By year
Owner complaints about Smart vehicles peaked at 48 in 2018
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, 2008 to 2026. 2026 runs through October.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints and recalls files. Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.
Make
Smart
The complete NHTSA record for Smart vehicles: owner complaints, recall campaigns, defect investigations and manufacturer communications, for every model and model year on file.
Most Smart recalls are filed by Mercedes-Benz, part of Mercedes-Benz Group.
Owner complaints in the last five years46407 on file in all, across 7 models
Recall campaigns70 in five years
Severity index19.7Crash, fire, injury or death per 100 complaints
Investigations3162 service bulletins
Components
Engine and cooling draws the most owner complaints about Smart vehicles, 20% of them
Share of all owner complaints on file, by component.
Source: NHTSA ODI.
Models
The Fortwo has the most complaints of any Smart model
Every Smart model with complaints or recalls on file, by complaints. Counts are not rates: NHTSA publishes no sales volumes.
| Model | Model years | Complaints | Severity index | Recalls | Investigations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortwo | 2005 to 2019 | 346 | 19.9 | 6 | 12 |
| Fortwo Cabrio | 2008 to 2009 | 28 | 21.4 | 0 | 4 |
| Fortwo Coupe | 2008 to 2016 | 23 | 8.7 | 3 | 2 |
| Fortwo Coupe Electric | 2014 to 2015 | 7 | 28.6 | 1 | 0 |
| Fortwo Cabriolet | 2017 | 2 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fortwo Convertible Electr | 2014 to 2015 | 1 | 100.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fortwo Convertible | 2014 to 2015 | 0 | None | 2 | 0 |
Source: NHTSA ODI. Recall counts add campaigns across model years, so a campaign covering three years counts three times.
Latest recalls
Recent campaigns listing a Smart product
- 20V-107 Feb 24, 2020
Welded joint within the high-voltage battery main cell conductors may detach and interrupt electrical contact, resulting in sudden battery failure
Electrical system · 1 vehicles - 18V-273 Apr 27, 2018
Rear insulation mat in the engine compartment may deform, deteriorate, and loosen over time, allowing the mat to contact hot exhaust system components
Engine and cooling · 43k vehicles - 17V-448 Jul 16, 2017
In these vehicles, the lock nut that secures the parking brake cable to the parking brake lever may loosen over time, resulting in increased…
Brakes · 5,061 vehicles - 17V-447 Jul 14, 2017
Casting imperfections may result in the failure of the left front axle steering knuckle
Steering · 110 vehicles - 17V-179 Mar 16, 2017
Horizontal headlight adjustment mechanism on these vehicles may not have been properly sealed off to prevent future adjustment
Lighting · 2,213 vehicles - 15V-192 Mar 31, 2015
Affected vehicles have steering gear mounting bolts which may break during vehicle operation
Steering · 5,058 vehicles - 08V-390 Aug 7, 2008
Single batch of paint sent to the company did not meet specifications
Structure · 43 vehicles
Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file.