[porschpow]

Well, on my way home I was driving when lights started flashing on my dash. Has this happened to anyone?

Lights that came on:
Traction control
Check Engine
Cruise (Blinks)
Emergency brakes (blinks)

My cruise control does not work and I cannot tell if my traction control is engaged or not engaged. I will be taking my car to the dealer tomorrow but does anybody know what is going on? Has this happened to anyone????

 

[mikelipke]

Gas cap not on tight or seal/gasket is bad

 

[porschpow]

Im actually gonna go to my car now and check. I filled up on Sunday and it happened monday evening (after ~130 miles of driving). Wouldn't you think the computers would have tipped off sooner than that?

 

[2012NU2US]

Christmas Lights

I'm not sure if your 2011 is the same as our 2012, but I got an E-mail from SOA yesterday about a software reprogram.
You could call up the dealer and check if yours is one of the affected vehicles. Email subject is:
Subaru Service Program WQC-39:Engine Control Module Reprogramming.

Good Luck
Ours goes in on Friday!

 

[mikelipke]

Im actually gonna go to my car now and check. I filled up on Sunday and it happened monday evening (after ~130 miles of driving). Wouldn't you think the computers would have tipped off sooner than that?

Dunno, but lots of threads on this.

 

[porschpow]

I think I received a letter in the mail a while ago about this. I am not sure and I will ask them (probably call them before I go) to see if they already addressed this. Thanks for bringing that up!

I have to go for an oil change anyway. I will check to see that the gas cap is on tight. And thank you for mentioning the gas cap thing..Never dawned on me.

 

[Unclviny]

I just went through this, 25 minutes at the dealership (including a car wash) and it was fixed. They reflashed the Trans Computer and cleaned the Gascap gasket.

Vince

 

[porschpow]

Do you think I should leave the gas cap alone until I get to the dealer (so that the car wont make a liar out of me)???

Reflashed the trans....dont believe they would do the same for a stick.

How did you score a car wash out of this?

 

[subiesailor]

LOL every dealer has detail guy during normal business hours - in many cases if the crew is just sitting around on their thumbs the dealer will run your car through even if all your doing is swinging by to say HI

 

[NinjaTurtle2.5]

Your "Christmas Lights" are the normal operating procedure for a Subaru with a Check Engine Light. It's limp-home mode, and it kills your performance and gas milage as well.

It very well may be something as simple as a gas cap gasket, but anytime you have something wrong, or "wrong", limp-home mode will kick in.

 

[hallux]

Do you think I should leave the gas cap alone until I get to the dealer (so that the car wont make a liar out of me)???

Reflashed the trans....dont believe they would do the same for a stick.

How did you score a car wash out of this?

That poster also has a 3.6, which has had several others on here posting about trans issues and the dash lights coming on randomly.

Car wash? My dealer washes it any time it's in for ANYTHING and encourages me to come in weekly for a free wash, which I take full advantage of in the winter. I imagine others at least offer a wash when in for service.

 

[denn888]

Well, on my way home I was driving when lights started flashing on my dash. Has this happened to anyone?

Lights that came on:
Traction control
Check Engine
Cruise (Blinks)
Emergency brakes (blinks)

My cruise control does not work and I cannot tell if my traction control is engaged or not engaged. I will be taking my car to the dealer tomorrow but does anybody know what is going on? Has this happened to anyone????

This happened to me too, 50 miles after I filled the tank, cruise control is disabled also. I re-seated the gas cap and made an appt with the dealer. Of course the day of the appt, 3 days later, everything is back to normal. Dealer checked for codes and did some kind of pressure check on fuel system an gas cap. They said the gasket on the gas cap went bad, taken care of under warranty....hope this helps

 

[Novablue]

Most time these lights come on it's something silly and small, especially low mileage cars (like the gas cap).
Sometimes a sensor goes bad and triggers the light.
Every once in a while something really bad happens.

The car sends the same lights for all conditions.

 

[porschpow]

Thank you guys!!! It has been confirmed that it was the bloody gas cap. LIMP MODE???wow didn't know that. The gas attendent forgot to screw on the gas cap...it wasn't even remotely on!! :28:
THIS IS WHY I PUMP MY OWN GAS!

I was dissapointed they didnt wash my car

 

[mudober]

Happened to me yesterday.I had filled up and drove about 10 miles when all the lights came on. I stopped and checked the cap nothing wrong there it seemed. X-mas program into computer?

 

[G-Omaha]

Bad gas - caused a misfire is my guess. Happy CEL/Christmas.

 

[05 llbean]

unless the 2011 outbacks are different than the 2005 outbacks they aren't in limp mode. Driveability isn't affected. Subaru doesn't believe that a check engine light is enough to inform you that the CEL came in. If your in the middle of an 800 mile trip and your gas cap isn't closed properly your dash board lights up like a christmas tree and you lose your cruise control. That makes sense.

 

[scoobydoo2]

Gas cap not on tight or seal/gasket is bad

...can't be the gas cap. I have been bright enough to drive away from a pay at the pump service station and drive away with the gas cap left off...no lights came on...for..oh...say...over 100km when I realized what I had done and put it back on.

 

[Sandroad]

I have lights flashing on my dashboard, but first a short rant…..Is there a reliable car made anymore? I had a well-cared for ’03 Honda that blew a transmission at 66,000 miles (just out of warranty). I traded that in for a ’09 Honda Hybrid that had a massive hybrid battery pack failure with associated electrical problems at 16,000 miles. I traded that in for an ’11 Outback that developed the dreaded steering shakes at 12,000 miles. I traded that in for my present 3.6R ’13 Outback that’s now flashing me at only 5000 miles. Looong string of problems! Anyway, after I back out of the garage in the morning and then put it in drive, 3 lights flash on the dashboard and beep for a few seconds, the i, the !, and the TPMS (no CEL). The tire pressures are always right on (32 psi all around) and the gas cap is tight. The lights began flashing right after an oil change and tire rotation at the dealer. The dealer claims nothing can be diagnosed until a light stays on, because until then, no codes are stored in the computer. I have a code reader but no codes are stored yet and it doesn’t read the TPMS. Searches on this forum have provided some useful things to look for (gas cap, TSBs, cold weather tire pressure, links to how the TPMS system works, recommendations to actually read the owner's manual, etc) but nothing has helped solve the problem. So, for right now, I have to put up with the uncertainty of what the flashing lights might mean eventually, if in fact they ever stay on. I hope it's just a transmission firmware re-flash needed. Yuck. If I ever find out what’s going on, I will post back.

 

[AO River]

...can't be the gas cap. I have been bright enough to drive away from a pay at the pump service station and drive away with the gas cap left off...no lights came on...for..oh...say...over 100km when I realized what I had done and put it back on.

The gas tank pressure check can be a finicky test to trigger. At least on my last car, the OBC had very particular requirements as to when it would actually check that the tank was sealed: e.g., every fourth time the ignition is turned over ONLY after the previous trip was 20+ miles in distance and the car had been sitting for less than 2 hours, and the tank has to be more than 1/4 full but less than 3/4 full. Something ridiculous like that, I kid you not.

So if the OB OBC is anything like that, it may have just not triggered the check the time you did it.