NHTSA Complaint #10378960 — 2008 SMART FORTWO

FAILED COMPONENT - AIR CONDITIONER (FAN WORKS BUT NO COLD AIR). OPERATION HAS BEEN ERRATIC. IN THE SUMMER, THIS WAS A NUISANCE. IN THE WINTER, IT IS AS SERIOUS AS BRAKE LOSS! I HAVE NOW HAD THREE OCCURANCES OF NINETY PERCENT LOSS OF VISIBILITY AS A RESULT OF COMPLETE FOGGING OF ALL WINDOWS. THIS IS THE RESULT OF THE RIGHT AMBIENT TEMP., HUMIDITY AND INTERIOR TEMP. INCIDENTS OCCURRED AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 15 MILES AND WERE VIRTUALLY INSTANTANEOUS (LESS THAN 30 SECONDS). AN AC/HEAT BLEND IS NEEDED TO DEHUMIDIFY WINDOWS. THE LOCAL DEALER HAD THIS CAR FOR ONE WEEK (OCT 15 TO OCT 23, 2010 WHILE IT WAS STILL A NUISANCE PROBLEM). DID NOT REPAIR BECAUSE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. FIRST COMPLETE LOSS OF VISIBILITY ON THIS CAR OCCURRED ON NOV. 5TH. WHEN I WAS INFORMED BY MY DEALER THAT THERE WERE NO SERVICE BULLETINS, A LETTER WAS SENT TO SMART CUSTOMER SERVICE (ADDRESS PROVIDED BY LOCAL DEALER) IN BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI. ON NOV. 17, 2010 AND RECEIVED BY THEM ON NOV. 19TH. NO RESPONSE TO DATE. REPEAT PHONE CALLS RESULTED IN NO SOLUTION. MY FINAL ATTEMPT WAS STOPPING AT THE DEALER ON JAN 17TH TO DETERMINE IF A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO MY SERVICE ADVISOR, NO BULLETINS HAD BEEN ISSUED AND I AM NOT ALONE WITH THIS COMPLAINT. MY THREE INCIDENTS HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS ALLOWING ME TO SAFELY MOVE MY VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER AND PLAY WITH THE CONTROLS UNTIL THE AC KICKED IN. MY GREATEST CONCERN IS HAVING THIS OCCUR WHILE DRIVING AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED OR HAVING A GUARD RAIL PREVENT A SAFE STOP! (THIS DID HAPPEN WITH THEIR LOANER ON WALDEN CREEK RD WHICH, FORTUNATELY, IS A VERY LITTLE TRAVELED MOUNTAIN ROAD. I WAS FORCED TO STOP ON THE ROAD & PLAY WITH CONTROLS UNTIL AC KICKED IN. THAT VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 100 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. DATE OF OCCURRENCE FOR THIS NEW LOANER WAS SATURDAY, OCT. 23RD, INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO DEALER.)