2008 smart Fortwo Coupe problems & reliability
20 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2008 smart Fortwo Coupe. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 7 | 35% |
| Structure | 4 | 20% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 10% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 5% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 5% |
| Engine | 1 | 5% |
| Equipment | 1 | 5% |
| Steering | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 11 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Power steering fails while driving and becomes like steering a mac truck extremely difficult to turn the wheel forcing the vehicle to go straight instead of turning causing the car to come into oncoming traffic. *tr”
Steering · filed Jun 23, 2020
“While driving down the north dallas tollway I heard a sudden loud "pop" noise in the back of my car where my engine is located. It was startling enough to pull off onto the shoulder of the highway and exit my car immediately to see where the noise came from. Upon exiting my vehicle, I saw coming from the back of the…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Oct 17, 2016
“Several times my 2008 smart will not go into reverse gear.or start sometimes as explained in many other post here. Mb said that its my clutch assemby, mb report says (1) transmission need to be removed inspect clutch disk pressure plates and thowout bearing/ clutch will not teach in causing engine lamp cost $1359.00…”
Engine · filed Sep 25, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Engine Compartment Fire
Engineering Analysis EA17003 · opened Sep 1, 2017 · closed Aug 21, 2018 · led to recall 18V273000
- Engine Compartment Fire
Preliminary Evaluation PE16016 · opened Dec 16, 2016 · closed Nov 20, 2017 · led to recall 18V273000
Technical service bulletins
7 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2008 smart Fortwo Coupe.
Highline can only be operated to a limited extent or not at all; the input points (contact points) are shifted horizontally relative to the display; calibration is not possible.
LI82.85-P-058785 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 25, 2014
PreConditioning of the vehicle via the Vehicle Homepage or the instrument cluster does not function or is restricted.
LI54.21-P-058620 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 20, 2014
PreConditioning of the vehicle via the Vehicle Homepage or the instrument cluster does not function or is restricted.
LI54.21-P-058620 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 7, 2014
Range does not meet customer's expectations. Customers usually differentiate as follows: 1. Total of distance driven + indicated range remaining with one HV battery charge too low 2. Actual range until the drive system…
LI00.10-P-056437 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 3, 2014
If the Radio 9 was switched off while driving, it can switch itself back on again the next time the engine is started.
LI82.60-P-046127 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2014
Smart: high-voltage battery software update. *js
SM-B-54 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 18, 2012
Pdi procedure can be accessed through the smart usa dealer portal. This new procedure details four additional pdi processes. *pe
09-03-08 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 24, 2008
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2008 smart Fortwo Coupe in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2008 smart Fortwo Coupe?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.