2008 Smart Fortwo Other or unknown Problems
- Complaints
- 18about this part
- Share
- 13%of 140 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 54,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 18 complaints about the other or unknown of the 2008 Smart Fortwo, 13% of the 140 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 54,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 7 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“On july 28 2017 I was driving on the highway and my car died . Luckily I was able to coast to the side of the road and the car that was following me also pulled over and the man was yelling that my car was on fire. I had no previous warning. No smell, no sounds, no alarms--nothing other than my car died while I was on the highway. …”
NHTSA complaint #11011565, filed 2017-07, 28,235 miles“Often times after starting up vehicle and going into reverse vehicle will not reverse. I often times get stuck in spots because I am unable to reverse. This is a safety hazard especially when there is oncoming traffic behind me.”
NHTSA complaint #10991881, filed 2017-05, 59,000 miles“Not sure if you are interested in a canadian complaint (sorry, used the closest state and zip code for address) but I think this is important. After replacing the muffler on our Smart car, as I drove away I smelled a burning odor. Thinking it was just burn off from the new parts I continued driving. Not much further away at a stop a man approached me and said there was smoke coming out the back. I got out to look and the amount of smoke quickly increased and was coming out through the rear body panel sections. I have video of this. …”
NHTSA complaint #11010186, filed 2017-07, 87,000 miles“My car started on fire while it was being driven! My friend escaped a fiery death by merely seconds! I have had this car since 2008. I have been very impressed with it for the most part as, other than regularly scheduled maintenance, there have absolutely no problems with the car for the first 100,000 miles. Until this incident, I was considering purchasing a new Smart car. My friend was driving the car down the freeway yesterday when a driver next to him began flagging him frantically and fortunately forced him off to the shoulder of the road. …”
NHTSA complaint #10993895, filed 2017-06, 100,000 miles“I was in an office building when I a city fire marshal came in and informed me my car was on fire in the parking lot. I found this to be very hard to believe as it had been parked for over an hour and one half. The fire dept. Had broken my passenger side window, opened the car and sprayed it with chemicals. I was informed the fire had started from wires in the engine compartment. Fortunately, it was caught early and damage was minimal, but the car was not attended nor was the engine hot as it had not been in use for some time. Had it been in a closed garage it could have been a disaster.”
NHTSA complaint #10939504, filed 2017-01, 54,000 milesOther or unknown: other model years
Other parts of the 2008 Smart Fortwo
33 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
32 complaintsElectrical system
20 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 30, 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