2008 Smart Fortwo

IN TRAFFIC, ATTEMPTING TO PARALLEL PARK, CAR FAILS TO SHIFT INTO "R" MUST TURN CAR OFF IN MIDDLE OF ROAD, RESTART THREE TIMES TO FINALLY GET CAR TO ENGAGE "R" OR "D" TO MOVE THE CAR SAFELY OUT OF TRAFFIC. 1- THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME MANY DOZENS OF TIMES, I PREVIOUSLY REPORTED A SIMILAR PROBLEM. 2- I SEE MANY OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL ISSUED? *JS

I PURCHASED A 2008 SMART CAR ON 21 OCT 13. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT THE END OF DECEMBER OF 13. I TOOK IT IN TO HONEST 1 TO HAVE IT SERVICED, OIL CHANGED, ALL FLUIDS CHECKED, BRAKES AND ENGINE. I WAS TOLD THAT ALL FLUIDS WERE GREAT AND I PAID THE BILL. THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL ON AND I WENT BACK IN. THE GENTLEMAN WORKED ON IT FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AND THEN TURNED IT OFF. ON 30 MAR 14 I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM CHURCH AND THE CAR DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WITH ALL THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS COMING ON, BY THE GRACE OF GOD I WAS ABLE TO GET OVER TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH OUT INCIDENT. AT THE SMART CAR DEALERSHIP I AM NOW TOLD THAT THE ENGINE HAD NO WATER IN THE RADIATOR, THE HEAD IS CRACKED AND THE ENGINE SEIZED UP. HERE IS THE PROBLEM..... THERE WAS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND NO HIGH TEMP RADIATOR LIGHT SHOW UP TO SAY THERE WAS A PROBLEM. IF ONE HAD COME ON YOU CAN BE SURE THAT I WOULD HAVE HAD IT LOOKED INTO. I NOW HAVE TO BUY A USED ENGINE AND MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

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 MORE PEOPLE LOSE THERE LIFE, LOOK AT GM .54CENT COULD HAVE SAVED MANY LOSE LIVES. PLEASE HELP THE PUBLIC,, *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AT ABOUT 45 MILES PER HOUR, I WAS SHIFTING INTO FIFTH GEAR AND THE CAR JUST WENT BLANK. THE LIGHTS WENT OUT AND ALL NOISE CEASED TO EXIST. AT FIRST IT WAS A BIT OF A SHOCK, SO I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF OF THE ROAD ONTO THE DIRT. LUCKILY THERE WERE NO CARS AROUND AS THE SUDDEN LOSE OF POWER COULD HAVE CAUSED SOMEONE TO RUN INTO ME, AS I HAD NO LIGHTS. AFTER LOOKING AROUND THE INSDE OF THE CAR I NOTICED THAT THE KEY WAS IN THE OFF POSITION. THE KEY ON THIS CAR IS IN THE MIDDLE CONSOLE, RIGHT NEXT TO THE GEAR SHIFT SELECTOR. I DETERMINED THAT UPON SHIFTING MY JACKET SLEEVE HAD BRUSHED AGAINST THE KEY, AND BECUASE THE KEY IS SO EASY TO TURN OFF FROM THE ON POSITION, THE KEY JUST TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING. THIS WAS THE FIRST OCCURRANCE OF THIS, AS IT HAPPEND ONE MORE TIME. I HAVE HAD TO REMEMBER NOT TO LEAVE MY HAND DOWN BY THE SHIFT LEVER, IN FEAR OF TURNING OFF THE KEY WITHOUT KNOWING IT. *TR

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 ABOUT 25 FEET TO RETRIEVE THE HOOD IN THE ROAD WHICH CAUSE PAINT DAMAGES TO THE CAR. THIS WAS VERY FRIGHTENING FOR ME. THIS IS TRULY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED AND RECALLED. I BROUGHT THE CAR ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS AGO. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP (MERCEDES-BENZ OF CATONSVILLE) THAT HAS SERVICED MY CAR IN THE PAST TO REPORT THE INCIDENT AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO BRING THE CAR INTO THE SHOP THE NEXT DAY. THE INCIDENT WAS DISCUSSED WITH THE SALES MANAGER AND GENERAL MANAGER, I WAS INFORMED THAT THESE TYPES OF CARS HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THEY HAVE NOT SERVICED MANY, BUT SERVICES HAVE BEEN PERFORMED ON THESE TYPES OF CARS. THE HOOD LATCHES ARE MADE OF PLASTIC AND ITS A "WEAR/TEAR" ISSUE. MY WARRANTY INSURANCE COVERED THE PLASTIC LATCHES, BUT I HAD TO PAY A DEDUCTIBLE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AND RESOLVED THE ISSUE BY MOUNTING (4) NEW PLASTIC LOCKING MECHANISMS (PART NUMBER SMT 451-757-01-01-C22A). I AM AFRAID THAT THIS ISSUE WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN TIME AND SOMEONE WILL NOT BE AS LUCKY TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT OR FATAL INCIDENT. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED ASAP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SMART FORTWO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE GEAR AND THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 29,942.

PUT CAR INTO REVERSE. DISPLAY WOULD NOT SHOW REVERSE NOR WOULD IT GO INTO REVERSE. I TURNED CAR OFF, WAITED UNTIL COMPUTER RESET THEN TURNED THE KEY. CAR SEQUENCED THROUGH THE GEARS TO 'RELEARN' THE SEQUENCE. I STARTED THE CAR AND IT STILL WON'T FIND THE REVERSE GEAR. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. CLUTCH WAS REPLACED BY DEALER 5 MONTHS AGO AND SOFTWARE WAS UPGRADED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SMART FORTWO PASSION CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS WAS TOUCHING THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING A SHORT CIRCUIT. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE ENGINE WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT ONE OF THE CYLINDER VALVES BURNED CAUSING THE FAILURE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,457 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 48,500.

DRIVING ON I - 10 DOWN BY PALM SPRINGS. THE CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN, SHIFTED TO 4TH GEAR. SOON AFTER THE CAR SLOWED DOWN MORE AND PULLED OVER. THE ENGINE STOPPED AND WASN'T ABLE TO RESTART IT. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO SMART RIVERSIDE, WHERE THEY SAID THE ENGINE HAD OVER HEATED AND BLEW OUT THE ENGINE. THERE WERE NO WARNING THAT THE ENGINE WAS GETTING TOO HOT. ALL FLUIDS WERE CHECKED, PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. *TR

THE 2008 SMART CAR, HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY, SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL, WHILE DRIVING, USUALLY, WHEN ENTERING, OR EXITING A HIGHWAY, OR AT AN INTERSECTION (SPEED CHANGES). THE CAR SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL, AND THEN USUALLY SHUTS DOWN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE REAR ENDED, FROM UNSUSPECTING DRIVERS BEHIND THIS VEHICLE..THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN THE CAR, WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE, WHILE PARKED..SMART OFFERED A SOFTWARE FIX, TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE. HAD THAT DONE, THEN PROBLEM PROGRESSED, TO SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING, AND STALLING OUT...AT TIMES CAR, WOULD RESTART, BUT IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR, INDICATING ONLY A FLASHING NEUTRAL POSITION. AT TIMES, CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL, BECAUSE WOULD NOT KNOW WHAT GEAR IT WAS IN...IF WAITED 10-20 MINUTES, OR SEVERAL HOURS, IT MIGHT RESTART, AND SHIFT, FOR A SHORT PERIOD, BEFORE IT DID THE SAME THING AGAIN...APPARENTLY IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM, WITH THE SMART CAR FORUMS, FULL OF COMPLAINTS, ABOUT THE 2008 YEAR, WITH SMART CO., AT TIMES, AUTHORIZING REPAIRS, AND REPLACEMENT WITH 2009 MECHANISMS, THAT DO NOT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS AS THE 2008 MODEL YEAR. THERE SHOULD DEFINITELY BE A RECALL FOR THE 2008 SMART CAR, MODEL YEAR, BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED, ENTERING, EXITING A HIGHWAY, AT A RAILROAD CROSSING, OR AT AN INTERSECTION, WHERE THE CAR, SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL, WON'T SHIFT OUT, AND SHUTS OFF... THANK YOU *TR