NHTSA Complaint #10548291 — 2008 SMART FORTWO

SMART CAR HAD HISTORY OF NOT GOING IN REVERSE. "R" WOULD NOT COME UP ON SCREEN, CAR WOULD JUST ROLL FORWARD, HITTING VEHICLE(S) IN FRONT. THEN FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, (2 YEARS) CAR WOULD GO INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING, (EVEN ON HIGHWAY) COAST FOR A WHILE, THEN SHUT DOWN, AND NOT RESTART. IF YOU WAITED 10 MINUTES, IT WOULD USUALLY RESTART. IF TRIED SOONER, IT EITHER WOULD NOT RESTART, OR ONLY GO INTO NEUTRAL. IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO ANY OTHER GEAR. THE OTHER DAY, AFTER APPROACHING HILL, AT RED LIGHT, CAR WENT INTO NEUTRAL, THEN SHUT DOWN, AND BRAKES WOULD NOT RESPOND QUICK ENOUGH SINCE CAR TURNED OFF, AND HIT TWO (2) PEDESTRIANS, CROSSING IN INTERSECTION. CAR WOULD NOT RESTART, WAITED 1 1/2 HOURS, WOULD RESTART AT TIMES, BUT STAYED IN NEUTRAL, (10/2013). HAD TO BE TOWED TO SMART/MERCEDES CENTER, QUOTED ME $3000, TO CHANGE ACTUATER, CLUTCH MOTOR, CLUTCH PRESS, CLUTCH PLATE, AND MAYBE MORE IF NEED TO REPLACE CLUTCH. SMART FORUMS ARE ALL FULL OF THE SAME PROBLEMS, WITH THE SMART CARS, ESPECIALLY THE 2008. MANUFACTURER MUST HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE BY NOW, BUT IS IGNORING THE PROBLEM, APPARENTLY CHANGED DESIGN AND CLUTCH PLATE ASSEMBLY FOR 2009 SMART CARS. BUT HAS NOT RECALLED 2008 YEAR WHERE PROBLEMS ARE COMMON, AND VERY DANGEROUS. *TR