2008 Smart Fortwo Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 20about this part
- Share
- 14%of 140 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 33,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2008 Smart Fortwo, 14% of the 140 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 33,000 miles. 4 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“In my garage I tried to start car after emptying water from flooded battery box and allowing to dry for 4 days. Electrical cable running through battery box caught fire and burned completely through, see picture. Battery box flooded from A/C condensation tube disconnect in battery box, see picture, well documented issue on smartusa blog.”
NHTSA complaint #10903047, filed 2016-09, 110,000 miles“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?”
NHTSA complaint #11011100, filed 2017-07, 96,000 miles“Failure to shift out of park into reverse. Gearshift moves but gear display goes blank and chime sounds. Sometimes it will go into drive. It may be a solenoid problem. Very frustrating and it seems to be getting worse over time. I now have 38,000 miles on the car. This issue needs to be looked into. I expect better out of damlier benz.”
NHTSA complaint #10653909, filed 2014-11, 28,000 miles“While driving at night at about 45 miles per hour, I was shifting into fifth gear and the car just went blank. The lights went out and all noise ceased to exist. At first it was a bit of a shock, so I immediately pulled off of the road onto the dirt. Luckily there were no cars around as the sudden lose of power could have caused someone to run into me, as I had no lights. After looking around the insde of the car I noticed that the key was in the off position. The key on this car is in the middle console, right next to the gear shift selector. …”
NHTSA complaint #10577754, filed 2014-04, 82,500 miles“My son was driving down the road when he noticed smoke in the floor board. He was about .5 miles from our house and went to turn around when he noticed fire in the back/engine area of the car. He was able to get out of the car and ran to a house to call 911. As the home owner was calling they heard the car explode. The entire car burned with only the metal frame of the car, seats, etc. Left standing. In september the car passed the state inspection. When my husband and I arrived (which was only minutes from it happening since we were only .5 miles away) the car was engulfed in flames. …”
NHTSA complaint #10924637, filed 2016-11, 71,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11015640Mar 5, 2025Complaint During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or interference/background noises are audible to the called party…
- 11008091Sep 28, 2024Complaint During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or interference/background noises are audible to the called party…
- 10153996Dec 6, 2018Vehicle Range ? Voltage difference of cells too great
- 10151978Aug 9, 2018Vehicle does not start
- 10151977Aug 6, 2018Vehicle does not start
- 10151976Aug 6, 2018Vehicle does not start
- 10151975Aug 6, 2018Vehicle does not start
- 10151974Aug 6, 2018Vehicle does not start
- 10151928Jul 3, 2018ATA operates without obvious cause
- 10144276Jun 11, 2018Light switch/combination switch, fault code stored
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 4 | 57% |
| 2016 | 5 | 24% |
| 2015 | 1 | 17% |
| 2014 | 1 | 8% |
| 2013 | 3 | 12% |
| 2012 | 2 | 25% |
| 2011 | 4 | 25% |
| 2010 | 1 | 17% |
| 2009 | 14 | 14% |
| 2008 | 20 | 14% |
Other parts of the 2008 Smart Fortwo
33 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
32 complaintsOther or unknown
18 complaintsEngine cooling
12 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsSeat belts
10 complaintsBrakes
9 complaintsBody and structure
8 complaintsAir bags
5 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
3 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 Smart Fortwo
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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