2011 Smart Fortwo Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 2about this part
- Share
- 13%of 16 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 24,964miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 2 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2011 Smart Fortwo, 13% of the 16 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 24,964 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 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11035005Jul 14, 2026Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of…
- 11019018May 21, 2025Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The clunk is heard once when changing from forward to reverse…
- 10059854Nov 8, 2013Summary to be provided on a future date.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 2011 Smart Fortwo
5 complaintsElectrical system
4 complaintsSeat belts
4 complaintsBrakes
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 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