Hi- I have a 2003 Forester and the gas petal is sticking. It sticks when I first start the car, or it has been on cruise control for more than 20ish minutes. When I start the car, I put it in natural and stomp on the petal with all of my might, and it will break free. I have had it into the garage several times, and my guy says he will ?call a buddy to see what he thinks?. I can only bench press about 140 pounds with my legs and it takes about 120 pounds of force to break it free. What do should I do?
Laurie from Milwaukee
Actually, I have no idea how much I can bench with my legs)
You may just need a good throttle body cleaning, but if it really as hard as you say, you may need either a new throttle body or a new throttle cable. You need to find a better garage too.
This is one of the few times I would recommend the dealer. WIth all the news about problems with throttles, it might be a good idea to take it to the dealer. I am sure Subaru does not want any publicity about sticking accelerator peddles.You need a new mechanic. One who needs to call a buddy isn’t good enough.
If the pedal (flowers have petals, cars have pedals) is sticking as badly as you say, I’d suggest the vehicle is unsafe to drive and should be trucked to a mechanic or a Subaru dealer.
Don’t let anyone tow it. Towing will damage the AWD system.
You should never, under any circumstances, have to stomp on the pedal. Get it fixed before something really bad happens.
I want to second mcparadise’s advice regarding both the car and its gas pedal.
The OP’s current mechanic is clearly not up to the task of fixing this problem, which could involve the throttle body or could be another problem altogether. Whether the OP takes the car to a dealership or to an independent Subaru specialist, this situation needs to be fixed because it is currently a safety hazard.
If the car needs to be transported, be sure to tell the towing company that you need a flat-bed auto carrier, rather than a tow truck. Otherwise, you are in for even bigger problems.