2011 Smart Fortwo Recalls

No recalls on record Updated July 2026

No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2011 Smart Fortwo. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 23 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Complaints by component

ENGINE
5
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
4
SEAT BELTS
4
POWER TRAIN
2
SERVICE BRAKES
2
1crashes
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
1crashes2injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
1
TIRES
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1
1crashes
Total complaints23

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“175 55 r15 tge tires wires startes to unravelling and chabgibg the ahape of tge tire.”

TIRES · reported 2023-01-02

“The driver side seat belt latch has failed for the second time in 2 years. The male end can not be inserted into the female end.”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2018-10-16

“I was driving eastbound in the number 1 lane of california highway 24 about 1/4 mile before the tunnel road exit. I heard a noise coming from the engine are of the car, looked at the instrument cluster and noticed that the engine light had illuminated, and experience a sudden loss of power. I…”

ENGINE · reported 2017-04-22

“The panoramic roof is crazing! It's unsafe to drive the car because the glass can shattered on top of my head at any giving moment! When it's raining or washing the car at the carwash the roof is also leaking. This is a very common problem with the smart car passion model! A lot of complaints…”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2016-09-07

“The car broke down on exit 231 b in virginia. The smart had a gas tank defect. I was nearly killed. I have taken the car to tysinger motors in virginia multiple times.”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2016-09-01

“The metal seat belt connector frayed in to two pieces. Replaced with oem part. It frayed again. It's a 2011 driven by a 75 yr.old senior citizen. Mercedes accused owner of maliciously cutting cable. Extreme safety hazzard.”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2016-07-18

“The metal seat belt connector frayed in to two pieces. Replaced with oem part. It frayed again. It's a 2011 driven by a 75 yr.old senior citizen. Mercedes accused owner of maliciously cutting cable. Extreme safety hazzard.”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2016-07-18

“After only 10.000 miles the engine mounts all go bad!”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2015-08-11

Defect investigations

Investigation DP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07

Pedestrian alert sounds

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2011 Smart Fortwo as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.