Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Jan 18, 2022
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Jul 22, 2012
What this page shows
Our database holds 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 Smart Fortwo. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaints, most recent first
Showing 1–8 of 8
Seat belts
Filed Jan 18, 2022
The driver side seat belt mount, which in this case is a steel cable, has mostly broken and frayed rendering it unsafe to drive. In the event of an accident, it would certainly break completely. I only noticed it yesterday while cleaning, the breakage would've happened while driving it. I've contacted mercedes USA, and they tell me that my warranty has run out, they can't do anything. Even though this is a mandatory safety feature that has completely failed from normal use.
NHTSA ID
11447959
Incident
Jan 16, 2022
Exterior lighting
Filed Jul 11, 2018
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SMART FORTWO. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE FRONT TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOKEY MERCEDES-BENZ (19820 US HWY 19 N, CLEARWATER, FL) WHERE THE FAILURE WAS CONFIRMED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED. *TT
NHTSA ID
11110785
Incident
Jul 11, 2015
Mileage
20,000 mi
ElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Mar 17, 2017
TRANSMISSION WILL GO INTO THREE BARS AND NOT SHIFT ON HIGHWAYS AND PARKWAYS, USUALLY ABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE UNDER POWER TO SIDE OF ROAD SOMETIMES GOES INTO NEUTRAL AND HAVE TO COAST TO SIDE. OCCURS WITH ELEVATED AMBIENT MOISTURE. STARTED AT 32,000 MILES. KNOWN ISSUE, TRANSMISSION HAS A LIMP MODE FOR THIS OCCURRENCE. VERY DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE, APPEARS ELECTRICAL IN NATURE. SMART DEALERSHIP WILL NOT ADDRESS.
NHTSA ID
10966517
Incident
May 15, 2016
Mileage
32,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 16, 2016
Crash reported2 injuries reported
VEHICLE WAS HIT FROM BEHIND AND PUSHED INTO ANOTHER CAR ON INTERSTATE. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.
NHTSA ID
10907130
Incident
Jul 2, 2014
Mileage
60,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Sep 16, 2016
DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILS TO BUCKLE. NOTHING LODGED IN BUCKLE, BUT MECHANISM APPEARS TO BE BROKEN.
NHTSA ID
10907128
Incident
Sep 15, 2016
Mileage
110,000 mi
Body & structure
Filed Jun 16, 2016
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SMART FORTWO. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE PASSENGER SIDE BODY PANEL DISENGAGED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,100.
NHTSA ID
10874568
Incident
Jun 15, 2016
Mileage
45,100 mi
Airbags
Filed Oct 28, 2014
Crash reported1 injury reported
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SMART FORTWO. WHILE AT A STOP SIGN, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT REAR ENDED THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BACK INJURIES, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,200.
NHTSA ID
10650608
Incident
Feb 3, 2014
Mileage
5,200 mi
Driver assistanceElectricalEngine
Filed Jul 22, 2012
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY (5 LANE) IN MY 2012 SMART FORTWO PASSION COUPE IN THE MIDDLE LANE AT 65-70 MPH. ALL OF THE SUDDEN MY ACCELERATOR WAS NO LONGER FUNCTIONAL. I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THAT MY SPEEDOMETER AND GEAR INDICATOR WERE ALSO NON-FUNCTIONAL. I WAS ABLE TO COAST (DESPITE HEAVY TRAFFIC) TO THE SHOULDER OF THE FAST LANE - IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO GET TO THE SLOW LANE SHOULDER DUE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO USE THE BREAKS ONCE I HIT THE SHOULDER (UNSURE IF POWER BRAKES OR NOT) AND ONCE STOPPED WAS UNABLE TO USE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS. I COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES. AFTER 2 MINUTES I TRIED AGAIN TO MOVE THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE AND WAS ABLE TO PUT IT IN PARK. AT THAT POINT I WAS ABLE TO RE-START THE CAR AND ACCELERATE ENOUGH TO GET BACK ON THE FREEWAY. I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACH THE SHOULDER (AS IT ENDED ABOUT 200 YARDS DOWN THE FREEWAY). THE EXPERIENCE WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING. *TR
NHTSA ID
10466970
Incident
Jul 20, 2012
Mileage
2,500 mi
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.