTCH, ADJUSTED THE CLUTCH, REPLACED THE CLUTCH, REPLACED KNOCK SENSOR, REPLACED COOLANT TEMP SENSOR AND REPLACED FRONT OXYGEN SENSOR AND PROBLEM STILL AS BAD AS EVER IF NOT WORSE.

NHTSA complaint #10107604 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 44,500 miles Irvington, NY

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE ENGINE BEGAN TO IDLE ROUGHLY QUITE A FEW MONTHS PRIOR (DEALER UNABLE TO DETECT ANY PROBLEM), SUBSEQUENTLY EXPERIENCED HESITATION FROM STOP; PROGRESSED TO FLUCTUATING IDLE SPEED FROM 750 TO 500 RPM WITH SELF CORRECTION TO 750 AFTER CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN AND FULLY WARMED UP WHICH PROGRESSED TO EPISODE OF HESITATION WHILE DRIVING UP HILL WITH NEAR ENGINE STALL. THEREAFTER HAD A FEW EPISODES OF ENGINE SURGING WHILE STOPPING IN DRIVE, WHICH DID NOT STOP WHEN PUT INTO EITHER NEUTRAL OR PARK (DEALER UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE ANY PROBLEM, DID SOFTWARE REPLACED BUT PROBLEM CONTINUED TO DEGENERATE). ENGINE STALLED WHEN IT CAME TO STOP THEN WHEN RESTARTED CONTINUED TO HAVE SURGING AS ABOVE DESCRIBED. ENGINE WOULD HAVE HESITATION AND NEAR STALL ALSO DURING REGULAR OPERATION ON HIGHWAY EVEN AT CRUISING SPEEDS FROM 20 MPH TO 65 MPH. DEALER CURRENTLY ATTEMPTING TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM AGAIN.

NHTSA complaint #10093177 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Slanesville, WV

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

WHEN APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL VEHICLE WOULD JERK AND EXPERIENCE SUDDEN DECELERATION. WHEN REMOVING PRESSURE FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE VEHICLE STALLS. DEALER INDICATES THIS IS NORMAL FOR THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE, AND THERE IS NO A REMEDY FOR THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #10034053 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Hawthorne, NJ

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION.

NHTSA complaint #10009276 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Englewood, CO Crash 3 injured

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE WENT INTO FULL THROTTLE RESULTING IN A CRASH. THE CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. *NLM *SCC

NHTSA complaint #8019949 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Barling, AR

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ENGINE STALLS ON ACCELERATION FROM A STOP. AT TIMES THE ENGINE WILL DIE WHEN ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED. DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER. DEALER STATES THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS VEHICLES WHICH HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. ALL OF THEM ARE 2002 MODELS. DEALER STATES THA TVEHICLE CANNON BE FIXED AT THIS TIME DUE TO A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT TO DO. THIS OCCURED THE FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST 2002. DEALER WAS CONTACTED ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2002 AND STATED THAT VEHICLE STILL COULD NOT BE REPAIRED DUE TO LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. DEALER STATED THAT THE ENGINEERS IN JAPAN WERE WORKING ON THE PROBLEM BUT IT WILL BE AT LEAST TWO MORE MONTHS BEFORE IT WOULD BE KNOWN WHAT IF ANYTHING COULD BE DONE.

NHTSA complaint #766781 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2002 Subaru Outback problems

← Full 2002 Subaru Outback report