2009 Smart Fortwo

I AM WRITING TO YOU TO VOICE A COMPLAINT I HAVE WITH MERCEDES-BENDS USA, LLC'S RECALL OF THEIR SMART VEHICLES, RECALL CAMPAIGN # 2018060010. IT CALLS FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR INSULATION MAT, THAT IF NOT REPLACE COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I HAVE CALLED SEVERAL OF THE LOCAL MERCEDES-BENDS DEALERSHIPS AND HAVE FOUND THAT THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP THAT CAN REPLACE THE MAT IS EITHER IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH OR SEATTLE WASHINGTON. I RESIDE IN HELENA MONTANA WHICH IS 485 MILES FROM SALT LAKE AND 590 MILES FROM SEATTLE. THESE DISTANCES ARE TOTALLY IMPRACTICAL FOR ME TO DRIVE TO WITH THIS VEHICLE. PLEASE REQUIRE MERCEDES-BENDS TO ESTABLISH A SMART MAINTENANCE FACILITY IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO HELENA.

APPEARS THAT MY 2009 SMART FORTWO PASSION AND OTHERS ON THE INTERNET ARE BEING CONFRONTED WITH MANY OF THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS. VEHICLE WILL NOT GO INTO R (REVERSE) AT TIMES AND THE KEYFOB MAY NEED TO BE REPROGRAMMED FOR NOT WORKING IN THE VEHICLE AT ALL. DON'T KNOW IF IT IS THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE, TRANSPONDER, OR WHAT. I DO KNOW THAT MANY OWNERS ARE FACING THE SAME CHALLENGE. NO NEED FOR A KEY REMAKE, THE KEYS JUST DO NOT TURN THE CAR ON AT ALL. THE PROGRAMMING EQUIPMENT AND OR ALL THAT TROUBLESHOOTING YET MERCEDES TOP EXECUTIVES HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT ADDRESS OWNER CONCERNS. I CAN PULL INTO A PARKING LOT, HANDLE MY BUSINESS IN LETS SAY A SUPERMARKET. COME BACK OUT TO THE CAR AND PUT IN REVERSE AND ONLY N (NEUTRAL) APPEARS. I HAVE TO GO FROM NEUTRAL TO DRIVE THEN REVERSE FOR THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO REVERSE. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WITH 5 MILES ON IT AND HAVE OVER 100K. ONE DAY ON THE WAY TO WORK IT SHOOK BAD. I PULLED OVER. HAD TO BE TOWED BECAUSE THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN THE ENGINE ON AT ALL. GAVE IT SOME TIME, THE BATTERY, WINDOWS, RADIO AND DASH LIGHT UP, BUT THE IGNITION ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. AGAIN, I HAVE NOTICED ON SEVERAL SITES MANY OWNERS OF THE SAME VEHICLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. THE KEYS STOPPED WORKING MAY 20, 2020. THE REVERSE ISSUE HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS, DO NOT HAVE A TIME FRAME OF WHEN I FIRST NOTICED IT. THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE.*DT CONSUMER STATED SHE WOULD LIKE TO DISMISS COMPLAINT.*JB

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM MERCEDES BENZ ON MONDAY 5/4/2020 LETTING ME KNOW THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON MY CAR, A REAR INSULATION MAT IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT NEEDS TO BE CHANGED OUT TO AVOID A POSSIBLE ENGINE FIRE. I CALLED THE MB DEALERSHIP IN ANCHORAGE AND WAS TOLD THEY DO NOT WORK ON SMART VEHICLES. I CALLED THE PHONE NUMBER FOR MBUSA TO FIND A DEALERSHIP OR AN APPROVED TECH TO MAKE THE REPAIR. I LEFT A MESSAGE AND WAS CALLED BACK YESTERDAY 5/7/2020 BY [XXX]. HE TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE NO DEALERSHIP OR APPROVED REPAIR CENTERS IN ALASKA AND THAT SINCE I CHOSE TO LIVE REMOTE THAT 'UNFORTUNATELY' IT'S MY PROBLEM. I WROTE A LETTER TO THE COMPANY OFFERING THE SAME POSSIBLE OPTIONS TO GET IT FIXED THAT I HAD SUGGESTED TO HIM; 1) SEND THE PART AND I'LL FIX IT MYSELF; 2) SEND THE PART TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP OF MY CHOICE AND PAY THEM TO FIX IT OR 3) SEND A TECHNICIAN TO THE MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP IN ANCHORAGE TO PERFORM THE SAFETY RECALL REPAIR. THE LETTER WAS SENT BACK TO HIM AND HE CALLED ME TODAY TO REINTERATE THAT 'UNFORTUNATELY' MBUSA WAS NOT GOING TO DO ANY OF THESE THINGS AND THAT AS A SECOND OWNER OF THE CAR THEY HAVE FULFILLED THEIR OBLIGATION TO ME. IT'S MY PROBLEM TO GET IT TO A DEALERSHIP OF MY CHOOSING. ALL DEALERSHIPS ARE IN THE CONTIGUOUS 48 STATES. I ASKED HIM IF A LAW SUIT RESULTING FROM A FIREY DEATH WAS A CONCERN TO MBUSA OR IF THEY INFORM PEOPLE WHO PURCHASE THE VEHICLES THAT IF THEY CHOSE TO TAKE THEIR CAR WITHIN THE UNITED STATES TO AN AREA WITHOUT A DEALERSHIP THAT THEY WERE ON THEIR OWN. HIS RESPONSE WAS HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT DEALERSHIPS TELL PEOPLE AND AGAIN, WHILE THEY WOULDN'T LIKE TO HAVE MY CAR CATCH FIRE IT IS REALLY MY ISSUE. SEE ATTACHED CORRESPONDENCE. SO I AM IN A SPOT TO EITHER PARK IT OR DRIVE IT KNOWING I COULD HAVE A PROBLEM. I CAN'T EVEN SELL IT WITHOUT IT BEING FIXED. THIS IS NOW A FINANCIAL ISSUE & A SAFETY ISSUE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TODAY I RECEIVED A THIRD (3RD) RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR MY 2009 SMART FOUR TWO COUPE REAR ENGINE INSULATION MAT. THE NOTICE STATES THE CURRENT MAT COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF FIRE. EACH TIME I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER (55 MILES DISTANT) THEY HAVE INFORMED THEY ARE OUT OF STOCK OF THIS ITEM. I'VE ASKED THEM TO NOTIFY ME WHEN THE ITEM IS IN STOCK. I HAVE NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED. COULD YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS APPARENT FIRE HAZARD. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO INSTALL THIS EASY FIX IF THEY WOULD SEND ME THE INSULATION PAD ITSELF.

CAR DOESN'T SHIFT FROM PARK TO REVERSE OR IT GOES INTO NEUTRAL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE .IM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS ISSUE AND APPARENTLY SMART KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM.THIS PROBLEM IS PUTTING PEOPLE INTO NEUTRAL WHEN THEY START AND LEAVING YOU IN THE ROAD..THEY NEED TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AND KNOWINGLY PUTTING PEOPLE AT RISK. I WAS SITTING IN A PARKING LOT WHEN I COULDN'T SHIFT INTO REVERSE . I'VE READ AND HEARD FROM OTHERS SMART IS SAYING A SOFTWARE ERROR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SMART FORTWO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN AND REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V273000 (ENGINE, ENGINE COOLING). MERCEDES-BENZ OF WESTMINISTER (LOCATED AT 10391 WESTMINISTER BLVD, WESTMINISTER, CO 80020, 303-410-7800) PERFORMED THE REPAIR. AFTER THE REPAIR, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKE A BOOMING NOISE WHEN THE ENGINE AND/OR RADIO WERE ACTIVATED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SMART FORTWO. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE AND THE ABS AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V273000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE CONTACT STATED THAT MERCEDES-BENZ OF EDISON (LOCATED AT 910 US-1, EDISON, NJ 08817, (732) 394-1870) EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2009 SMART FORTWO. THE CONTACT'S FRIEND WAS DRIVING HIS VEHICLE AT 60 MPH WHEN HE SMELLED PLASTIC BURNING INSIDE THE VEHICLE. MOMENTS LATER, SMOKE BEGAN TO ENTER THE VEHICLE FROM BEHIND THE DRIVER SEAT; NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED DURING THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT'S FRIEND PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER AND WALKED TO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WHEN HE DISCOVER THAT FIRE STARTED FROM THE REAR LEFT BUMPER OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT THEN RETRIEVED A BOTTLE OF WATER FROM THE VEHICLE AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. THE FIRE BEGAN SPREAD AND COMPLETELY ENGULFED THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S FRIEND THEN DIALED 911. FIRE AND STATE POLICE ARRIVED AT THE SCENE OF THE INCIDENT. THE FIRE WAS EVENTUALLY EXTINGUISHED. NO INJURIES OCCURRED DURING THE INCIDENT AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED DUE TO THE FIRE AND TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V273000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) WITH HIS FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND SENT HIM A QUESTIONNAIRE IN RELATION TO THE FAILURE. THE DEALER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.