Smart Fortwo Cabrio Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 28 consumer complaints across the 2 model years of the Smart Fortwo Cabrio (2008–2009) that have at least 5 complaints. 2008 has the most, with 17. Across all years, the part named most often is electrical system (11 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Fortwo Cabrio model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 11 | 25,780 | 0 | 6 | — | Not enough data |
| 2008 | 17 | 21,394 | 0 | 7 | — | Falling |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Electrical system11 37%
- Transmission and drivetrain8 27%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)3 10%
- Body and structure2 6.7%
- Seat belts2 6.7%
- Engine2 6.7%
- Wheels1 3.3%
- Seats1 3.3%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2008: “I attempted to secure my right front seatbelt clip into the designated right seatbelt receptor but it would not completely insert nor lock into place. Then, I checked if any debris had became lodged in the seatbelt receptor that may have blocked the seatbelt receptor entry way. No foreign debris was found so I tried again, but resulted in not locking.”
NHTSA complaint #10545435, filed 2013-09, 21,245 miles2009: “(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. …”
NHTSA complaint #10501295, filed 2013-03, 21,850 milesOther Smart models
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology