2008 Smart Fortwo

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SMART FORTWO. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V273000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED MERCEDES-BENZ OF SAN FRANCISCO AT (415) 553-4280 (LOCATED AT 500 8TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE AT THE END OF JUNE OF 2018 AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SMART FORTWO. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A PARKING GARAGE, THE GARAGE ATTENDANT CALLED THE CONTACT AND INFORMED HIM THAT SMOKE WAS EMERGING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WITHOUT WARNING OR IMPACT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 205,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 SMART FORTWO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES AFTER IT WAS PARKED. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF HOW THE FIRE STARTED OR WHERE IT ORIGINATED, BUT IT WAS BELIEVED TO BE NEAR THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO AN INSURANCE AUTO AUCTION. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. A LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,400.

AS MY WIFE WAS FILLING THE GAS TANK IT FAILED TO BUILD BACK PRESSURE THAT WOULD NORMALLY SHUT OFF THE GAS PUMP. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE. THEN ON MON. THE 19TH OF JUNE AFTER WORK MY WIFE COMPLAINED OF A STRONG GAS ODER INSIDE THE VEHICLE. SHE DROVE THE CAR TO WORK ON TUES. MORNING AND HAD THE SAME STRONG GAS SMELL. SHE THOUGHT THAT IT MIGHT BE DUE TO OVERFILLING THE TANK. WHEN SHE GOT HOME ON TUES. NIGHT WE NOTICED A STEADY STREAM OF GAS POURING OUT OF THE VEHICLE UNDER THE CAR NEAR THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE GAS ONLY STREAMED OUT WHEN THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. ONCE WE SHUTOFF THE CAR IT WOULD DRIBBLE OUT FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES THEN EVENTUALLY STOP. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR ON IT WOULD BEGIN FLOWING FUEL ONTO THE GROUND IMMEDIATELY. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE MERCEDES BENZ\SMART CAR DEALER LOCATED NEAREST TO ME. AFTER THE CAR WAS TOWED I STARTED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ONLINE TO DETERMINE IF THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE. I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS POSTED TO CHAT ROOM BOARDS REGARDING A FUEL LEAK AND A BROKEN DISCHARGE LINE FROM THE FUEL PUMP TO THE ENGINE. WHAT I WAS EVEN MORE STARTLED TO FIND WAS LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT VIDEOS OF SMART CARS CATCHING ON FIRE. I SOON DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION WITH THE NHTSA FOR ENGINE FIRES ON MODEL 2008-2009 FORTWO SMART CARS. THE INVESTIGATION NUMBER IS PE-16-016 THE DEALERSHIP CALLED ME TODAY AND STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP IS LEAKING GAS ON TOP OF THE TANK AND THAT THE FUEL PUMP WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. THEY HAVE NOT DROPPED THE FUEL TANK YET. THEY WITNESSED THE FUEL LEAK USING A MIRROR. IT IS NOW FRIDAY AT 2:15PM PST, AND TO LATE FOR THEM TO START REPAIRING THE FUEL PUMP TODAY. THE DEALERSHIP PLANS TO DROP THE TANK AND REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP ON TUES. MORNING. I WILL BE THERE TO PHOTOGRAPH THE LOCATION OF THE BREAK ON THE FUEL LINE AND UPDATE THIS COMPLAINT AFTER THAT.

TAKATA RECALL. I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK AND LOOKED IN MY REAR VIEW MIRROR AND SAW SMOKE. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ONLY TO FIND MY CAR WAS BEGINNING TO BE ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THERE WAS NO WARNING, NO PREVIOUS WORK DONE ON THE CAR...NOTHING! I WAS TRAVELING 45 MPH ON THE STREET. THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN MY DRIVING HABIT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I CALLED THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPT. THEY RESPONDED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WROTE UP A REPORT AND DETERMINED THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE AREA. AGAIN, BEFORE THEN, I HAD NO ISSUES WITH THE CAR, ENGINE OR ANYTHING ELECTRICAL. MY LIFE WAS PUT IN DANGER DUE TO THIS FIRE. I REPORTED IT TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND IT WAS AN OBVIOUS TOTAL LOSS. I AM ATTACHING A COPY OF THE FIRE REPORT FOR YOUR REVIEW.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SMART FORTWO. AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN ABNORMAL ODOR AND OBSERVED SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE'S INSULATION CAUGHT FIRE ON THE HEAT SHIELD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000...UPDATED 02/01/16 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. *JS

MY 2008 SMART HAS A LITTLE OVER 36,000 MILES ON IT. SINCE AROUND 06/16/2015, THE GEAR SHIFT WOULD GET STUCK AND NOT GO INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS, IT WOULD EVENTUALLY GO INTO THE CORRECT GEAR. ON SUNDAY 06/28/2015, REGARDLESS OF NUMBERS OF ATTEMPT, IT ONLY GOES FROM P TO N AND WILL NOT SHIFT TO REVERSE OR DRIVE. I PURCHASED THIS CAR THE DAY IT CAME ON THE MARKET IN MAY 2008 AND PICKED IT UP FROM MB OF LAGUNA NIEGUEL. I EVEN PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON IT (5YRS, 75,000 MILES) WHICH AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, I WAS TOLD BEGINS AFTER THE INITIAL MANUFACTURE'S WARRENTY EXPIRES. I AM NOW TOLD THE EXTENDED WARRANTY IS ALREADY EXPIRED. HOW DOES A CAR WITH UNDER 36,000 START TO HAVE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WHEN ALL IT'S SERVICES WERE COMPLETED BY THE DEALERSHIP AT THE TIME IT WAS REQUIRED?! MB OF BEVERLY HILLS SERVICE ADVISOR (JOHN) TOLD ME THIS MORNIGN IT WOULD TAKE 2-3 WKS BE FORE I CAN TAKE THE CAR IN AND GET A LOANER CAR SO THEY CAN DIAGNOISE THE PROBLEM, WHEN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SMART OWNERS WHO HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS SAME EXACT PROBLEM ON THE WEB. A LEGO CAR WOULD PROBABLY LAST LONGER THAN THIS VEHICLE MADE BY MERCEDES BENZ!!