2016 Smart FORTWO COUPE problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
1 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
10,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2016 model year. Data updated: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Service Brakes is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 1 | 100.0% |
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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 1 |
Service Brakes: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 1 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 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: 0; 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). 0 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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 |
2017: 1
Pattern summary
Service Brakes leads the component reports. Braking behavior 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.
Owner report 11021653 · 2017-09-05 (September 5, 2017)
AT 65MPH ON A FREEWAY TRAVELING STRAIGHT WHEN I HAD TO BRAKE FOR TRAFFIC I EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. THE VEHICLE SWERVED SEVERELY TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT ENTERING BOTH LANES LUCKILY THEIR WAS NOBODY WAS IN THOSE LANES IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. THERE WAS SUCH A SEVERE DIRECTION CHANGE I THOUGHT THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO ROLL OVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO WESTMINSTER MERCEDES-BENZ DENVER CO DEALER WHERE THEY REPORTED TO ME THAT THE BRAKE SENSOR,MASTER CYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER HAVE TO BE REPLACED. IT WAS A VERY UNCONTR…
Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11021653 at NHTSA ↗
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
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 | 2008 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 420.0%ODI 10250028 · 6,789 miMY NEW SMART CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE OR PARK. THE BUTTON ON THE SHIFTER LEVER WOULD NOT DEPRESS. MANY OWNERS ARE FINDING THIS PROBLEM. THERE IS A DO-IT-YOURSELF FIX LISTED. HOWEVER THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO FAULTY MANUFACTURE AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND REPLACED. *TR | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 11176356 · 56,700 miTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SMART FORTWO COUPE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE GEAR SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES-BENZ MANHATTAN [phone removed], LOCATED AT 770 11TH AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10019) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 56,700. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Structure:Body | 315.0%ODI 10297719 · 11,500 miI HAVE OWNED MY 2009 SMART FORTWO SINCE DECEMBER 2008 AND HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM OCCUR TWICE. WHILE TOWING THE SMART ON A TRAILER BEHIND MY MOTORHOME ONE OF THE PINS HOLDING THE HOOD BROKE CAUSING THE HOOD TO COME OFF. THE HOOD IS HELD ON BY TWO PLASTIC PINS AND A CLOTH STRAP. THE STRAP RESTRAINED THE HOOD CAUSING IT TO FLAP AROUND THE FRONT OF THE CAR. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO ALL THE FRONT PANELS AND THE WINDSHIELD. LUCKILY I WAS NOT DRIVING THE CAR AT THE TIME. IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING WHEN THIS HAPPENED IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. *TR | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 210.0%ODI 10231879 · 3,000 miAPPROXIMATELY FOUR NIGHTS AGO, AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY, MY SMART CAR LOST ALL POWER AND CAME TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS STILL IN DRIVE AND I HAD NOT TOUCHED THE IGNITION, EVEN THE LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE AND THE RADIO INSIDE THE CAR CUT OFF COMPLETELY. THERE WAS NO WARNING AND NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I WAS FORCED TO PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND TURN THE KEY TO START THE VEHICLE BACK. AS SOON AS I DID THIS, THE CAR RETURNED TO NORMAL AND I COMPLETED THE JOURNEY HOME. *TR | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 210.0%ODI 10291052 · 16,513 miFUEL GAUGE STICKS AT 7/8 - MANY REPORTS TO SMART CAR OF AMERICA FORUMS. WILL NOT PROPERLY REPORT FUEL LEVELS. *TR | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 210.0%ODI 10307804 · 36,000 miTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES SMART CAR FORTWO COUPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACTUATOR AND CLUTCH PLATE WERE REPLACED TWICE WITHIN A YEAR. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. WHENEVER HE SHIFT GEARS FROM PARK AND ENGAGE THE BRAKE PEDAL THE GEARS WERE STUCK. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED ON THREE OCCASIONS; HOWEVER, THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 81,000. UPDATED 03/04/10 *BF UPDATED 06/02/10 | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Unknown Or Other | 15.0%ODI 10233215 · 156 miI RECENTLY BOUGHT A SMART FOR TWO CAR FROM A PERSON IN ST. LOUIS, TECHNICALLY IT WAS "USED" BUT ON HAD LESS THAN 200 MILES ON IT. I THEN DROVE IT HOME TO INDIANA. ACCORDING TO THE OWNERS MANUAL, SUPPOSEDLY THERE IS A CARD IN THE GLOVE BOX THAT YOU SEND IN IF YOU BUY THE CAR USED, THAT WAY THE SMART HEADQUARTERS KNOWS WHERE THE CAR IS, WHO THE NEW OWNER IS, AND HOW TO REACH YOU IN CASE OF A RECALL. THE CARD WAS MISSING SO I CALLED THE 800 NUMBER OF SMART HQ TO SEE IF THEY COULD REGISTER THE CAR FOR ME OVER THE PHONE. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT, … | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10778617 · 1,600 miI HAVE TAKEN CAR BACK TO DEALER WITH COMPLAIN THAT SPEED INDICATED ON SPEEDOMETER IS 10% LOW. THEY SAID COULD NOT FIX AND MERCEDES SAYS IS WITHIN TOLERANCE. SINCE MY WARRANTEE IS BASED OFF OF MY ODOMETER AND THE CAR AND IT IS INCORRECT BY 10% I AM LOOSING 10% OR MY WARANTEE. THEREBY THEY ARE VIOLATING THE AGREEMENT OF WARANTEE AT PURCHASE. THEY ARE REFUSING TO CORRECT PROBLEM OR ISSUE EXTENDED WARANTEE. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electrical System | 15.0%ODI 10381148 · 53,945 mi1.HIGH FAILURE RATE OF HEATER BLOWER MOTORS. 2.HIGH REPLACEMENT COST $340+ (PRICE GOUGING) FOR A BLOWER MOTOR BASED ON THE BELIEVED HIGH CURRENT FAILURE RATE. 3.3 BLOWER FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED IN 54K MILES. 4.VEHICLE WAS NEW IN 4/2008, I AM ORIGINAL OWNER 5.NO HEAT CREATES A HIGH SAFETY RISK TO CONSUMER WHO USE THE VEHICLE IN EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS. 6.NO HEAT CAN CREATE VISIBILITY ISSUE DUE TO INABILITY TO PROPERLY DEFROST THE WINDOWS. 7.NO HEAT PRESENTS A HEALTH ISSUE TO OLDER USERS IN COLD WEATHER WHO MAY HAVE LIMITED CIRCULATION. … | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electronic Stability Control (Esc) | 15.0%ODI 10424566 · 25,646 miDRIVING ON CA70 SOUTH TOWARDS PLUMAS LAKE BLVD. EXIT, BRAKING LIGHTLY FROM 55 MPH TO 35MPH TO EXIT THE FREEWAY CAUSED ABS AND ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM (ESP)((ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL)) EXCLAMATION LIGHTS TO LIGHT UP WHICH DENOTED THE ABS AND ESP DISABLED. WHEN COMING TO A STOP AT THE STOP SIGN, THE SMART WAS SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED TO RESET THE ABS AND ESP FOR SAFETY ONLY TO FIND THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND WAS LOCKED INTO PARK. THIS CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO BE SHI… | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
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 | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | Too few reports for a range | 10,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 11021653 · 10,000 miAT 65MPH ON A FREEWAY TRAVELING STRAIGHT WHEN I HAD TO BRAKE FOR TRAFFIC I EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. THE VEHICLE SWERVED SEVERELY TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT ENTERING BOTH LANES LUCKILY THEIR WAS NOBODY WAS IN THOSE LANES IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. THERE WAS SUCH A SEVERE DIRECTION CHANGE I THOUGHT THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO ROLL OVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO WESTMINSTER MERCEDES-BENZ DENVER CO DEALER WHERE THEY REPORTED TO ME THAT THE BRAKE SENSOR,MASTER CYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER HAVE TO BE REPLACED. IT WAS A VERY UNCONTR… |
Complaint and recall timeline
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
| 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 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
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.
2015: 1 complaints · 2016: 1 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 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 | Service Brakes |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | — |
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.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.