2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Smart › Fortwo Coupe › 2008
These records cover every 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
20 complaints1 involved a fire1 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Steering
Power steering fails while driving and becomes like steering a mac truck extremely difficult to turn the wheel forcing the vehicle to go straight instead of turning causing the car to come into oncoming traffic. *tr
- Engine and engine cooling
While driving down the north dallas tollway I heard a sudden loud "pop" noise in the back of my car where my engine IS located. it was startling enough to pull off onto the shoulder of the highway and exit my car immediately to see where the noise came from. upon exiting my vehicle, I saw coming…
While driving down the north dallas tollway I heard a sudden loud "pop" noise in the back of my car where my engine IS located. it was startling enough to pull off onto the shoulder of the highway and exit my car immediately to see where the noise came from. upon exiting my vehicle, I saw coming from the back of the car where the engine IS located flames coming out of the engine. I immediately removed myself from the vicinity of the car and within moments my car was engulfed in flames. had I not pulled off to the shoulder when I did, my story would not be coming directly from me but from my obituary stating my cause of death. I checked with my auto insurance to see if any recalls had been made on my car but none had been made. I curiously searched the internet to see if any other people had experience something similar with there smart cars to frighteningly come upon the website www.smartcarssuck.com. to my horror I saw photo after photo of cars in various stages of being engulfed in flames. To make matters worse I see that mercedes benz has been notified of this death trap yet have not chosen to recall or check into the issue. I was informed as there has not been a death or injury attached to this occurrence no change will be made. it IS very tragic that a company as large as mercedes benz has been a derelict in how they have handled this issue. I was always under the impression they strived to make the safest vehicle on the road. it will be my mission to inform people of the dangers of this vehicle and until this issue IS resolved the vehicle should not be purchased. I will also inform as many auto insurance companies of this and to not insure these vehicles until it IS resolved. I consider myself one of the lucky ones who was able to get out alive and will take this second chance as an opportunity to make my mess into a message and save lives. *Tr
- Engine · Power train
Several times my 2008 smart will not go into reverse gear.or start sometimes as explained in many other post here. Mb said that its my clutch assemby, mb report says (1) transmission need to be removed inspect clutch disk pressure plates and thowout bearing/ clutch will not teach in causing engine…
Several times my 2008 smart will not go into reverse gear.or start sometimes as explained in many other post here. Mb said that its my clutch assemby, mb report says (1) transmission need to be removed inspect clutch disk pressure plates and thowout bearing/ clutch will not teach in causing engine lamp cost $1359.00 and if that dont work (2) clutch assemby replacement of clutch thowout bearing pressure plate if needed when transmission IS out parts only $1031.20 this car only has 38,326 miles on it I am the 2ND owner pad got the car with 4,500 miles on it. Mb and smartusa have been no help at all in this matter
- Power train
This car has periodically failed to go into reverse and drive. last event that I experienced IS when I actually realized it to be an safety issue. I got into my car that was parked in my drive way to take my daughter to school. I started the car as usual and proceeded to place it in reverse. It…
This car has periodically failed to go into reverse and drive. last event that I experienced IS when I actually realized it to be an safety issue. I got into my car that was parked in my drive way to take my daughter to school. I started the car as usual and proceeded to place it in reverse. It was backing down the driveway as I believed it should. A car was coming down the road which would normally not be a problem but this time it was different my car was not truly engaged into reverse and wouldn't and also wouldn't go into drive. My car rolled down the driveway into the road instead. I have a problem maneuvering out of the way as the other driver was expecting me to be able. I had to turn the car off and restart it. The other driver that was heading my way had to slam the brakes and nearly hit us. I brought this problem up with mercedes and smart car. They have been aware that this problem exists. When I was at the service station for a tmps problem that no one else could fix, I told them then. They told me that it needed a computer update. I told them that they could fix it but I couldn't afford to pay for it. They allowed me to leave with the car. I have researched and found that this IS something that many smart cars like mine are experiencing. There IS a youtube video out. I feel that I could have been hurt by this defect. I feel that others could be getting hurt by this defect. Smart car has never notified me of this defect before. They are only willing at my expense to fix it. I told them that they needed to notify others and they told me that that was not something that they are willing to do. Please do something to make this company fix their product and spare the lives of innocent victims. Here IS an example of the problem and this IS not my video. Follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iwbpvzksze
- Power train
I own 2 of the 2008 smart fortwo automobiles (pure & cabrio). Both have periodically been balky shifters (stuck when trying to move the gear selector out of park). One has briefly refused to shift into any gear, independent of the gear indicated. Both have briefly refused to shift out of park...…
I own 2 of the 2008 smart fortwo automobiles (pure & cabrio). Both have periodically been balky shifters (stuck when trying to move the gear selector out of park). One has briefly refused to shift into any gear, independent of the gear indicated. Both have briefly refused to shift out of park... Until today when my wife was stuck in park at a red light. The ABS light had come on, my wife decided to see if she could clear the indicator. She quickly put it in park, engine off then on, but vehicle remained stuck in park. A deputy moved traffic around her. I arrived & after repeated attempts for 20 minutes, it finally released from park into drive. I drove it home & thoroughly lubricated the shifter mechanism per posts on the smart car of america forums. As I re-read this thread containing 4 years of contributors, there IS an impression that the factory released a 1ST, then 2ND generation of shifter replacement hardware. There IS abundant owner feedback that there IS a reliability issue in gear-shifting, at least on the 2008 model. Per my local dealership in st charles, il, there IS no factory recall for this issue. The dealership will run a $120 diagnostic, but repair IS at the expense of the owner. Apparently, I am on my own to purchase updated shifter hardware, or self-maintain sufficient lube on the original, balky shifter hardware. If one ever pulls over in a remote or dangerous area & puts the transmission in park, he may be stuck there permanently, until rescued. In dangerously cold weather, this mechanical failure could be fatal. In traffic, this could have led to a serious accident. On what other vehicle would this behavior be tolerated? If 2 out of 2 of my vehicles exhibit this issue, it IS widespread, & a danger to operators of this vehicle. I'm going to also report it using my other 2008 smart fortwo vin next. *tr
- Fuel system, gasoline
This being a 2008 smart passion for two......a leaking gas tank on a 4 year old vehicle......contacted mb/smart at their headquarters in nj...trying to get them to replace this under the manufacturer defective part to no avail. Local mb/smart dealership charged me $1717 for its replacement.....no vehicle should lose its gas tank being only four years old, any brand.
- Electronic stability control (esc) · Service brakes, hydraulic
Driving on CA70 south towards plumas lake blvd. Exit, braking lightly from 55 mph to 35mph to exit the freeway caused ABS and electronic stability program (esp)((electronic stability control)) exclamation lights to light up which denoted the ABS and esp disabled. when coming to a stop at the stop…
Driving on CA70 south towards plumas lake blvd. Exit, braking lightly from 55 mph to 35mph to exit the freeway caused ABS and electronic stability program (esp)((electronic stability control)) exclamation lights to light up which denoted the ABS and esp disabled. when coming to a stop at the stop sign, the smart was shut down and restarted to reset the ABS and esp for safety only to find that the transmission would not shift from park to drive and was locked into park. this created a very dangerous situation where the car was unable to be shifted to neutral to move the car into the shoulder and the car was stuck in the middle of the road with cars exiting the freeway (hazard lights were on). to get out of a dangerous situation, an online forum that discusses the smart car (www.smartcarsofamerica.com) showed that if the shifter IS stuck into park to check and see if the brake lights in the rear were working. the brake rear brake lights were checked and there was no light emitting from them. the site stated that if there was no brake light then that pointed the problem to the brake light switch which IS a known issue with the smart fortwo na451 models. a remedy was recommended to get out of park by rapidly pressing and depressing the brake pedal to get the light to come on which would disable the parking lock on the shifter. that worked and got me out of a dangerous position on the roadway where there was not sufficient time to contact the california highway patrol or a tow truck to get me off the road. I strongly recommend a recall to be drafted to replace the brake light switch on all smart na451 models as they can be defective. *tr
- Electrical system
1.High failure rate of heater blower motors. 2.high replacement cost $340+ (price gouging) for a blower motor based on the believed high current failure rate. 3.3 blower failures have occurred in 54K miles. 4.vehicle was new in 4/2008, I am original owner 5.NO heat creates a high safety risk to…
1.High failure rate of heater blower motors. 2.high replacement cost $340+ (price gouging) for a blower motor based on the believed high current failure rate. 3.3 blower failures have occurred in 54K miles. 4.vehicle was new in 4/2008, I am original owner 5.NO heat creates a high safety risk to consumer who use the vehicle in extreme weather conditions. 6.NO heat can create visibility issue due to inability to properly defrost the windows. 7.NO heat presents a health issue to older users in cold weather who may have limited circulation. 8.NO heat presents a safety issue to other drivers due to: a.poor visibility b.driver distraction due to comfort c.driver distraction due to gage panel manipulation 9.NO heat creates a health issue in the event of being stranded due to severe weather. Failure to heat the occupant space could lead to severe injury or death. 10.disassembly and repair of the blower motor IS not part of the consumer regular service requirements. 11.smart does not recommend changing of the blower motor during regular service intervals. So far smart has done all service to the vehicle at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50K. Not once was blower motor a suggested service item. 12.smart therefore believes the blower motor to have significant life and does not need service. *tr
- Structure
The plastic roof in my 2009 smart fortwo had been cracking substantially from either heat or cleaning chemicals. *Tr
- Structure › Body
Crazing and failure of makrolon (polycarbonate) roof on all smart for two coupes from 2008 to present. polycarbonate (pc) material the transparent roof panel IS made from disintegrates from uv sunlight or heat beyond its 150F rating exacerbated by smart's sunshade inside the car. pc IS not…
Crazing and failure of makrolon (polycarbonate) roof on all smart for two coupes from 2008 to present. polycarbonate (pc) material the transparent roof panel IS made from disintegrates from uv sunlight or heat beyond its 150F rating exacerbated by smart's sunshade inside the car. pc IS not resistant to ozone and other chemicals listed here: http://www.sheffieldplastics.com/web_docs/makrolon%20chemical%20resistance.pdf many of which are in the air and in cleaning supplies. from this mfg web..."exposing makrolon sheet to repeated steam cleaning or dish washing can create hydraulic crazing. The result can be a clouding of the surface and ultimately a loss of physical strength properties." temperatures measured between sunshade and makrolon roof panel in sc parking lot far exceeds 150F spec, causing the observed failures. these failures will, eventually, consume the plastic roof which will fall on occupants or explode outwards onto following traffic when, not if, the plastic finally fails, structurally. the failure IS slow and takes a year or more to materialize. as this model IS only 2 years old, just out of warranty, smart has done nothing to recall/replace the defective material, stonewalling the customers to the problem. before someone gets hurt, or this panel fails and falls on the children or causes panic to the driver, this roof panel should be recalled, even out of warranty because it takes more than the 2-year warranty period for the failure to occur, by force of government if necessary. smart replaces one defective panel with another under warranty, which does not solve the problem of defective material, so the problem repeats. a forced recall to replace with other material more realistic to intense uv sunshine in a hot parking lot IS warranted because of the company's attitude towards proper replacement with a different material. thank you for your consideration in this matter. *Tr
- Equipment
I have a 2008 smart fortwo and for about 9 months now the blower motor has been working intermittently. I can't seem to detect any pattern for when it does and does not work. It sometimes will work as soon as I start the car, if not it will eventually work after driving for a period of time. It has…
I have a 2008 smart fortwo and for about 9 months now the blower motor has been working intermittently. I can't seem to detect any pattern for when it does and does not work. It sometimes will work as soon as I start the car, if not it will eventually work after driving for a period of time. It has also not worked at all for hours or sometimes days and then work perfectly for hours and sometimes days. I called the dealer (smart center of engelwood (nj)) about this problem and they said they are increasingly coming across issues that I have described and they recommend replacing the blower motor at a cost of almost $400.00. I went onto a smart car blog website and there are an aweful lot of smart car owners complaining about the same problem. It could be a potential safety issue because if the windshield becomes fogged up and the blower motor does not function, outside visibility would be dangerously obstructed. This has happened to me but I was able to pull over to the side of the road and open the windows until I was able to see through the windows again.i have not replaced the blower motor yet but will be in the very near future. It seems to me this IS a design or manufacture defect with the blower motor and at the very least, an investigation by your agency IS in order. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
- Power train › Clutch assembly · Service brakes, hydraulic
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mercedes smart car fortwo coupe. The contact stated that the actuator and clutch plate were replaced twice within a year. The failure has occurred while driving various speeds. Whenever he shift gears from park and engage the brake pedal the gears were stuck. The failure…
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mercedes smart car fortwo coupe. The contact stated that the actuator and clutch plate were replaced twice within a year. The failure has occurred while driving various speeds. Whenever he shift gears from park and engage the brake pedal the gears were stuck. The failure has occurred on three occasions; however, the dealer has not been contacted. The failure mileage was 36,000. The current mileage was 81,000. updated 03/04/10 *bf updated 06/02/10
- Structure › Body
The service flap (hood) on my 2009 smart car has detached twice. In each incident the vehicle was being towed behind a motorhome. after the first incident the dealership sent me a new hood and I installed it myself as there was no dealer within 1,500 miles of my location. After the second time…
The service flap (hood) on my 2009 smart car has detached twice. In each incident the vehicle was being towed behind a motorhome. after the first incident the dealership sent me a new hood and I installed it myself as there was no dealer within 1,500 miles of my location. After the second time and with more damage done smartusa IS claiming that the hood was not properly secured by me causing it to come off. This time extensive damage occurred to the vehicle. I was also informed that this has happened before and that in all instances smartusa faults the owners for not properly replacing the hood. I am concerned that if this IS a continuing issue and also happens when then car IS not being towed that a hood flying off could cause a severe safety hazard. The hood remains attached to the vehicle by a strap and will flap in front of the driver until speed IS reduced. This could cause panic and an accident could result. *Tr
- Structure › Body
I have owned my 2009 smart fortwo since december 2008 and have had this problem occur twice. While towing the smart on a trailer behind my motorhome one of the pins holding the hood broke causing the hood to come off. The hood IS held on by two plastic pins and a cloth strap. The strap restrained…
I have owned my 2009 smart fortwo since december 2008 and have had this problem occur twice. While towing the smart on a trailer behind my motorhome one of the pins holding the hood broke causing the hood to come off. The hood IS held on by two plastic pins and a cloth strap. The strap restrained the hood causing it to flap around the front of the car. This caused damage to all the front panels and the windshield. Luckily I was not driving the car at the time. If I had been driving when this happened it could have caused a major accident. *Tr
- Fuel system, gasoline
Fuel gauge sticks at 7/8 - many reports to smart car of america forums. Will not properly report fuel levels. *Tr
- Power train › Driveline
Gearshift button IS stuck. car cannot be shifted into drive. *Tr
- Power train
My new smart car would not shift into reverse or park. the button on the shifter lever would not depress. many owners are finding this problem. there IS a do-it-yourself fix listed. however this problem IS due to faulty manufacture and needs to be recalled and replaced. *Tr
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Gear shifter stuck in park. Unable to move car. Many others having same problem. See: http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f25/gear-knob-button-stuck-4454/ http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f25/diy-gear-shift-removal-lube-short-video-5428/ this appears to be a serious problem. *tr
- Unknown or other
I recently bought a smart for two car from a person in st. Louis, technically it was "used" but on had less than 200 miles on it. I then drove it home to indiana. According to the owners manual, supposedly there IS a card in the glove box that you send in if you buy the car used, that way the…
I recently bought a smart for two car from a person in st. Louis, technically it was "used" but on had less than 200 miles on it. I then drove it home to indiana. According to the owners manual, supposedly there IS a card in the glove box that you send in if you buy the car used, that way the smart headquarters knows where the car IS, who the new owner IS, and how to reach you in case of a recall. The card was missing so I called the 800 number of smart hq to see if they could register the car for me over the phone. They said they could not, that the dealer has to do that. So I went to my local smart dealer in indianapolis and gave them the vin, they said they could not access the car's records in the computer since they were not the dealer who sold the car. So I called the dealer in st. Louis, they had no idea how to register the car in my name and referred me back to the headquarters. So now I am stuck, if there IS a recall or safety issue, I would never know about it because the smart company does not know I have the car. How can I get my car in their computer so they can reach me if needed? *tr
- Engine and engine cooling
Approximately four nights ago, after exiting the highway, my smart car lost all power and came to a stop in the middle of the street. although the vehicle was still in drive and I had not touched the ignition, even the lights on the vehicle and the radio inside the car cut off completely. there…
Approximately four nights ago, after exiting the highway, my smart car lost all power and came to a stop in the middle of the street. although the vehicle was still in drive and I had not touched the ignition, even the lights on the vehicle and the radio inside the car cut off completely. there was no warning and no warning lights came on. I was forced to place the vehicle into park and turn the key to start the vehicle back. as soon as I did this, the car returned to normal and I completed the journey home. *tr
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Engine Compartment Fire
On April 30, 2018, Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, (Mercedes-Benz) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA regarding a defect that could result in a vehicle fire starting from the engine compartment in 42,781 model year (MY) 2008 and 2009 Smart Fortwo cabrio and coupe vehicles (451 platform).According to…
On April 30, 2018, Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, (Mercedes-Benz) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA regarding a defect that could result in a vehicle fire starting from the engine compartment in 42,781 model year (MY) 2008 and 2009 Smart Fortwo cabrio and coupe vehicles (451 platform).According to Mercedes-Benz?s DIR, ?the rear insulation mat within the engine compartment might deform, deteriorate, loosen and over time, subsequently be able to contact hot components of the exhaust system.This could lead to an ignition of the insulation mat and possible fire in the engine compartment.?The US-specification exhaust system has an external catalytic converter packaged close to the insulation mat, where temperatures in the vicinity of the insulation mat reach high values.Over time, these temperatures can lead to a change in the insulation mat's material characteristics and ultimately allow the material to deform. Depending on the magnitude and the specific location of the deformation, the insulation mat could contact hot components of the exhaust system and ignite.Mercedes-Benz will replace the rear insulation mat on the affected vehicles with the improved mat first implemented in the United States in MY 2010 vehicles.ODI?s analysis of fire incident field data reported to NHTSA and Mercedes-Benz show an increasing trend of non-crash fires in the subject vehicles that begins after 4 years of service and accelerates after 7 years of service.The analysis shows that this trend is driven by fires occurring in the engine compartment.Forensic investigations of fires occurring in the past year identified the insulation mat as a likely or possible cause of most of the fires originating in the engine compartment.This investigation is closed based on Mercedes-Benz insulation mat recall.For more information about field data trends and fire investigations, see the closing resume in the document file for this investigation.
- Engine Compartment Fire
On December 16, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE16-016 to investigate eight complaints alleging incidents of engine compartment fire while driving or shortly after engine shutdown in model year (MY) 2008 through 2009 Smart Fortwo vehicles.The complaints appeared to…
On December 16, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE16-016 to investigate eight complaints alleging incidents of engine compartment fire while driving or shortly after engine shutdown in model year (MY) 2008 through 2009 Smart Fortwo vehicles.The complaints appeared to indicate an increasing trend, with all eight fires occurring since January 2015.As part of PE16-016, ODI analyzed information related to incidents reported to the Office by consumers, analyzed field data and technical information submitted by Mercedes-Benz USA (Mercedes) in response to the PE16-016 information request letter, and analyzed non-crash vehicle fire claim data provided by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).To date, ODI's analysis of incidents reported by consumers and provided by Mercedes has identified 27 incidents of open flame fires originating in the engine compartments of the subject vehicles, 14 of which were reported to ODI by Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) and 18 involving complaints or field reports to Mercedes (5 of the incidents were reported to both ODI and Mercedes).One incident reported to Mercedes includes an allegation of an injury from smoke inhalation.Nineteen (19) of the incidents occurred since January 2015.Mercedes has only investigated 2 of the 27 fire incidents, and the company was unable to identify a vehicle-based cause for either incident.To further assess incident rates and trends, ODI requested fire claim data for the subject vehicles and eight peer vehicles from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).HLDI collects insurance claim data from companies representing over 80 percent of the market for private passenger vehicle insurance in the United States.ODI?s analysis of the HLDI data, which covered the period from 2010 through late-2016, found that the MY 2008 Fortwo vehicles had a significantly higher claim frequency than its peers and, similar to ODI?s complaint trend, experienced a sharp increase in claims in 2015.This investigation has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA17-003) to continue to investigate the high frequency and increasing trend of non-crash engine compartment fire incidents in the subject vehicles.The VOQs associated with the opening of this investigation were:10676359, 10780222, 10790017, 10820891, 10872656, 10944676, 10916505, 10924311, 10924637, 10939504, 10945296, 10993895, 11011100, 11011565.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10167526Highline can only be operated to a limited extent or not at all; the input points (contact points) are shifted horizontally relative to the display; calibration is not possible.
- 10167515PreConditioning of the vehicle via the Vehicle Homepage or the instrument cluster does not function or is restricted.
- 10167514PreConditioning of the vehicle via the Vehicle Homepage or the instrument cluster does not function or is restricted.
- 10167486Range does not meet customer's expectations. Customers usually differentiate as follows: 1. Total of distance driven + indicated range remaining with one HV battery charge too low 2. Actual range until the drive system shuts down too low
- 10167028If the Radio 9 was switched off while driving, it can switch itself back on again the next time the engine is started.
- 10044208Smart: high-voltage battery software update.
- 10025723Pdi procedure can be accessed through the smart USA dealer portal. This new procedure details four additional pdi processes.
Every Smart Fortwo Coupe model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.