2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Fortwo Coupe years
- Not enough data 1st of 4 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 20 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe. That is the most of any Fortwo Coupe model year in the database (4 years). The most reported problem area is power train (7 complaints, 35%), typically at around 22,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 fire, 1 injury. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 20owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 7 | 35% | 22,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 20% | 8,350 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 10% | 41,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 10% | 28,072 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 10% | 30,823 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 1 | 5% | 53,945 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 5% | 25,646 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 5% | 38,326 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 5% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 5% | 61,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 5% | 156 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Engine Compartment Fire (EA17003) — opened Sep 1, 2017, closed Aug 21, 2018, led to recall 18V273000.
- Engine Compartment Fire (PE16016) — opened Dec 16, 2016, closed Nov 20, 2017, led to recall 18V273000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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
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…
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…
This car has periodically failed to go into reverse and drive. Last event that i experienced is when i actually realized it to be an safety issue. I got into my car that was parked in my drive way to take my daughter to school. I started the car as usual and proceeded to place it in reverse. It was…
I own 2 of the 2008 smart fortwo automobiles (pure & cabrio). 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…
Other Smart Fortwo Coupe years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Fortwo Coupe | 1 | 1 |
| 2015 Fortwo Coupe | 2 | 1 |
| 2014 Fortwo Coupe | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 | 20 | 0 |
See all Smart Fortwo Coupe problems by year, every Smart model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Smart models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe?
Owners most often report power train, structure, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 7 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2008 Smart Fortwo Coupe a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Fortwo Coupe model years, the 2008 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.