2009 Smart Fortwo Cabrio Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 27%of 11 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 25,780miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2009 Smart Fortwo Cabrio, 27% of the 11 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 25,780 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“(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 miles“As I pulled up to the garage and opened the garage door I noticed a banana slug on the ground, so I backed up and put the car into park. I exited the vehicle and left the car running to pick up the slug and move it. As I was doing so, the car started moving towards me up the incline of the driveway. I quickly opened the car door and started to jump in. It didn't occur to me that the car was moving through the garage door frame. The mirror snapped off and my left leg was crushed in the door as it scraped along the garage door frame. …”
NHTSA complaint #10449097, filed 2012-02, 25,780 miles“Reverse doesn't engage when shifting the gear to r, either I have to turn off the vehicle or go the manual shifts then eventually the reverse gear will engage. Sometimes it takes minutes to engage and it becomes problematic when conducting in traffic and it is very hazardous.”
NHTSA complaint #11395675, filed 2021-02, 55,000 milesTransmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 3 | 27% |
| 2008 | 5 | 29% |
Other parts of the 2009 Smart Fortwo Cabrio
6 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsWheels
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2009 Smart Fortwo Cabrio
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology