Smart Fortwo Cabrio
Model Fortwo Cabrio made by Smart got 21 consumer complains as well as 2 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to electrical system and power train. Technical service bulletines regarding equipment.
Model 2008
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQUIPMENT - OTHER - LABELS | |||||
| 09-03-08 | 01/24/2008 | 10025723 | Pdi procedure can be accessed through the smart usa dealer portal. this new procedure details four additional pdi processes. *pe | 09/03/2008 | |
| EQUIPMENT - OTHER - OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL | |||||
| 09-03-08 | 01/24/2008 | 10025723 | Pdi procedure can be accessed through the smart usa dealer portal. this new procedure details four additional pdi processes. *pe | 09/03/2008 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 12/14/2012 | 70000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2008 smart fortwo cabrio. the contact stated that while driving 70 mph the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was restarted some time later. in the interim, the dealer was notified and informed the contact that there was an electrical failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs to the diode. the failure and current mileage was 70,000. kmj | |||
| 12/14/2012 | 70000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2008 smart. the contact stated while driving 70 mph the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was restarted some time later. in the interim the dealer was notified and he was informed there was an electrical failure. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for repair and a diode was replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure and current mileage was 70,000. dt | |||
| 04/16/2011 | 20380 | ||
| 1. high failure rate of heater blower motors. 2. high replacement cost (price gouging) for a blower motor based on the believed high current failure rate. 3. 3 blower failures 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. | |||
| 01/26/2009 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2008 smart fortwo, the ignition key is between the seats. at least eight times in traffic, i have accidentally turned the car off by bumping the key fob. the car sits dead in traffic until i can restart it. it has everything to do with the placement of the key. i challenge anyone over 200 lbs to take a hard left turn as in a avoidance maneuver and try not to slide to the right and accidentally kill the engine. someone is going to die in these small cars. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 04/14/2009 | 3000 | ||
| The transmission won't engage into reverse. called for help. they had me reach under gear shift and release a cable to move car, after i did that i went to work and car wouldn't shift out of gear into park. called and they picked it up to fix it, came back and i had no problem for a while and then it would shift but not lock into gear, rocked the car, pushed it and finally it worked, this is a repeat thing. i am having problem right this moment, i can't drive my car. i looked on line to see if there is a resolution and the internet is full of complaints of people having the same problem. pages and pages of them. if this is an on going issue why has there not been a recall to fix all these cars? i cannot be the only complaint that came to you. there are thousands. | |||
| 11/15/2008 | 8200 | 1 | |
| Noticed transmission shifter button hard to push in a couple of times. went to post office and was stranded there as i was unable to get the car out of park. this car has less than 9,000 miles on it. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/06/2008 | 3400 | 1 | |
| The shifter on my 2 month old smart car locked out of park and reverse, there fore not enabling the car to be turned off or to be placed into a safe condition after driving also possibility of not being able to move, as reverse became not functional. i was able to find a link on a web site that gave details as to how to take the mechanism apart and lube the mechanism. this has been occurring on a frequent basis on other smart cars, as annotated in the www.smartcarofamerica.com forum. *tr | |||
| SEAT BELTS | |||
| 03/02/2008 | 6700 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 smart fortwo cabrio. the contact stated that the passenger side seat belt gets caught and becomes inoperable. the seat belt fails to retract and restrain the passenger. a complaint was filed with the manufacturer and dealers and the contact was informed that someone would call him back; however, he has not yet received a call. the failure mileage was 6,700. updated 02/10/09 *bf updated 02/11/09. *jb | |||
| SEATS | |||
| 01/07/2011 | 52000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2008 smartcar cabrio. the contact stated that the vehicles driver-side leather heated seat burnt as a result of the heater . the vehicle was taken to the dealer diagnosed that the seat needed to be replaced or the heating element needed to be disconnected. the manufacturer was contacted and they can not help because the vehicle was not under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage 52,000 and the current mileage was 60,000. pm | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 05/30/2008 | 15000 | ||
| Frequently the driver's side door fails to latch even after numberous slams it still will not latch it seems to be worse when the weather gets hot. the only resolution to overcome this problem is to snap the inside release handle then slam the door to make it latch. my concern besides having trouble latching it is it becoming unlatched at some point while in motion. this problem has occurred on numerous occassions since the car was purchased. | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY | SMITHTOWN | SMART OF SMITHTOWN | 631-361-4500 |