2012 Smart Fortwo Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Fortwo years
- Not enough data 7th of 13 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Smart Fortwo. That ranks 7th out of 13 Fortwo model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (2 complaints, 25%), typically at around 32,600 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 3 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year.
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- 8owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Smart Fortwo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 2 | 25% | 32,600 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 2 | 25% | 17,250 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 25% | 110,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 13% | 2,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 13% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 13% | 32,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 13% | 45,100 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 13% | 2,500 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Smart Fortwo recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2012 Smart Fortwo.
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.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The driver side seat belt mount, which in this case is a steel cable, has mostly broken and frayed rendering it unsafe to drive. In the event of an accident, it would certainly break completely. I only noticed it yesterday while cleaning, the breakage would've happened while driving it. I've…
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 smart fortwo. While driving various speeds, the front turn signal indicators failed to illuminate. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to lokey mercedes-benz (19820 us hwy 19 n, clearwater, fl) where the failure was confirmed; however, the failure…
Transmission will go into three bars and not shift on highways and parkways, usually able to safely drive under power to side of road sometimes goes into neutral and have to coast to side. Occurs with elevated ambient moisture. Started at 32,000 miles. Known issue, transmission has a limp mode for…
Driver side seat belt fails to buckle. Nothing lodged in buckle, but mechanism appears to be broken.
Vehicle was hit from behind and pushed into another car on interstate. Air bags did not deploy.
Other Smart Fortwo years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Fortwo | 1 | 1 |
| 2018 Fortwo | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 Fortwo | 7 | 1 |
| 2016 Fortwo | 21 | 1 |
| 2015 Fortwo | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 Fortwo | 13 | 0 |
| 2013 Fortwo | 25 | 0 |
| 2012 | 8 | 0 |
| 2011 Fortwo | 16 | 0 |
| 2010 Fortwo | 6 | 0 |
| 2009 Fortwo | 100 | 1 |
| 2008 Fortwo | 140 | 2 |
| 2005 Fortwo | 2 | 0 |
See all Smart Fortwo 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 2012 Smart Fortwo?
Owners most often report air bags, electrical system, seat belts problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 2 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Smart Fortwo?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2012 Smart Fortwo a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Fortwo model years, the 2012 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.