The Lemon IndexAll cars · Smart
Smart fortwo reliability: problems and recalls.
Owners filed 407 complaints about the 2005 to 2019 Smart fortwo with the government, most about transmission & drivetrain.
No Lemon Index score yet: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score, so here's what YouTube owners say, next to the raw complaint counts.
YouTube rank and complaints, by model year
YouTube rank: we read 397 YouTube videos about the Smart fortwo and ranked each year with 10 or more videos by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. It measures tone, not failure rates. Complaints are the raw number owners filed with NHTSA: popular years draw more partly because more were sold, and without usable sales figures we can't turn them into a per-car score.
What owners say on YouTube
2008–2015 fortwo · 181 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Before you buy, watch
2016–2019 fortwo · 197 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Complaints and recalls by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 177 | 2 |
| 2009 | 111 | 1 |
| 2010 | 6 | 0 |
| 2011 | 16 | 0 |
| 2012 | 8 | 0 |
| 2013 | 25 | 0 |
| 2014 | 18 | 1 |
| 2015 | 11 | 0 |
| 2016 | 22 | 1 |
| 2017 | 9 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 |
Popular years draw more complaints partly because more were sold. We don't have usable sales for this model, so these are counts, not a score.
What owners complain about
| System | Share of complaints |
|---|---|
| Transmission & drivetrain | 18% |
| Engine | 17% |
| Electrical | 14% |
| Seat belts | 8% |
| Body structure | 6% |
| Engine | 5% |
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 12,610 and 56,700 miles. The middle report was at 30,000 miles, from 310 complaints.
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 52 | 21 | 1 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.
In owners' words
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.
2008 Smart fortwo owner · NHTSA complaint 10248933
I was making a left turn when. All of a sudden I lost power and the car shut off in the middle of the intersection. I had to coast over to the right lane, stop and turn the car on in the right lane.
2013 Smart fortwo owner · NHTSA complaint 10545986
Recalls 6
20V107000 Feb 2020 Electrical System / 12V/24V/48V Battery
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling one 2019 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive vehicle. A welded joint within the high-voltage battery main cell conductors may detach and interrupt electrical contact, resulting in sudden battery failure. The detached weld may also cause an electrical arc which can ignite inside the battery cells.
Fix. MBUSA will notify the owner, and a dealer will replace the high-voltage battery, free of charge. The recall began May 8, 2020. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2020030009.
18V273000 Apr 2018 Engine And Engine Cooling / Exhaust System
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.
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.
17V448000 Jul 2017 Parking Brake
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2016 smart fortwo vehicles. In these vehicles, the lock nut that secures the parking brake cable to the parking brake lever may loosen over time, resulting in increased parking brake lever travel before the parking brake engages.
Fix. MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the parking brake cable lock nut, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2017. Owners may contact smart customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
17V447000 Jul 2017 Steering
Mercedes-Benz USA LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 smart fortwo and smart fortwo Cabriolet vehicles. Casting imperfections may result in the failure of the left front axle steering knuckle.
Fix. MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left front axle steering knuckle, replacing any from the affected batch, free of charge. The recall October 13, 2017. Owners may contact smart customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
15V192000 Mar 2015 Steering
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Smart Fortwo Coupes and Convertibles, and 2014 Fortwo Coupe Electric and Fortwo Convertible Electric vehicles. The affected vehicles have steering gear mounting bolts which may break during vehicle operation.
Fix. MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear mounting bolts, free of charge. The recall began on May 8, 2015. Owners may contact Smart customer service at 1-800-762-7887.
08V390000 Aug 2008 Structure / Frame And Members
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.
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.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check the exact car's VIN for open recalls.
Quick answers
What are the most common Smart fortwo problems?
In owner complaints to the government, the top areas are transmission & drivetrain, engine, electrical.
How many recalls does the Smart fortwo have?
6 safety recalls on record for the 2005 to 2019 models.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, YouTube videos (titles and channels link to them). We don't give this model a Lemon Index: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score (11 of the 12 years we have sales for were under 20,000, sales source). Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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