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Vehicle safety record

2012 Smart Fortwo Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 8 complaints about the 2012 Smart Fortwo with NHTSA, most often about the airbags (2) and the electrical system (2). Those complaints describe 2 crashes and 3 injuries. There are no recalls for it. For comparison, the 2011 has 16.

NHTSA data checked

CAbout as many problems as a typical Fortwo year, for its age

#212 most complained-about 2012 vehicle

Complaints
8
Recalls
0
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
3
Deaths
0

Most common 2012 Smart Fortwo problems

Share of all 8 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

No recalls for the 2012 Smart Fortwo

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2012 Smart Fortwo. Recalls can be announced at any time - this page updates daily.

What owners say

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8 complaints about the 2012 Smart Fortwo

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.

Seats & seat belts

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 contacted mercedes USA, and they tell me that my warranty has run out, they can't do anything. Even though this is a mandatory safety feature that has completely failed from normal use.

Filed Incident Seat beltsNHTSA 11447959
Lights

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 could not be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. The vin was not provided. *Tt

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11110785
Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

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 this occurrence. Very difficult to diagnose, appears electrical in nature. Smart dealership will not address.

Filed Incident Power train · Electrical systemNHTSA 10966517
AirbagsCrash2 injuries

Vehicle was hit from behind and pushed into another car on interstate. Air bags did not deploy.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 10907130
Seats & seat belts

Driver side seat belt fails to buckle. Nothing lodged in buckle, but mechanism appears to be broken.

Filed Incident Seat beltsNHTSA 10907128
Body, doors & structure

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 smart fortwo. While driving 60 mph, the passenger side body panel disengaged without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,100.

Filed Incident StructureNHTSA 10874568
AirbagsCrash1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 smart fortwo. While at a stop sign, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact rear ended the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained back injuries, which required medical attention. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vin was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 5,200.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 10650608
Electrical systemAcceleration & cruise controlEngine & cooling

I was driving on the freeway (5 lane) in my 2012 smart fortwo passion coupe in the middle lane at 65-70 mph. All of the sudden my accelerator was no longer functional. I looked down and saw that my speedometer and gear indicator were also non-functional. I was able to coast (despite heavy traffic) to the shoulder of the fast lane - it was impossible for me to get to the slow lane shoulder due to heavy traffic. I was able to use the breaks once I hit the shoulder (unsure if power brakes or not) and once stopped was...

Read the full complaint

unable to use automatic windows. I could not move the car out of drive for approximately two minutes. After 2 minutes I tried again to move the car out of drive and was able to put it in park. At that point I was able to re-start the car and accelerate enough to get back on the freeway. I consider myself very lucky to have been able to reach the shoulder (as it ended about 200 yards down the freeway). The experience was absolutely terrifying. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical system · Vehicle speed control · EngineNHTSA 10466970

Smart Fortwo: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
20128020AirbagsC
201116021Engine & coolingD
20106001Engine & coolingB
20091001311Engine & coolingF
20081402727Engine & coolingF
All Fortwo years

2012 Smart Fortwo vs rivals

VehicleComplaintsRecallsCrashesGrade
2012 Smart Fortwo802C
2012 Smart Fortwo Cabriolet802-Compare
2012 Smart Fortwo ED802-Compare
2012 Smart Fortwo ED Cabriolet802-Compare

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 2012 Smart Fortwo

Does the 2012 Smart Fortwo have any recalls?

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2012 Smart Fortwo right now. Recalls can be announced at any time, and this page checks NHTSA every day. You can also check your exact vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What are the most common problems with the 2012 Smart Fortwo?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the airbags (2), electrical system (2), seats & seat belts (2).

How many complaints has the 2012 Smart Fortwo had?

8 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on July 22, 2012 and the latest on January 18, 2022. Of these, 2 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 3 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2012 Smart Fortwo a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 43 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Smart Fortwo year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Smart Fortwo years have the most complaints?
What should I do if my 2012 Smart Fortwo has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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