AI Damage2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe: common problems
Owners of the 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe filed 20 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and structure. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 20
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 35% of all complaints
- 2 Structure 20% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel system 10% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 10% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 7 Electronic stability control 5% of all complaints
- 8 Engine 5% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (35% of all).
- Structure: 4 complaints (20% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (10% of all).
- Fuel system: 2 complaints (10% of all).
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (10% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 20 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 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.
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.
Upon exiting my vehicle, I saw coming from the back of the car where the engine is located flames coming out of the engine. I immediately removed myself from the vicinity of the car and within moments my car was engulfed in flames.
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…
My car rolled down the driveway into the road instead. I have a problem maneuvering out of the way as the other driver was expecting me to be able. I had to turn the car off and restart it. The other driver that was heading my way had to slam the brakes and nearly hit us.
Both have periodically been balky shifters (stuck when trying to move the gear selector out of park). One has briefly refused to shift into any gear, independent of the gear indicated. Both have briefly refused to shift out of park... Until today when my wife was stuck in park at a red light.
This being a 2008 smart passion for two......a leaking gas tank on a 4 year old vehicle......contacted mb/smart at their headquarters in nj...trying to get them to replace this under the manufacturer defective part to no avail.
Driving 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.
1.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.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 8,257 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 23% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Fortwo Coupe has 8 complaints (3 years in the data). This year has 20, above average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, structure, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 20. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (10%), A/C or heater (5%), fuel system, fuel smell (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2008 models
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.