2008 Smart Fortwo

IN TRAFFIC, ATTEMPTING TO PARALLEL PARK, CAR FAILS TO SHIFT INTO "R" MUST TURN CAR OFF IN MIDDLE OF ROAD, RESTART THREE TIMES TO FINALLY GET CAR TO ENGAGE "R" OR "D" TO MOVE THE CAR SAFELY OUT OF TRAFFIC. 1- THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME MANY DOZENS OF TIMES, I PREVIOUSLY REPORTED A SIMILAR PROBLEM. 2- I SEE MANY OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL ISSUED? *JS

THE CAR JUST SHUTS OFF AT ANYTIME WHILEDRIVING IN D YOUR JUST A SITTING DUCK CANT USE GEAR TO UNLOCK TRAMMISSION SO IT COULD BE MOVED OUT OF WAY OF ON COMMING TRAFFIC, THERES NO WARNING THE CARS IS IN THE SHOP NOW, THIS HAS HAPPEN TO OTHER SMART FORTWO OWNERS, ITS A DEATH TRAP WATING TO HAPPEN NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE MORE PEOPLE LOSE THERE LIFE, LOOK AT GM .54CENT COULD HAVE SAVED MANY LOSE LIVES. PLEASE HELP THE PUBLIC,, *TR

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. I DETERMINED THAT UPON SHIFTING MY JACKET SLEEVE HAD BRUSHED AGAINST THE KEY, AND BECUASE THE KEY IS SO EASY TO TURN OFF FROM THE ON POSITION, THE KEY JUST TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING. THIS WAS THE FIRST OCCURRANCE OF THIS, AS IT HAPPEND ONE MORE TIME. I HAVE HAD TO REMEMBER NOT TO LEAVE MY HAND DOWN BY THE SHIFT LEVER, IN FEAR OF TURNING OFF THE KEY WITHOUT KNOWING IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SMART FORTWO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE GEAR AND THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 29,942.

PUT CAR INTO REVERSE. DISPLAY WOULD NOT SHOW REVERSE NOR WOULD IT GO INTO REVERSE. I TURNED CAR OFF, WAITED UNTIL COMPUTER RESET THEN TURNED THE KEY. CAR SEQUENCED THROUGH THE GEARS TO 'RELEARN' THE SEQUENCE. I STARTED THE CAR AND IT STILL WON'T FIND THE REVERSE GEAR. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. CLUTCH WAS REPLACED BY DEALER 5 MONTHS AGO AND SOFTWARE WAS UPGRADED. *TR

THE 2008 SMART CAR, HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY, SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL, WHILE DRIVING, USUALLY, WHEN ENTERING, OR EXITING A HIGHWAY, OR AT AN INTERSECTION (SPEED CHANGES). THE CAR SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL, AND THEN USUALLY SHUTS DOWN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE REAR ENDED, FROM UNSUSPECTING DRIVERS BEHIND THIS VEHICLE..THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN THE CAR, WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE, WHILE PARKED..SMART OFFERED A SOFTWARE FIX, TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE. HAD THAT DONE, THEN PROBLEM PROGRESSED, TO SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING, AND STALLING OUT...AT TIMES CAR, WOULD RESTART, BUT IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR, INDICATING ONLY A FLASHING NEUTRAL POSITION. AT TIMES, CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL, BECAUSE WOULD NOT KNOW WHAT GEAR IT WAS IN...IF WAITED 10-20 MINUTES, OR SEVERAL HOURS, IT MIGHT RESTART, AND SHIFT, FOR A SHORT PERIOD, BEFORE IT DID THE SAME THING AGAIN...APPARENTLY IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM, WITH THE SMART CAR FORUMS, FULL OF COMPLAINTS, ABOUT THE 2008 YEAR, WITH SMART CO., AT TIMES, AUTHORIZING REPAIRS, AND REPLACEMENT WITH 2009 MECHANISMS, THAT DO NOT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS AS THE 2008 MODEL YEAR. THERE SHOULD DEFINITELY BE A RECALL FOR THE 2008 SMART CAR, MODEL YEAR, BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED, ENTERING, EXITING A HIGHWAY, AT A RAILROAD CROSSING, OR AT AN INTERSECTION, WHERE THE CAR, SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL, WON'T SHIFT OUT, AND SHUTS OFF... THANK YOU *TR

THE 2008 SMART CAR, HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY, SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL, WHILE DRIVING, USUALLY, WHEN ENTERING, OR EXITING A HIGHWAY, OR AT AN INTERSECTION (SPEED CHANGES). THE CAR SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL, AND THEN USUALLY SHUTS DOWN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE REAR ENDED, FROM UNSUSPECTING DRIVERS BEHIND THIS VEHICLE..THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN THE CAR, WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE, WHILE PARKED..SMART OFFERED A SOFTWARE FIX, TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE. HAD THAT DONE, THEN PROBLEM PROGRESSED, TO SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING, AND STALLING OUT...AT TIMES CAR, WOULD RESTART, BUT IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR, INDICATING ONLY A FLASHING NEUTRAL POSITION. AT TIMES, CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL, BECAUSE WOULD NOT KNOW WHAT GEAR IT WAS IN...IF WAITED 10-20 MINUTES, OR SEVERAL HOURS, IT MIGHT RESTART, AND SHIFT, FOR A SHORT PERIOD, BEFORE IT DID THE SAME THING AGAIN...APPARENTLY IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM, WITH THE SMART CAR FORUMS, FULL OF COMPLAINTS, ABOUT THE 2008 YEAR, WITH SMART CO., AT TIMES, AUTHORIZING REPAIRS, AND REPLACEMENT WITH 2009 MECHANISMS, THAT DO NOT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS AS THE 2008 MODEL YEAR. THERE SHOULD DEFINITELY BE A RECALL FOR THE 2008 SMART CAR, MODEL YEAR, BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED, ENTERING, EXITING A HIGHWAY, AT A RAILROAD CROSSING, OR AT AN INTERSECTION, WHERE THE CAR, SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL, WON'T SHIFT OUT, AND SHUTS OFF... THANK YOU *TR

SMART CAR HAD HISTORY OF NOT GOING IN REVERSE. "R" WOULD NOT COME UP ON SCREEN, CAR WOULD JUST ROLL FORWARD, HITTING VEHICLE(S) IN FRONT. THEN FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, (2 YEARS) CAR WOULD GO INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING, (EVEN ON HIGHWAY) COAST FOR A WHILE, THEN SHUT DOWN, AND NOT RESTART. IF YOU WAITED 10 MINUTES, IT WOULD USUALLY RESTART. IF TRIED SOONER, IT EITHER WOULD NOT RESTART, OR ONLY GO INTO NEUTRAL. IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO ANY OTHER GEAR. THE OTHER DAY, AFTER APPROACHING HILL, AT RED LIGHT, CAR WENT INTO NEUTRAL, THEN SHUT DOWN, AND BRAKES WOULD NOT RESPOND QUICK ENOUGH SINCE CAR TURNED OFF, AND HIT TWO (2) PEDESTRIANS, CROSSING IN INTERSECTION. CAR WOULD NOT RESTART, WAITED 1 1/2 HOURS, WOULD RESTART AT TIMES, BUT STAYED IN NEUTRAL, (10/2013). HAD TO BE TOWED TO SMART/MERCEDES CENTER, QUOTED ME $3000, TO CHANGE ACTUATER, CLUTCH MOTOR, CLUTCH PRESS, CLUTCH PLATE, AND MAYBE MORE IF NEED TO REPLACE CLUTCH. SMART FORUMS ARE ALL FULL OF THE SAME PROBLEMS, WITH THE SMART CARS, ESPECIALLY THE 2008. MANUFACTURER MUST HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE BY NOW, BUT IS IGNORING THE PROBLEM, APPARENTLY CHANGED DESIGN AND CLUTCH PLATE ASSEMBLY FOR 2009 SMART CARS. BUT HAS NOT RECALLED 2008 YEAR WHERE PROBLEMS ARE COMMON, AND VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS AFTER STARTING THE CAR, IT WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. THE DASH BOARD SHIFT INDICATOR REMAINED ON THE "N" , BUT THE GEAR SHIFT WAS IN REVERSE. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTING IT, THEN WENT INTO REVERSE. WE LIVED WITH PROBLEM FOR A LONG TIME, BECAUSE WE, AT LEAST HAD A SOLUTION.JUST RECENTLY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 MY WIFE CALLED ME FROM A SHOPPING PLAZA TELLING ME THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR (DRIVE OR REVERSE) IT TOOK ME ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF TURNING THE ENGINE ON AND OFF BEFORE THE CAR WAS ABLE TO GO INTO DRIVE AND REVERSE. FORTUNATELY, SHE WAS IN A PARKING LOT AND NOT ON A HIGHWAY OR TRYING TO PARALLEL ON A BUSY STREET. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM, WHICH NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED BY THE MERCEDES PEOPLE. AFTER VIEWING THE INTERNET, THERE ARE MANY SMART CAR 2008 OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. PLEASE ADVISE IF A CALL BACK HAS BEEN ISSUED OR WILL BE ISSUED. THANK YOU. *TR

ATTEMPTING TO LEAVING STORE PARKING LOT, ENTERED CAR, STARTED ENGINE, MOVED GEAR SHIFT TO "R" BUT TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE AND THE "R" DOES NOT APPEAR IN DASHBOARD DISPLAY. TRY MOVING SHIFTER TO "D" BUT STILL NO TRANSMISSION ENGAGEMENT OR DASH DISPLAY.. SHIFT BACK TO "P" THAT NOW DISPLAYS ON DASH. TRY "R" AGAIN, NOTHING. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO ENGAGE TRANSMISSION FAIL, TURN ENGINE OFF, AND RESTART. NOW IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY. THIS TYPE OF OCCURRENCE HAS HAPPENED MANY, MANY TIMES OVER THE LAST YEAR. CAN'T IDENTIFY WHAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THIS ISSUE, I.E. COLD ENGINE, HOT ENGINE, RAIN, HOT SUMMER DAY, COLD WINTER, IT HAPPENS UNDER ANY UNEXPECTED SITUATION.