2008 Smart Fortwo

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

THE PLASTIC COMPOSITE MATERIAL THAT MAKES UP THE CLEAR ROOF PANEL ON SMART FORTWO PASSION MODELS HAS BEEN KNOWN TO "CRAZE" OR HAZE OVER WITH FINE MARKS, THAT CATCH AND REFLECT THE SUN. THIS MAKES THE ROOF'S MATERIAL APPEAR TO WEAR DOWN DUE TO THE SUN'S UV LIGHT. OWNERS THAT PARK THEIR CARS IN GARAGES HAVE FEWER SYMPTOMS, AND ADVERSELY, THOSE WHO ALWAYS KEEP THEIR CAR OUTSIDE AND EXPOSED TO SUN SEE EXASPERATED ISSUES. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF THE MATERIAL WARPING DUE TO WEAR AND EXPERIENCING LEAKS AROUND THE EDGES. AS THE PANEL IS NOT A SUN ROOF, BUT INSTEAD THE VEHICLE'S ROOF ITSELF, THE PROBLEM IS NOT CHEAP TO REPAIR. THE MATERIAL HAS BEEN KNOWN TO "CRAZE" SINCE THE SMART FORTWO WAS UPDATED IN 2008, AND AS OF 2012 THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *TR

BOTH SEAT BELTS, BUT ESPECIALLY THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT, LOSE TENSION AND ARE RENDERED INEFFECTIVE. THEY CAN STILL BE FASTENED, BUT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO RESTRAINT. I REQUESTED A REPAIR OF AT LEAST THE PASSENGER-SIDE SEAT BELT DURING A 11/19/12 CAR REPAIR AND THE DEALER'S REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT MANY SMART FORTWO VEHICLES HAVE PROBLEMS WITH SEAT BELTS. HE WAS RELUCTANT TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM AND DID NOT. FROM READING THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT SEATBELTS OF SMART VEHICLES, THIS LAST OF PROPER RESTRAINT SEEMS TO BE AN ON-GOING PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SMART FORTWO. THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT DOES NOT LATCH. THE FRONT HOOD LATCH CAME APART CAUSING THE HOOD TO SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH. NO ONE WAS INJURED AND A CRASH DID NOT OCCUR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THERE WAS NO RECALL AND THE CONTACT WOULD HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR COST AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,424. UPDATED 12/11/12*LJ THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE AND HOOD LATCH WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 12/12/12

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.

IT WAS A VERY HOT DAY AND HAD BEEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. I SLOWED DOWN TO TURN ONTO RAMP AND CAR WENT OUT OF GEAR (WHILE DRIVING!). SCREEN WENT BLANK. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME ONCE BEFORE IN A SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCE SO I PULLED OVER. TURNED OFF CAR AND FOUND ADVICE ON THE SMART CAR FORUM (THIS HAS OBVIOUSLY HAPPENED TO OTHERS AS WELL). AFTER ABOUT 3 TIMES OF COMPLETING THE CYCLE TO REBOOT THE SYSTEM, IT FINALLY WORKED AND I CONTINUED ON MY WAY. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED DEALER DID A SOFTWARE UPDATE AT MY COST ($200+) BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS CAR IS DANGEROUS...WILL SOMEONE NEED TO DIE BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE WITH A RECALL OF THESE CARS? *TR

DRIVING ON INTERSTATE ON A HOT DAY. AFTER APPROX. 1 HOUR OF DRIVING, SLOWED DOWN TO CHANGE LANES, PUT ON BRAKES, SCREEN WENT BLANK AND THERE WERE NO GEARS. NOTHING...THE CAR WAS STILL RUNNING, BUT THERE WAS NO WAY TO MOVE, AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. WENT ONLINE AND FOUND THAT OTHER OWNERS HAD SAME PROBLEM. WENT THROUGH A COMPUTER RESET AND IT RAN FINE. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY CHARGED ME $200 FOR A SOFTWARE UPDATE (AFTER I HAD TO RENT A CAR FOR $300 TO GET HOME). *TR