Smart FORTWO COUPE ELECTRIC problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
7 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
16,386 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2014 to 2015 model years. Data updated: . 2 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Owner-reported patterns
Most common problems
Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 2 of 7 complaints (28.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic
Matching reports
Share of complaints
Electrical and battery issues
4
57.1%
Braking behavior
2
28.6%
Engine operation
1
14.3%
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
Electrical System
2
Service Brakes
2
Power Train
1
Seat Belts
1
Unknown Or Other
1
Component breakdown data
Category
Count
Electrical System
2
Service Brakes
2
Power Train
1
Seat Belts
1
Unknown Or Other
1
Electrical System: 2; Service Brakes: 2; Power Train: 1; Seat Belts: 1; Unknown Or Other: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
Under 25,000
1
25,000 to 49,999
1
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
Category
Count
Under 25,000
1
25,000 to 49,999
1
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 5 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
2016
1
2017
1
2022
1
2023
1
2025
3
Complaints over time data
Category
Count
2016
1
2017
1
2022
1
2023
1
2025
3
2016: 1; 2017: 1; 2022: 1; 2023: 1; 2025: 3
Pattern summary
Electrical System leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 4 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 2 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
My SMART ForTwo Coupe 2014 has been having a High Voltage System Maintenance alert on the dashboard. I have sought service help from AAA and PepBoys, but everyone was saying the system battery is fine. When I moved to an apartment that doesn't have electric outlets, my ability to charge was stifled. When my HV battery went under 10%, the system battery shutdown and the HV battery went into reserve mode. I searched the internet and all over the U.S. SMART ForTwo 2014 is having this problem. It's all over the forums on SMART USA website. I did a …
My 2014 SMART FORTWO has a HV System Maintenance warning that should be included with 2014-2015 HV System recall that Mercedes has. However, My VIN is not coming up on the search. The HV System is causing the car to not charge correctly at charging stations and it is causing the system battery to drain. I don't know when the HV System light came on, but it started causing the vehicle to glitch about March 05, 2025. I have someone look at it in 2023... But it is still having HV System Maintenance problems.
Loss of most of the braking effectiveness, resulting in a collision. This vehicle had a Virginia State inspection performed the previous month and no brake failure dash lights were noted before the collision.
WHILE DRIVING, BRAKES FAILED, BRAKE PEDAL BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO DEPRESS WITH NO BRAKE RESPONSE, AND A WARNING LIGHT INDICATING A BRAKE FAULT CAME ON. FORTUNATELY, DRIVER WAS ON A SLOW MOVING CITY STREET AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND STOP USING HAND BRAKE FOR AN EMERGENCY STOP. OTHER ELECTRICAL RELATED GLITCHES IN THIS CAR CAN BE 'RESET' BY TURNING OFF CAR AND RESTARTING. DRIVER TRIED THAT, ERROR CLEARED, DRIVER PROCEEDED CAREFULLY, TURNING ONTO A QUIET RESIDENTIAL STREET. BRAKES WORKED FOR TWO BLOCKS, BUT ON 3RD BLOCK SAME THING OCCURRED APP…
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
7 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
28.6%Usable mileage2 / 7 records
100.0%Valid incident date7 / 7 records
100.0%Valid filing date7 / 7 records
100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates7 / 7 records
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
Component complaint heatmap
Component
2014
2015
Electrical System
250.0%ODI 11648551
My SMART ForTwo Coupe 2014 has been having a High Voltage System Maintenance alert on the dashboard. I have sought service help from AAA and PepBoys, but everyone was saying the system battery is fine. When I moved to an apartment that doesn't have electric outlets, my ability to charge was stifled. When my HV battery went under 10%, the system battery shutdown and the HV battery went into reserve mode. I searched the internet and all over the U.S. SMART ForTwo 2014 is having this problem. It's all over the forums on SMART USA website. I did a …
Loss of most of the braking effectiveness, resulting in a collision. This vehicle had a Virginia State inspection performed the previous month and no brake failure dash lights were noted before the collision.
WHILE DRIVING, BRAKES FAILED, BRAKE PEDAL BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO DEPRESS WITH NO BRAKE RESPONSE, AND A WARNING LIGHT INDICATING A BRAKE FAULT CAME ON. FORTUNATELY, DRIVER WAS ON A SLOW MOVING CITY STREET AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND STOP USING HAND BRAKE FOR AN EMERGENCY STOP. OTHER ELECTRICAL RELATED GLITCHES IN THIS CAR CAN BE 'RESET' BY TURNING OFF CAR AND RESTARTING. DRIVER TRIED THAT, ERROR CLEARED, DRIVER PROCEEDED CAREFULLY, TURNING ONTO A QUIET RESIDENTIAL STREET. BRAKES WORKED FOR TWO BLOCKS, BUT ON 3RD BLOCK SAME THING OCCURRED APP…
TWICE, SO FAR THIS YEAR, WHILE DRIVING ON A MAJOR ROADWAY, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER, PUT IT IN PARK, SHUT IT OFF, AND RESTART THE SYSTEM. I CONSIDER THAT TO BE AN EXCEPTIONALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. LATER, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED, I WAS TOLD THAT SMART USA WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT A SOFTWARE UPGRADE WAS NEEDED. THERE WAS NO RECALL!
The cable that connects the driver's seatbelt to the seatbelt tensioner (smart/Mercedes part number 4518600084) frayed. The car has less than 49,000 miles on it. Six of the seven strands of the cable frayed and broke, leaving just one strand connecting the driver's seatbelt to the car. I've attached photos of the tensioner as mounted in the car and removed from the car. The frayed cable is part of the tensioner (smart/Mercedes part number 4518600084). Mercedes of Portland said that the seatbelts are not covered under the warranty. I paid $252…
The driver was sitting a red light when flames started emerging from the hood. The driver exited the car before the entire front of the car was engulfed in flames and ultimately destroyed. It is unclear what caused the fire but it might have been a wiring harness (or at least there was a wiring harness in the front drivers area under the hood). The car is available for inspection upon request. The safety of the drivers was at risk; he was lucky to be at a red light although he was forced to exit in the middle of a busy street. There is no …
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
Component failure mileage distribution
Component
Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)
Median
Usable records
Examples
Service Brakes
Too few reports for a range
4,771 mi
1 (sparse)
ODI 10983170 · 4,771 mi
WHILE DRIVING, BRAKES FAILED, BRAKE PEDAL BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO DEPRESS WITH NO BRAKE RESPONSE, AND A WARNING LIGHT INDICATING A BRAKE FAULT CAME ON. FORTUNATELY, DRIVER WAS ON A SLOW MOVING CITY STREET AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND STOP USING HAND BRAKE FOR AN EMERGENCY STOP. OTHER ELECTRICAL RELATED GLITCHES IN THIS CAR CAN BE 'RESET' BY TURNING OFF CAR AND RESTARTING. DRIVER TRIED THAT, ERROR CLEARED, DRIVER PROCEEDED CAREFULLY, TURNING ONTO A QUIET RESIDENTIAL STREET. BRAKES WORKED FOR TWO BLOCKS, BUT ON 3RD BLOCK SAME THING OCCURRED APP…
TWICE, SO FAR THIS YEAR, WHILE DRIVING ON A MAJOR ROADWAY, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER, PUT IT IN PARK, SHUT IT OFF, AND RESTART THE SYSTEM. I CONSIDER THAT TO BE AN EXCEPTIONALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. LATER, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED, I WAS TOLD THAT SMART USA WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT A SOFTWARE UPGRADE WAS NEEDED. THERE WAS NO RECALL!
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month
Complaints
Campaigns announced
Examples
2024-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2024-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-03
2
None
ODI 11648551
My SMART ForTwo Coupe 2014 has been having a High Voltage System Maintenance alert on the dashboard. I have sought service help from AAA and PepBoys, but everyone was saying the system battery is fine. When I moved to an apartment that doesn't have electric outlets, my ability to charge was stifled. When my HV battery went under 10%, the system battery shutdown and the HV battery went into reserve mode. I searched the internet and all over the U.S. SMART ForTwo 2014 is having this problem. It's all over the forums on SMART USA website. I did a …
My 2014 SMART FORTWO has a HV System Maintenance warning that should be included with 2014-2015 HV System recall that Mercedes has. However, My VIN is not coming up on the search. The HV System is causing the car to not charge correctly at charging stations and it is causing the system battery to drain. I don't know when the HV System light came on, but it started causing the vehicle to glitch about March 05, 2025. I have someone look at it in 2023... But it is still having HV System Maintenance problems.
Loss of most of the braking effectiveness, resulting in a collision. This vehicle had a Virginia State inspection performed the previous month and no brake failure dash lights were noted before the collision.
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2014: 1 complaints · 2015: 1 complaints
Equal observation windows
Model year
Through age 0
Through age 1
Through age 2
2014
0
0
1
2015
0
0
1
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year
Incident dates used
Filing date fallbacks
Excluded dates
2014
4
0
0
2015
3
0
0
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
Component co-occurrence matrix
Component
Electrical System
Service Brakes
Power Train
Seat Belts
Unknown Or Other
Electrical System
—
0
0
0
0
Service Brakes
0
—
0
0
0
Power Train
0
0
—
0
0
Seat Belts
0
0
0
—
0
Unknown Or Other
0
0
0
0
—
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
3 patterns with matching reports.
Brake response concerns
2 mentions · 28.6% of complaints
Median mileage: 4,771 mi (1 usable records).
ODI 11684251
Loss of most of the braking effectiveness, resulting in a collision. This vehicle had a Virginia State inspection performed the previous month and no brake failure dash lights were noted before the collision.
WHILE DRIVING, BRAKES FAILED, BRAKE PEDAL BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO DEPRESS WITH NO BRAKE RESPONSE, AND A WARNING LIGHT INDICATING A BRAKE FAULT CAME ON. FORTUNATELY, DRIVER WAS ON A SLOW MOVING CITY STREET AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND STOP USING HAND BRAKE FOR AN EMERGENCY STOP. OTHER ELECTRICAL RELATED GLITCHES IN THIS CAR CAN BE 'RESET' BY TURNING OFF CAR AND RESTARTING. DRIVER TRIED THAT, ERROR CLEARED, DRIVER PROCEEDED CAREFULLY, TURNING ONTO A QUIET RESIDENTIAL STREET. BRAKES WORKED FOR TWO BLOCKS, BUT ON 3RD BLOCK SAME THING OCCURRED APP…
TWICE, SO FAR THIS YEAR, WHILE DRIVING ON A MAJOR ROADWAY, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER, PUT IT IN PARK, SHUT IT OFF, AND RESTART THE SYSTEM. I CONSIDER THAT TO BE AN EXCEPTIONALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. LATER, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED, I WAS TOLD THAT SMART USA WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT A SOFTWARE UPGRADE WAS NEEDED. THERE WAS NO RECALL!
My SMART ForTwo Coupe 2014 has been having a High Voltage System Maintenance alert on the dashboard. I have sought service help from AAA and PepBoys, but everyone was saying the system battery is fine. When I moved to an apartment that doesn't have electric outlets, my ability to charge was stifled. When my HV battery went under 10%, the system battery shutdown and the HV battery went into reserve mode. I searched the internet and all over the U.S. SMART ForTwo 2014 is having this problem. It's all over the forums on SMART USA website. I did a …
Matching rule\b(stall\w*|loss of power|lost power|engine shut\w* off)\b
Warning lights and dashboard alerts
1 mentions · 14.3% of complaints
Median mileage: 4,771 mi (1 usable records).
ODI 10983170 · 4,771 mi
WHILE DRIVING, BRAKES FAILED, BRAKE PEDAL BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO DEPRESS WITH NO BRAKE RESPONSE, AND A WARNING LIGHT INDICATING A BRAKE FAULT CAME ON. FORTUNATELY, DRIVER WAS ON A SLOW MOVING CITY STREET AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND STOP USING HAND BRAKE FOR AN EMERGENCY STOP. OTHER ELECTRICAL RELATED GLITCHES IN THIS CAR CAN BE 'RESET' BY TURNING OFF CAR AND RESTARTING. DRIVER TRIED THAT, ERROR CLEARED, DRIVER PROCEEDED CAREFULLY, TURNING ONTO A QUIET RESIDENTIAL STREET. BRAKES WORKED FOR TWO BLOCKS, BUT ON 3RD BLOCK SAME THING OCCURRED APP…