2011 Smart Fortwo Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 4about this part
- Share
- 25%of 16 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 28,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the electrical system of the 2011 Smart Fortwo, 25% of the 16 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 28,500 miles.
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.
“The car does not pull out of parking and does not take gears. It has gone 4 times with the same issues to the dealer to leave with the same problem. As a last resort they told me to change the transmission 4,000.00 and no guarantee that the problem will be fix. Something needs to be done this is abusive. And I have no one to help because I do not want my credit affected but these cars are no good. Not even the dealer knows how to fix them. And Smart USA says nothing can be done because their out of warranty. …”
NHTSA complaint #10504116, filed 2013-03, 25,000 miles“This car is just over a year old, only 24,928 miles on it. It will not come out of park. I called the Smart dealership of buckhead, ga and they told me to try to re-train it by turning it on part way 3 times with my foot on the brake and then it would shift. Nope. I called them back up and they said that I was over my 24,000 mile warranty (even if only by 928 miles which is less than 2 weeks worth of driving for me) and because I did my oil changes somewhere else they won't do this as warranty work. (even though I told them I had the records!) how can a transmission fail within 24,000 miles! …”
NHTSA complaint #10475775, filed 2012-09, 24,928 miles“The metal seat belt connector frayed in to two pieces. Replaced with oem part. It frayed again. It's a 2011 driven by a 75 yr.old senior citizen. Mercedes accused owner of maliciously cutting cable. Extreme safety hazzard.”
NHTSA complaint #11115029, filed 2018-07, 64,000 miles“Heater blower squeaks and stops running causing visibility issues and discomfort. Potential danger due to loss of visibility. There are very few of these cars in the USA so please consider this when looking at number of reported issues.”
NHTSA complaint #10487276, filed 2012-12, 32,000 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 2011 Smart Fortwo
5 complaintsSeat belts
4 complaintsBrakes
2 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaintsFuel system
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsTires
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2011 Smart Fortwo
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.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology