What breaks most · 2005 to 2017 model years
smart fortwo problems by year
Owners have filed 264 safety complaints with NHTSA about the smart fortwo across model years 2005 to 2017. One year stands out: 2008 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2005, 2015 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2008
- Fewest complaints: 2005, 2015, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 2642005 to 2017, all trims
- Worst year
- 2008116 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1336 fires · 16 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 30kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 5Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 116 | 6 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (30) | |
| 80 | 3 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (23) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Engine (3) | |
| 15 | 2 | 0 | Engine (5) | |
| 7 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (2) | |
| 17 | 0 | 0 | Engine (5) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Seat belts (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) | |
| 9 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (4) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (2) |
What fails on the 2008 smart fortwo
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 26% |
30 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 20% |
23 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2008 smart fortwo |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
17 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2008 smart fortwo |
| Unknown or other | 14% |
16 | 1 | — |
| Seat belts | 9% |
10 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
7 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 6% |
7 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2008 smart fortwo |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 5% |
6 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2008 smart fortwo |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
It will stop working and will not go into drive at all the car just sit there and will not drive at all, this is not good when sitting in traffic lights
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which smart fortwo years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2008 carries the most filings on the smart fortwo. The 2008 alone has 116 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common smart fortwo problem?
On the 2008 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 30 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do smart fortwo problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all smart fortwo complaints that include mileage is about 30,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.