2008 Smart Fortwo

ON JULY 28 2017 I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY CAR "DIED". LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CAR THAT WAS FOLLOWING ME ALSO PULLED OVER AND THE MAN WAS YELLING THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. I HAD NO PREVIOUS WARNING. NO SMELL, NO SOUNDS, NO ALARMS--NOTHING OTHER THAN MY CAR DIED WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAD GOTTEN OUT TO SEE WHAT I COULD OF THE SITUATION (NOT MECHANICALLY INCLINED), SAW SMOKE AND SMALL FLAMES SO WENT TO GET KEYS AND CELL PNONE OUT OF CAR AND 2 OTHER PEOPLE WERE PARKED IN FRONT OF ME, HAVING PASSED BY ME, AND WERE YELLING "GET OUT OF THE CAR IT IS ON FIRE" BY NOW, ONLY A FEW MINUTES LATER, THE REAR OF MY CAR WAS ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE SMOKE INSIDE THE CAR NOW WAS THICK, GRAYISH IN COLOR, WHILE THE EXTERIOR SEEMED TO ME MELTING BEFORE MY EYES! THE ENTIRE CAR WAS DESTROYED. ALL THAT IS LEFT IS THE BASIC METAL FRAME. SEVERAL BYSTANDERS TOOK VIDEO AND PICTURES OF THIS AS IT WAS HORRIBLE AND FAST. I DID NOT HEAR ANYTHING WHEN I WAS DRIVING TO ALERT ME THERE WAS A PROBLEM INITIALLY. IF THE CAR HADN'T DIED, AS FAST AS THIS HAPPENED, I WOULD BE DEAD I AM SURE. AS FAR AS I KNOW THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THIS CAR. I HAD LESS THAN 30000 ORIGINAL MILES ON THE VEHICLE AND ALL MANDATORY UPKEEP WAS PERFORMED (OIL CHANGES ETC) THERE ARE CHP FILES IM SURE, I HAVE A CLAIM IN WITH MY INSURANCE (USAA) AND AS I SAID THERE IS VIDEO DOCUMENTATION OF THE FIRE. AT THIS POINT MY CAR, AND VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING IN IT IS CHARCOAL. THE CAR IS NOT SALVAGEABLE. I WAS A SHOCKED BEYOND BELIEF THAT SUCH A THING COULD HAPPEN TO A WELL MAINTAINED VEHICLE AND I AM STILL AFRAID TO THINK OF DRIVING ALONE.

AN HOUR OR HOUR AND A HALF AFTER PARKING THE CAR WE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE INSIDE OF THE CAR. THE CAR HAD SMOKE AND A ELECTRICAL FIRE SMELL. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED. THEY DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND THE SMOKE STOPPED. THE ACTUAL SOURCE COULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED. THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. DO I HAVE ANY LEGAL RECOURSE?

NOT SURE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A CANADIAN COMPLAINT (SORRY, USED THE CLOSEST STATE AND ZIP CODE FOR ADDRESS) BUT I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT. AFTER REPLACING THE MUFFLER ON OUR SMART CAR, AS I DROVE AWAY I SMELLED A BURNING ODOR. THINKING IT WAS JUST BURN OFF FROM THE NEW PARTS I CONTINUED DRIVING. NOT MUCH FURTHER AWAY AT A STOP A MAN APPROACHED ME AND SAID THERE WAS SMOKE COMING OUT THE BACK. I GOT OUT TO LOOK AND THE AMOUNT OF SMOKE QUICKLY INCREASED AND WAS COMING OUT THROUGH THE REAR BODY PANEL SECTIONS. I HAVE VIDEO OF THIS. I OPENED THE HATCH ON THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND SMOKE POURED OUT. I CALLED THE MECHANIC WHO IMMEDIATELY CAME AND DROVE IT BACK TO THE SHOP (NOT SURE WHY HE THOUGHT THAT WAS A SAFE THING TO DO?) THEY REPORTED THAT THE FIRE WALL FIRE INSULATION WAS DETERIORATING AND A LARGE CHUNK HAD FALLEN DOWN ONTO THE ENGINE AND WAS SMOLDERING. AS A RESULT THEY RIPPED ALL THE FIRE INSULATION OFF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT DOOR HATCH. COULD THIS BE THE CAUSE OF ALL THESE REPORTED FIRES? I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY THAT A FIRE DIDN'T BREAK OUT AS I WAS ON MY WAY TO PICK UP MY 93 YEAR OLD FATHER.

AS MY WIFE WAS FILLING THE GAS TANK IT FAILED TO BUILD BACK PRESSURE THAT WOULD NORMALLY SHUT OFF THE GAS PUMP. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE. THEN ON MON. THE 19TH OF JUNE AFTER WORK MY WIFE COMPLAINED OF A STRONG GAS ODER INSIDE THE VEHICLE. SHE DROVE THE CAR TO WORK ON TUES. MORNING AND HAD THE SAME STRONG GAS SMELL. SHE THOUGHT THAT IT MIGHT BE DUE TO OVERFILLING THE TANK. WHEN SHE GOT HOME ON TUES. NIGHT WE NOTICED A STEADY STREAM OF GAS POURING OUT OF THE VEHICLE UNDER THE CAR NEAR THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE GAS ONLY STREAMED OUT WHEN THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. ONCE WE SHUTOFF THE CAR IT WOULD DRIBBLE OUT FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES THEN EVENTUALLY STOP. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR ON IT WOULD BEGIN FLOWING FUEL ONTO THE GROUND IMMEDIATELY. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE MERCEDES BENZ\SMART CAR DEALER LOCATED NEAREST TO ME. AFTER THE CAR WAS TOWED I STARTED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ONLINE TO DETERMINE IF THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE. I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS POSTED TO CHAT ROOM BOARDS REGARDING A FUEL LEAK AND A BROKEN DISCHARGE LINE FROM THE FUEL PUMP TO THE ENGINE. WHAT I WAS EVEN MORE STARTLED TO FIND WAS LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT VIDEOS OF SMART CARS CATCHING ON FIRE. I SOON DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION WITH THE NHTSA FOR ENGINE FIRES ON MODEL 2008-2009 FORTWO SMART CARS. THE INVESTIGATION NUMBER IS PE-16-016 THE DEALERSHIP CALLED ME TODAY AND STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP IS LEAKING GAS ON TOP OF THE TANK AND THAT THE FUEL PUMP WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. THEY HAVE NOT DROPPED THE FUEL TANK YET. THEY WITNESSED THE FUEL LEAK USING A MIRROR. IT IS NOW FRIDAY AT 2:15PM PST, AND TO LATE FOR THEM TO START REPAIRING THE FUEL PUMP TODAY. THE DEALERSHIP PLANS TO DROP THE TANK AND REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP ON TUES. MORNING. I WILL BE THERE TO PHOTOGRAPH THE LOCATION OF THE BREAK ON THE FUEL LINE AND UPDATE THIS COMPLAINT AFTER THAT.

MY CAR STARTED ON FIRE WHILE IT WAS BEING DRIVEN! MY FRIEND ESCAPED A FIERY DEATH BY MERELY SECONDS! I HAVE HAD THIS CAR SINCE 2008. I HAVE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH IT FOR THE MOST PART AS, OTHER THAN REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, THERE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR FOR THE FIRST 100,000 MILES. UNTIL THIS INCIDENT, I WAS CONSIDERING PURCHASING A NEW SMART CAR. MY FRIEND WAS DRIVING THE CAR DOWN THE FREEWAY YESTERDAY WHEN A DRIVER NEXT TO HIM BEGAN FLAGGING HIM FRANTICALLY AND FORTUNATELY FORCED HIM OFF TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. MY FRIEND FIRST THOUGHT THAT HE WAS LOOKING AT A CASE OF ROAD RAGE UNTIL HIS SAVIOR JUMPED OUT OF HIS TRUCK YELLING AT MY FRIEND TO "GET OUT OF YOUR CAR, IT IS ON FIRE!" MY FRIEND JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR, AND WITHIN 10 SECONDS, THE VERY SPOT WHERE HE HAD BEEN SITTING WAS TOTALLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES! HE STOOD THERE AND SHOT THE ATTACHED PICTURES AS THE CAR BURNED, AND THEN AFTER THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD PUT IT OUT. WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN, I SUSPECT THAT HE WOULD BE DEAD OR SERIOUSLY MAIMED. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING SIGN OF ANY KIND PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT! IT JUST HAD IT S 100,000 MILE OIL CHANGE LAST WEEK. I SEE WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS. WILL IT TAKE A DEATH OR SERIOUS MAIMING BEFORE MERCEDES WILL BE FORCED TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM?