My Life in Pictures - smart fortwo - What could possibly go wrong?

When you buy a car that is new to the market you take no the risk of having things go wrong that may not be fixed right away or which may cause major inconvenience.

This is a comprehensive list of the top ten problems people have had with the smart fortwo in its first year in the US.

1. Gear shift lever sticking - The gear shifter lever was not properly lubricated at the factory for many (possibly all) cars. Owners have reported being stranded when the gear shift lever became stuck in Park. I have experienced this myself. My car had to be towed to the dealership for repair. Owners have reported that their dealers have acknowledged that this is a known issue but there has been no recall.

2. Engine knocking - Because of the balance of the 3 cyllinder engine it makes more noise than an engine with an even number of cyllinders. This isn't a malfunction but many owners have mentioned it as a matter of concern for them.

3. Burning smell - Owners have reported a "burning smell" after driving their cars. It's not overpowering or terribly unpleasant but it has been raised as a matter of concern with some owners just as the engine knocking has. Some owners say the smell goes away after about 500 miles while others report it does not.

4. Battery dying - Many owners have reported that if they let their car sit for a few days without starting it the battery will be dead the next time they try to start the car. I have experienced this problem myself. Some owners have reported that their dealers have replaced the batteries, installed a larger battery or that they themselves have installed a "battery minder" to resolve the problem. Owners have reported that their dealers have acknowledged that this is a known issue but there has been no recall.

5. Front windshield cracks and chips - Many owners have reported that their windshields have been damaged by rocks and other debris hitting their windshields. The number of owners of the smart fortwo in the US who have reported this issue compared to owners of other models of car is significantly higher. Owners have reported that their dealers have acknowledged that this is a known issue but there has been no recall.

I have experienced this issue myself and I am unhappy to report that the replacement glass costs $800. I have ordered a glass for my car from the dealer and I have been waiting 1 week and 2 days so far for it to be delivered to the repair shop. I was irritated enough by this to write a letter to smart USA.

6. Heater blower intermittently fails to turn on when heater is on - Many owners have reported that the blower for the heater will not turn on sometimes when the heater is on.

7. Car "forgets" what gear it is in and will refuse to start - Many owners have reported that sometimes their car will "forget" what gear it is in and instead of displaying the gear or the D for drive under the speedo it will display three vertical bars:


Fixing this requires the owner to "teach in" the transmission as such:

1. Put foot on the brake pedal
2. Turn the key to the on position
3. Move the gear shifter through all of the gears and return it to park
4. Turn off the key
5. Restart the car

This is such a widespread issue that when I call to report my car won't start usually the first thing they ask me is if there are three bars displayed on the readout.

8. Loose gas cap causes check engine light to come on - If the gas cap is loose the ECU will report an error of "P0455 (Generic Evaporative Emission System Leak Detected [gross leak/no flow])" which causes the check engine light to light up. This was fixed in the 2009 model with the placement of a loose gas cap indicator light on the console but it doesn't resolve the issue for owners of the 2008 year model. I can't imagine any more sound acknowledgement of a problem than putting an extra lamp on a new model to help the owner fix the problem so I don't understand why there has been no offer to fix the problem for owners of existing 2008 year model cars.

9. Rear glass latch won't latch - Many owners have reported that intermittently the rear glass will not latch. I have experienced this myself. This was even reported by Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press when he test drove the 2008 fortwo.

10. Warning sounds for no reason - The fortwo has a warning system that will beep three times if the lights are left on, the key is left in the ignition, etc. but many owners have reported that sometimes it beeps seemingly for no reason. This is a problem because it defeats the purpose of the system if people learn to ignore the warning sound.