I'd really appreciate knowing if other members with '05 Outback Ltd (non-turbo) models are having problems with "surging" at freeway speeds. This annoying problem is most noticable when the car has the cruise control on and there is light torque on the engine or light accelerator pressure ... especially, for instance, when cresting a hill and beginning the downhill slope. I also notice a "jerk" sensation with cruise off when I very lightly apply throttle pressure on level grades. I'm not talking steep hill grades either ... just normal interstate grades that all commuters in the Seattle area experience.
It feels to me like the throttle mechanism is opening and closing too much as the cruise searches for the right amount of throttle to keep speed constant. It's so bad that I have to turn the cruise control off until I reach a level spot on the interstate ... which essentially makes use of the cruise control useless for most of my daily commute. This is really an annoying problem for a new $30,000 car ... so much so that if I could get out of this car without losing my shirt I would ... hmmm, now I kind of wish I'd bought the Passat instead. BUT ... I'll be patient for a bit until Subaru has a chance to address this issue and fix it for us.
There are many threads here related to similar problems ... and as suggested, I've tried cleaning TBS contacts, clearing the cpu ... driving "easily" until the computer can establish new parameters etc ... all to no avail. The car still surges.
If this is a common problem with 05 models ... please let me know so perhaps we can get Subaru to fix it for us. I hope that if we can speak with a clear and unified voice on this problem, and get the word out over the internet that there IS a problem, we may get a meaningful response and a FIX.
The "official" response from Subaru customer service that I was given yesterday regarding this problem was:
1). Subaru does not recommend using cruise on downhill slopes, and
2). They are not aware of surging problems on this new generation of car.
Hmmm ... sounds like Subaru is either in denial or trying to cover up this problem to me!
Thanks all ... looking forward to any responses, suggestions, thoughts about what is going on here with my car etc.
ForrestB