IllustrationREVERSE DOESN'T ENGAGE WHEN SHIFTING THE GEAR TO R, EITHER I HAVE TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE OR GO THE MANUAL SHIFTS THEN EVENTUALLY THE REVERSE GEAR WILL ENGAGE. SOMETIMES IT TAKES MINUTES TO ENGAGE AND IT BECOMES PROBLEMATIC WHEN CONDUCTING IN TRAFFIC AND IT IS VERY HAZARDOUS.
2009 Smart Fortwo Cabrio
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Fortwo Cabrio years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 9 of 11 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
11 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SMART FORTWO CABRIO. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V273000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SMART FORTWO CABRIO. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V273000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
FAN BLOWER MOTOR WILL NOT WORK TO MOVE HEAT TO WINDSHIELD TO DEFROST IN WINTER. I CAN NOT SEE OUT OF WINDSHIELD.
HAD BEEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES WHEN A STRONG ODOR OF ELECTRICAL WIRING BURNING BECAME EVIDENT. WINDSHIELD WIPERS, HORN, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND DASH LIGHTS BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION. PULLED CAR TO SIDE OF ROAD AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM DASH. DRIVER EXITED THE VEHICLE AND THEN FLAMES BECAME EVIDENT FROM DAS…
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HAD BEEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES WHEN A STRONG ODOR OF ELECTRICAL WIRING BURNING BECAME EVIDENT. WINDSHIELD WIPERS, HORN, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND DASH LIGHTS BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION. PULLED CAR TO SIDE OF ROAD AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM DASH. DRIVER EXITED THE VEHICLE AND THEN FLAMES BECAME EVIDENT FROM DASH AND FRONT AREA OF CAR. CAR BURNED COMPLETELY, TOTAL LOSS. *TR
HAD ISSUES 5 OR 6 TIMES WITH IGNITION TURNING OFF WHEN I'M DRIVING ALONG AND CAME CLOSE TO GETTING KILLED! HAVE ALSO HAD ISSUES WITH TRANSMISSION NOT GOING INTO GEARS RIGHT, ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK TO BE SURE I'M IN RIGHT SPOT ON SHIFTER, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING SOMETIMES WHEN YOU SHIFT INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE.ALSO, CONSTANTLY …
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HAD ISSUES 5 OR 6 TIMES WITH IGNITION TURNING OFF WHEN I'M DRIVING ALONG AND CAME CLOSE TO GETTING KILLED! HAVE ALSO HAD ISSUES WITH TRANSMISSION NOT GOING INTO GEARS RIGHT, ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK TO BE SURE I'M IN RIGHT SPOT ON SHIFTER, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING SOMETIMES WHEN YOU SHIFT INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE.ALSO, CONSTANTLY BUYING HEADLIGHTS! NOTICED ON HILLS THESE CARS HAVE A TENDENCY TO ROLL WHEN YOU'RE IN PARK! *TR
(1) POWER TRAIN ISSUE; NO RHYME OR REASON THE VEHICLE WILL NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. AFTER SOME TIME, I DISCOVERED THAT YOU MUST SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND RE-START TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO GEAR. THIS SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING MORE OFTEN OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS! I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN AFTER PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT AND TRYING T…
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(1) POWER TRAIN ISSUE; NO RHYME OR REASON THE VEHICLE WILL NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. AFTER SOME TIME, I DISCOVERED THAT YOU MUST SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND RE-START TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO GEAR. THIS SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING MORE OFTEN OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS! I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN AFTER PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT AND TRYING TO PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO R OR D, I HAVE TRIED PLACING THE CAR INTO N AND BACK TO EITHER R OR D WITH NO LUCK, AGAIN HAD TO RE-START WHILE BLOCKING TRAFFIC! THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING ON A NEWER VEHICLE. (2) ELECTRICAL ISSUE; NO RHYME OR REASON THE HEATER/AC BLOWER WILL NOT POWER ON AND IS INTERMITTENT ISSUE. AFTER SOME TIME NOW, I HAVE DETERMINED THAT I HAVE TO RAP ON THE DASH BY THE GLOVE BOX TO START THE BLOWER. I HAVE ALSO HAD THE BLOWER STOP WORKING WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AFTER HITTING A POT HOLE OR A BIG BUMP. IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A SHORT IN THE WIRING, BUT I,M UNABLE TO LOCATE IT. REALLY WORRIED ABOUT A VEHICLE FIRE OVER TIME? (3) ELECTRICAL ISSUE; I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH HEADLAMPS SEVERAL TIMES SINCE OWNERSHIP OF VEHICLE. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE OF THE FIXTURE NOT SEALING CORRECTLY. LUCKILY, I HAVE ONLY LOST ONE HEADLAMP AT A TIME, WHY HAS THEN NOT BEEN ADDRESSED? *TR
MY HEAD LIGHTS KEEP ON BURNING OUT ABOUT EVERY 6 TO 7 MONTHS ONE AT A TIME AND NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF ABOUT 14 DOLLARS EACH TIME. *TR
BLOWER MOTOR OPERATING INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIMES IT WILL COME ON AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T, NO RHYME OR REASON TO IT. HEATER AND AC FUNCTION PROPERLY, BUT WITHOUT A FORCED AIR SYSTEM. THIS BECOMES A MAJOR PROBLEM WHEN THE WINDOWS FOG UP DURING RAINY OR COLD WEATHER AND THERE IS NO WAY TO CLEAR THEM. I HAVE READ OF MANY OF THESE C…
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BLOWER MOTOR OPERATING INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIMES IT WILL COME ON AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T, NO RHYME OR REASON TO IT. HEATER AND AC FUNCTION PROPERLY, BUT WITHOUT A FORCED AIR SYSTEM. THIS BECOMES A MAJOR PROBLEM WHEN THE WINDOWS FOG UP DURING RAINY OR COLD WEATHER AND THERE IS NO WAY TO CLEAR THEM. I HAVE READ OF MANY OF THESE COMPLAINTS ONLINE EVEN ON THE SMART CAR FORUM. SMART DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY PROBLEM. OUT OF 20 OR SO CARS IN MY LIFE I HAVE NEVER SEEN AN ISSUE OF THIS NATURE AND IT CAN CREATE A HAZARD DUE TO INABILITY TO SEE WHILE DRIVING. *TR
I OWN THE 2009 BRABUS MODEL SMART WHICH COMES WITH LOW PROFILE TIRES THAT IN THE 5000 MILES THAT I HAVE DRIVEN, I HAVE BENT OR CRACKED ROUGHLY 7 RIMS TO THE POINT OF REPLACEMENT. I AM PRESENTLY ON MY 7TH AND 8TH BROKEN RIM WITH THIS CAR AND ON OCTOBER 18TH OF LAST YEAR I LOST CONTROL OF MY SMART ON THE HIGHWAY LEADING TO A HORR…
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I OWN THE 2009 BRABUS MODEL SMART WHICH COMES WITH LOW PROFILE TIRES THAT IN THE 5000 MILES THAT I HAVE DRIVEN, I HAVE BENT OR CRACKED ROUGHLY 7 RIMS TO THE POINT OF REPLACEMENT. I AM PRESENTLY ON MY 7TH AND 8TH BROKEN RIM WITH THIS CAR AND ON OCTOBER 18TH OF LAST YEAR I LOST CONTROL OF MY SMART ON THE HIGHWAY LEADING TO A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. ONE SECOND I WAS GOING PERFECTLY STRAIGHT, THEN I COULD NOT TURN AT ALL. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A JUNK YARD WHERE THE FRONT WAS PRETTY MUCH MISSING. WHAT STOOD OUT WAS THERE WAS BASICALLY HALF A RIM ON THE RIGHT FRONT AND NO TIRE. I HAVE HELD ONTO THE RIM AND AFTER THE ACCIDENT CONTACTED SMART SO THAT THEY COULD LOOK FOR METAL FATIGUE, OR SOME FORM OF CAUSE FOR THE RIM TO BE IN THAT SHAPE. I SENT SMART MY PHOTOS OF THE CAR, THE RIM ETC., THEY RECEIVED THEM AND I NEVER HEARD BACK. I KEPT THE RIM AT HOME WITH THE HOPES OF ONE DAY THEY WOULD CONTACT ME, NOTHING. RECENTLY, I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK IN BECAUSE THE FRONT TIRE WAS "WOBBLING" AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS BADLY DENTED AND SO WAS THE BACK RIM AS WELL. THESE ARE EITHER RIMS 7 AND 8 OR 8 AND 9 THAT NEED REPLACEMENT. THE DEALER COULD CARE LESS ABOUT MY ISSUES, MY ACCIDENT OR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS THAT MIGHT HAVE THIS SIMILAR PRODUCT. MY CAR IS AT THE DEALER NOW, TWO DENTED RIMS AND THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A "REFURBISHED" REPLACEMENT FOR ONE RIM AND THE OTHER DOES NOT WARRANT REPAIR ACCORDING TO THEM. IT IS ABSOLUTELY CRIMINAL HOW THEY DISMISS MY ISSUE WITH THIS CAR. NEITHER THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, OR WHATEVER USELESS SMART CUSTOMER CARE NUMBER THEY GAVE ME DO ANYTHING. HELP! I AM EITHER GOING TO GET KILLED IN THIS THING, OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AS ME AND GET HURT. THIS IS NOT TO MENTION, WE NEVER DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE IT IS ALWAYS IN THE SHOP. *TR
AS I PULLED UP TO THE GARAGE AND OPENED THE GARAGE DOOR I NOTICED A BANANA SLUG ON THE GROUND, SO I BACKED UP AND PUT THE CAR INTO PARK. I EXITED THE VEHICLE AND LEFT THE CAR RUNNING TO PICK UP THE SLUG AND MOVE IT. AS I WAS DOING SO, THE CAR STARTED MOVING TOWARDS ME UP THE INCLINE OF THE DRIVEWAY. I QUICKLY OPENED THE CAR DO…
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AS I PULLED UP TO THE GARAGE AND OPENED THE GARAGE DOOR I NOTICED A BANANA SLUG ON THE GROUND, SO I BACKED UP AND PUT THE CAR INTO PARK. I EXITED THE VEHICLE AND LEFT THE CAR RUNNING TO PICK UP THE SLUG AND MOVE IT. AS I WAS DOING SO, THE CAR STARTED MOVING TOWARDS ME UP THE INCLINE OF THE DRIVEWAY. I QUICKLY OPENED THE CAR DOOR AND STARTED TO JUMP IN. IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME THAT THE CAR WAS MOVING THROUGH THE GARAGE DOOR FRAME. THE MIRROR SNAPPED OFF AND MY LEFT LEG WAS CRUSHED IN THE DOOR AS IT SCRAPED ALONG THE GARAGE DOOR FRAME. MY LEFT FOOT WAS WEDGED OUTSIDE THE CAR AND OUTSIDE THE DOOR FRAME AND WAS CRUSHED ON THE TOP OF MY ANKLE. THE CAR HAD GROUND TO A NEAR STOP DUE TO THE WEDGING OF THE DOOR AGAINST THE GARAGE DOOR FRAME. I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THAT THE SHIFTER WAS IN PARK, SO I MOVED IT TO REVERSE AND THE CAR STARTED MOVING BACKWARDS. I WAS NOT ABLE TO STEP ON THE BRAKE TO MOVE THE SHIFTER INTO REVERSE, SO THE CAR OBVIOUSLY STILL THOUGHT IT WAS IN DRIVE. I WAS THEN ABLE TO STOP THE CAR AND TURN IT OFF. THE DEALER COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG BUT UPDATED THE SOFTWARE FOR A 'NO SHIFTING INTO REVERSE ISSUE'. THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND WITH THE VEHICLE TRANSMISSION, SO THE DAMAGE WAS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. THE NEXT DAY, THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE AND THEY REPLACED A SENSOR AT THEIR EXPENSE. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2EA17003 · Engine Compartment Fire
Opened Sep 1, 2017 · Closed Aug 21, 2018
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
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.
PE16016 · Engine Compartment Fire
Opened Dec 16, 2016 · Closed Nov 20, 2017
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
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.