2009 Smart Fortwo Cabrio Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2009 Smart Fortwo Cabrio. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Reverse doesn't engage when shifting the gear to r, either I have to turn off the vehicle or go the manual shifts then eventually the reverse gear will engage. Sometimes it takes minutes to engage and it becomes problematic when conducting in traffic and it is very hazardous.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 smart fortwo cabrio. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 18v273000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall…”
“Fan blower motor will not work to move heat to windshield to defrost in winter. I can not see out of windshield.”
“Had been driving on highway for approximately 25 miles when a strong odor of electrical wiring burning became evident. Windshield wipers, horn, check engine light, and dash lights began to malfunction. Pulled car to side of road and noticed smoke coming from dash. Driver exited the vehicle and…”
“Had issues 5 or 6 times with ignition turning off when I'm driving along and came close to getting killed! Have also had issues with transmission not going into gears right, always have to look to be sure I'm in right spot on shifter, because it doesn't do anything sometimes when you shift into…”
“(1) power train issue; no rhyme or reason the vehicle will not shift into gear. After some time, I discovered that you must shut the vehicle off and re-start to shift the transmission into gear. This seems to be happening more often over the past two months! I have had this happen after pulling…”
“(1) power train issue; no rhyme or reason the vehicle will not shift into gear. After some time, I discovered that you must shut the vehicle off and re-start to shift the transmission into gear. This seems to be happening more often over the past two months! I have had this happen after pulling…”
“My head lights keep on burning out about every 6 to 7 months one at a time and need to be replaced at a cost of about 14 dollars each time. *tr”
Defect investigations
Engine Compartment Fire
On April 30, 2018, Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, (Mercedes-Benz) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA regarding a defect that could result in a vehicle fire starting from the engine compartment in 42,781 model year (MY) 2008 and 2009 Smart Fortwo cabrio and coupe vehicles (451 platform).According to…
Engine Compartment Fire
On December 16, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE16-016 to investigate eight complaints alleging incidents of engine compartment fire while driving or shortly after engine shutdown in model year (MY) 2008 through 2009 Smart Fortwo vehicles.The complaints appeared to…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2009 Smart Fortwo Cabrio as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.