AI DamageSmart Fortwo Coupe Electric: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Smart Fortwo Coupe Electric across 2 model years: 7 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 29% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 29% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 14% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (29% of all).
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (29% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Seat belts: 1 complaints (14% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 7 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
This vehicle had a Virginia State inspection performed the previous month and no brake failure dash lights were noted before the collision.
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.
The Following is the Recall Quote on Google: "Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Smart Fortwo Coupes and Convertibles, and 2014 Fortwo Coupe Electric and Fortwo Convertible Electric vehicles due to a potential high-voltage battery failure that could cause the vehicle to stall and…
The cable that connects the driver's seatbelt to the seatbelt tensioner (smart/Mercedes part number [phone]) 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.
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.
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.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.