KnownCarProblems2008 Smart Fortwo Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Smart Fortwo, most often about the engine (32% of complaints, typically around 47,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Fortwo model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2008 Smart Fortwo problems
Engine
45 complaints · 32%Half of these problems showed up before 47,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine.
Went to start car in garagewhen it make an odd sound and smelled of smoke. Tokko car in to dealer and they said top of engine around valves was blown. 46,000 miles on it...been holding on to it waiting for a recall. Car is still in my shed.
The contact owns a 2008 Smart Fortwo. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18v273000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact experienced the failure listed in the recall three years ago. The manufacturer was contacted and refused to pay for the repairs, stating that the contact failed to…
Transmission
32 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 30,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
Driving on interstate on a hot day. After approx. 1 hour of driving, slowed down to change lanes, put on brakes, screen went blank and there were no gears. Nothing...the car was still running, but there was no way to move, as if it was in neutral. Went online and found that other owners had same problem. Went through…
The contact owns a 2008 Smart Fortwo. After the vehicle was started and shifted into reverse, it failed to respond. The vehicle was taken to mercedes-benz of orlando (810 orlando ave, maitland, fl 32751, ([phone]) to be diagnosed, but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Electrical
20 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 33,000 miles. Parts named most often: alternator/generator/regulator.
.........I not the curren owner for this vehicle but, my Smart is affected with the same problem or fault-defect. Https://www.iaai.com/vehicle?itemid=31877430&rownumber=9&loadrecent=true . .........vehicle won't start. ..........fuse box. Fail. .......... ......... Thank you.
The contact owns a 2008 Smart Fortwo. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. Also, while attempting to reverse, the gear shifter failed to remain in the correct gear. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed there was an electrical failure. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The…
Other or unspecified
17 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 56,500 miles.
I was in an office building when I a city fire marshal came in and informed me my car was on fire in the parking lot. I found this to be very hard to believe as it had been parked for over an hour and one half. The fire dept. Had broken my passenger side window, opened the car and sprayed it with chemicals. I was…
Often times after starting up vehicle and going into reverse vehicle will not reverse. I often times get stuck in spots because I am unable to reverse. This is a safety hazard especially when there is oncoming traffic behind me.
Fuel system
11 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 37,000 miles.
Fracture in the plastic nipple at the top of the fuel pump which connects the fuel pump output to the engine. This condition allowed gasoline to spray all over the bottom of the vehicle. The manufacturer's field representative who was present when the defect was discovered stated that this was due to normal wear and…
Gas gauge on 2009 Smart Fortwo will not register full on fill up. Car has been to the dealer 3 times to have repaired and they have replaced everything associated with this issue. Still cannot fix.
Seat belts
10 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 20,000 miles. Parts named most often: front.
Car makes loud loud noises and they telling me it was normal nothing wrong I don't think that's true can some one help me it's been like this sense I n ought it at annapolis dealership seat belt steering wheel loud noises.
Seatbelt latch mechanism broke. This, in combination with the fact that the seatbelt mechanism itself frequently fails to retract, suggests that the entire system is faulty.
Brakes
9 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 47,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
The car just shuts off at anytime whiledriving in d your just a sitting duck cant use gear to unlock trammission so it could be moved out of way of on comming traffic, theres no warning the cars is in the shop now, this has happen to other Smart Fortwo owners, its a death trap wating to happen needs to be fixed before…
The contact owns a 2008 Smart Fortwo. The contact observed an abnormal odor coming from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the shocks were leaking fluid onto the brakes and that the brakes and shocks needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired.…
Body and structure
8 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 35,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
The contact owns a 2008 Smart Fortwo. The contact stated that the vehicle would inadvertently turn off when the ignition key was accidentally touched. The location for the key was placed between the driver and front passenger seats. The contact also mentioned that the engine overheated when driving at various speeds.…
On friday, march 28, 2014, at approximately 4:00 pm while driving home from work (US dept of transportation), the latches that holds the front hood down in the car broke and the hood flew into the street. Luckily there were no cars behind or beside me at the time. I had to pull my car to the shoulder of road and walk…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Smart Fortwo recalls
Engine: exhaust system
Risk: If the mat contacts hot exhaust system components, it can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Mbusa will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear insulation mat with an improved one, free of charge. The recall began in july 2018. Owners may contact mbusa customer service at 1-800-367-6372. Mbusa's number for this recall is 2018060010.
Full defect summary
Mercedes-benz USA, llc. (mbusa) is recalling certain 2008-2009 smart fortwo cabrio and fortwo coupe vehicles. The rear insulation mat in the engine compartment may deform, deteriorate, and loosen over time, allowing the mat to contact hot exhaust system components.
Body and structure: frame and members
Risk: Such de laminating can take place in the area of the body where the windshield and roof have been affixed with adhesive, which could affect the adhesion of those components to the vehicle body, increasing the risk of separation. This could cause a crash if the roof or windshield separated from the vehicle while in motion.
Fix: Dealers will repaint the affected areas to meet specifications. The recall began on august 18, 2008. Owners may contact smart USA at 1-248-648-2451.
Full defect summary
Smart USA is recalling 43 my 2008 fortwo 451 vehicles. A single batch of paint sent to the company did not meet specifications. A re-work was done in the plant using different formulations of painting materials. After the re-work was completed, it was determined that the combination of materials used to repaint the frame and chassis could lead to de lamination of the paint materials from the body and frame structures.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Engine compartment fire
Summary
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 ins
Engine compartment fire
Summary
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
Questions about the 2008 Smart Fortwo
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Smart Fortwo?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (45 complaints, typically around 47,000 miles); transmission (32 complaints, typically around 30,000 miles); electrical (20 complaints, typically around 33,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Smart Fortwo have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 27, 2018 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Smart Fortwo?
- It is the most complained-about Fortwo model year since 2000, with 140 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.