Flashing brake, traction control, cruise control, and check engine lights

Asked by Guru1CYNY Sep 04, 2019 at 08:47 PM about the 2012 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My 2012 Subaru Outback recently started having some lights flash on the
dashboard. After driving for about 45 minutes on the highway, I noticed that
the brake light was flashing, the check engine indicator was on, the traction
control light was on, and the cruise control were all flashing. My car has no
obvious changes in performance, so I am puzzled as to why this happened.

I bought this car used from a dealership 3 months ago with about 100k miles,
and I've put on almost 3k since. I had the brakes checked out by a dealership
two months ago, so I am almost positive that the brakes are not the problem.

I did some research on the internet and tried tightening the gas cap, but they
stayed on. Does anyone know what I should do?

15 Answers

685

Scan for fault codes. When the engine has a fault code it deactivates the cruise control and causes the dash warning lights to come on. I had the same problem on my 06 outback wagon. Also if you do not have a scan tool you can just wait till you cycle the ignition switch 6 times and it will clear the code if it is not a hard code meaning that you have a real problem not just a temporary fault.

17 people found this helpful.
3,210

A bit ambiguous above.... Better to scan the code and/or disconnect battery to reset ECM. CEL will recur after 3 start/runs if problem continues. Then scan again, and repair this chronic problem. 2010- 12012 SOHC 2/5i do not have a chronic PO420 cat conv code CEL, so it's probably something else. Report back.

10 people found this helpful.
150

2011 2.5 Outback. 138k miles (all are mine). Had the 100,000 mile transmission service done at dealer. Had timing chain done as well. I have the traction control, Cruise flash, AT oil temp and CEL. Had the codes pulled at auto part store. Came back with Transmission/torque converter codes P0700 and P2763. This isn’t an answer other than to say it’s happening to me too.

15 people found this helpful.
80

My 2013 Legacy is flashing the BRAKE and AT Oil Temp symbols and the Traction Control is lit up. OReilly's said there was no code showing and to check fuses. I can't find any fuses out. I have it scheduled to go to a mechanic next week, but would like to get ideas about what it could be. No Subaru dealers within 100 miles.

8 people found this helpful.
110

Ask them to check out the center dif. For my 10 Subaru, all your tires are supposed to be within a certain thread range or it can destroy your center dif

7 people found this helpful.
80

My Subaru saga/sob story: 2014 outback 2.5 Flashing brake/cruise; Steady engine/traction Began while driving; stopped the car, fiddled with connections inside cubby side left of steering wheel; ran through the parking brake on/off protocol, no lights on restart....same same over 2-3 days intermittently (I make very few trips most less than 5 mi)....autozone green lights battery. Into the dealership I go for dash light diagnostics (130 std fee).....after 30-45 min waiting area I’m advised that it took a little while because they had to put gas in as the “car wouldn’t start”..definitely low but wouldn’t start, but whatever, could very well be. Service admin says there’s a coolant leak...maybe a crack in radiator & “if that’s the case then the technician is concerned could have caused a blown HG...also recommend replace worn belt/Pulley system making constant chirping sound..estimate 780 for new radiator p&l and 30p fit belt+pulleys, but won’t get into queue until tomorrow....no callback on sat (supposedly had my number down wrong by one digi) and when I call on Monday they say they are still working/ radiator replace and the technician is still concerned about a possible blown head gasket...5:00 they call to advise still not quite finished try tomorrow morning... Cars been at dealership 4 days now with dicey communication and no loaner. Around 3:00 callback to advise that “yep the technician took it on test drive after radi replace and that HG is blown, “I’ll get ya an estimate but that’s usually between 4-5k”. All this time without a car and I’d done some extensive research and responded that Subaru was aware of widespread HG issues so should be under the ext warranty now...service adviser had “never heard of that” but would check on that and loaner car I was requesting. Receive text that yep that shud be under ex warranty/still working on loaner. Got dropped off and was told still no loaner and waiting in ex warranty depot still sorry you were dropped off..np I’m here til y’all find a loaner/rental off the lot since I’m outside “shuttle distance”. Next up, looks like actually not covered under warranty since we replaced radiator, can’t be defect. Dealership directs me to file a comprehensive claim with my insurance fii I r coverage instead since again looking at like $4-5k. Fast forward 2 days and a LOT of runaround and total contradictions (advises that it was a Hole in radiator, not a leak I must have run over something )...,,insurance denied HG coverage cuz, you guessed it, radiator was replaced but most interesting is that the radiator replacement that would be covered came in $300 less than dealer invoices on Friday and $46 less than my out of pocket deductible... But wait there’s more... insurance apprauaser says HG not covered because when he was there the technician did a trip count & found that after the fault code P0128 was triggered , there were 77 key turns and after fault code P0117 there were 33 key turns. Which therefore meant I continued driving and driving and driving and letting it overheat after the initial warning sensor. Wow, so was it the road hazard that knocked a hole in the radiator or the 77 key turns of overheating, seems weird it’s both right. Also explained the routine is done REPEATEDLY in my driveway after any short drive that triggered the YouTube favorite light sequence..:. 77 times huh. Why was it necessary to tell me radiator meant nogo on warranty, advise I submit a comprehensive claim to cover since that’s a driving hazard then when that didn’t pan out, start looking into jet turns since that ole magic cider cane up that I ignored and ignored until all the coolant was gone either cuz it was low or because The hole in radiator from the road hazard. Dealership has had my car for 12 days now after replacing 1100 in radiator/belt/pulleys and now are ready to invoice me fir the blown HG that the service tech INTUITIVELY knew about 4 days prior to taking the car on test drive after putting in a new radiator......um, what? I am absolutely Astonished by the day-day contradictions and backpedaling..and this is where we are after 12 whole days? That seems like enough tune to turn the key at least 59 times I’m thinking

8 people found this helpful.
850

Subaguru7, im getting these lights now and your response is the most annoying useless masturbatory journaling I've ever seen. Just buy a diary.

85 people found this helpful.
100

Subaguru7 , what the heck are you smoking ? I want some :-) all that bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla .........bla bla bla with zero meaning hahaha insane.

10 people found this helpful.
310

Sure would be nice is the people who make these posts actually came back with an answer for the rest of us. I have this exact problem yesterday. Please advise.

31 people found this helpful.
100

This is an ongoing saga for me and it has pushed me right out of love with my Subaru! I think I will be trading this in and going back to a more reliable vehicle. This seems to be a flat out planned "drive the owner" into the poorhouse!!!" As these cars are difficult to work on and not like others in many forms under the hood! Once it gets into the hands of a Subie mechanic or not, it is very expensive to wade through all the codes and replacements to get the lights off only to have them come back on in a week or two or several! Good grief! I have enjoyed my ride but this year long EXPENSIVE gouge is the final straw for this current brand of technological rip off under the hood. There are no answers, only another "We can check it out and call you when we find it" Hahahaha So disappointed

10 people found this helpful.
40

I have a similar problem as well. I noticed a slight vibration in my steering wheel today, and when i was driving for about 10 min. at 55 mpg my check engine, brake light, and Traction Light came on. I have not run the code yet, but I have an appointment with a mechanic to get it looked at. This is after I had my alignment straightened out the week prior at a different shop. Mechanic said it could be faulty speed sensor, but that a rim could be bent too. I'll have a more definitive answer soon, hopefully.

4 people found this helpful.
210

I have a 2012 Outback (162K miles (all mine)). This is the 2nd time these lights have all come on (Christmas tree - brake light flashing, cruise flashing, traction control, and check engine lights all simultaneously came on).. First time, I was driving down the freeway, lights came on. I pulled off, turned the car off and back on and they reset themselves. The 2nd time was tonight. I was only driving for 5 minutes and the Christmas tree lights lit up again. I pulled over tried turning off the car and restarting it 2 x. No luck this time. Got home and took off the negative side (black) of terminal on the battery. Left it off for 2 minutes, put it back on, and restarted the car (give it a minute to re-boot after putting the battery lead back on) and all the Christmas tree lights were off. I'll take it!

21 people found this helpful.
130

I have a 2012 Outback and the light issues started last night. I googled the problem and it took me here. I tried the tip about taking the negative battery cable off and putting it back on. Thanks Mark, that worked. Now I'll see if the lights come back on again. Keeping my fingers crossed it will be ok for awhile.

13 people found this helpful.
90

I had the same issue as above, turned out that my battery was faulty, still starting the car though. Got a new battery and hey presto, fixed!

9 people found this helpful.
510

PLEASE READ! I bought a 2011 Subaru Outback last August. Everything was fine until this past May when while driving the cruise, drive (D), traction, and brake lights on the dash came on. Two lights were steady, two were flashing. I immediately started research and saw many others had the same problems. My husband and I tried what some people had suggested....tinkering with the gas cap, disconnected the battery, etc. At first disconnecting the battery worked. The lights all turned off. About a week later, all the lights came back on. We again disconnected the battery, a quick fix. Not long after, our second time disconnecting the battery, I was leaving work, when the Subaru wouldn't start. My husband came and gave me a jump. After that I was nervous to drive the car because some days it would start and some days it wouldn't. My husband and I checked the battery and it still had power. Just to be on the safe side, we decided to buy a new battery (since we bought the car used and didn't know how old the battery was). Even with a new battery, the car would still not start on some days. I was to the point where I just wanted to junk the car, I stopped driving it because I was afraid of it not starting. So, one day, my husband decided to crawl under the car and fix the clamps that were holding the heat shield because when the car did start, it made an awful rattling noise. While he was under the car, he noticed that the ground wire was broken. He went to Napa and got a new one for $7. So far, the car has been running with no problems (knock on wood). Let's hope that was the problem, because when I researched the symptoms of a broken ground wire on the Subaru Outback...both the car not starting randomly, and certain lights flashing on the dashboard were symptoms. So before taking it to a mechanic and spending a fortune, check the ground wire. Hope this helps, good luck.

51 people found this helpful.

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