2016 Smart Fortwo: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 39 complaints
39
Total Complaints
3,500mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE
Top Issue
11
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

41 25th Percentile
3,500 Median Mileage
17,675 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE
8
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
5
SERVICE BRAKES
4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
STEERING
2
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
1
POWER TRAIN
1

Severity Assessment

11
Crashes
4
Fires
18
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY NEW CAR AND MANY OTHERS HAVE GAS GAUGES THAT DO NOT WORK PROPERLY AT ALL! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS IS IN YOUR TANK AT ALL. HTTP://WWW.SMARTCAROFAMERICA.COM/FORUMS/F208/2016-GAS-GAUGE-ISSUE-107826/"
"I NOTICED THAT MY GAS GAUGE WAS GIVING ME INCORRECT READINGS. THE GAS TANK ACCORDING TO THE OWNERS MANUAL HOLDS 8+ GALLONS OF GAS. WHEN I GET A LOW FUEL WARNING IF I "FILL UP" THE TANK IT ONLY TAKES BETWEEN 5 AND 6 GALLONS. THE GAS GAUGE SHOWS FULL AND THEN WITHIN HOURS ALL OF A SUDDEN IT READS THER..."
"ON STEEP UPHILLS AND WHEN YOU HAVE COME TO A STOP BECAUSE OF A RED LIGHT OR A STOP SIGN, THE ENGINE SEEMS TO BE TOO WEAK TO PUSH THE TRANSMISSION FORWARD AND ACTUALLY THE CAR MY ROLL BACK AND BRAKES GO IN A LOCK MODE WHICH CREATES A BIG SAFETY ISSUE."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28