Smart: recalls by model and year

Name: Smart recall campaigns
Creator: Recall Register
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

NHTSA lists 5 vehicle recall campaigns for Smart. The register has 1 model line of the make, model years 2005 to 2019. NHTSA has 346 complaints on file for this model line. By vehicle recall campaigns, Smart is number 332 of 644 makes on the register. Vehicle recall campaigns for Smart: none in 2024 and none in 2025. For all makes, the count fell by 6.2%, from 950 in 2024 to 891 in 2025.

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Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 5 Nov 2026. Recall file through 3 Nov 2026.

Model lines

1 model line, in the order of the number of complaints.

Smart: recall campaigns and complaints for each model line
Model line	Model years	Campaigns	Complaints	Complaints for each model year	Component with the most mentions
Fortwo	13	5	346	26.6	Engine

This table compares the model lines of Smart only. The NHTSA files have no sales figures. A model line with more vehicles on the road gets more complaints. This site does not rate one make against another.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Newest recall campaigns

The newest 5 of 5.

20V107000Received 24 Feb 2020. 1 unit.
Electrical System / Propulsion System / Traction Battery
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling one 2019 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive vehicle. A welded joint within the high-voltage battery main cell conductors may detach and interrupt electrical contact, resulting in sudden battery failure. The detached weld may also cause an electrical arc which can ignite inside the battery cells.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the high-voltage battery fails, the vehicle may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, an electrical arc inside the battery increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
MBUSA will notify the owner, and a dealer will replace the high-voltage battery, free of charge. The recall began May 8, 2020. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2020030009.
Report filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.. Manufacturer campaign number 2020030009. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 8 May 2020. The campaign has 1 make, model and year entry.
18V273000Received 27 Apr 2018. 42,781 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2008-2009 smart fortwo cabrio and fortwo coupe vehicles. The rear insulation mat in the engine compartment may deform, deteriorate, and loosen over time, allowing the mat to contact hot exhaust system components.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the mat contacts hot exhaust system components, it can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear insulation mat with an improved one, free of charge. The recall began in July 2018. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2018060010.
Report filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.. Manufacturer campaign number 2018060010. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 Jul 2018. The campaign has 2 make, model and year entries.
17V448000Received 16 Jul 2017. 5,061 units.
Parking Brake
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2016 smart fortwo vehicles. In these vehicles, the lock nut that secures the parking brake cable to the parking brake lever may loosen over time, resulting in increased parking brake lever travel before the parking brake engages.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
As the parking brake lever travel increases, the holding force may decrease to a point where the vehicle is no longer safely secured in all parking situations, allowing the vehicle to unexpectedly move when parked on a slope, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the parking brake cable lock nut, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2017. Owners may contact smart customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
Report filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.. Manufacturer campaign number 2017080009. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 20 Sep 2017. The campaign has 1 make, model and year entry.
17V447000Received 14 Jul 2017. 110 units.
Steering
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Mercedes-Benz USA LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 smart fortwo and smart fortwo Cabriolet vehicles. Casting imperfections may result in the failure of the left front axle steering knuckle.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Failure of the left front axle steering knuckle could affect vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left front axle steering knuckle, replacing any from the affected batch, free of charge. The recall October 13, 2017. Owners may contact smart customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
Report filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.. Manufacturer campaign number 2017090002. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 13 Oct 2017. The campaign has 2 make, model and year entries.
08V390000Received 7 Aug 2008. 43 units.
Structure / Frame and Members
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Smart USA is recalling 43 my 2008 fortwo 451 vehicles. A single batch of paint sent to the company did not meet specifications. A re-work was done in the plant using different formulations of painting materials. After the re-work was completed, it was determined that the combination of materials used to repaint the frame and chassis could lead to de lamination of the paint materials from the body and frame structures.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Such de laminating can take place in the area of the body where the windshield and roof have been affixed with adhesive, which could affect the adhesion of those components to the vehicle body, increasing the risk of separation. This could cause a crash if the roof or windshield separated from the vehicle while in motion.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will repaint the affected areas to meet specifications. The recall began on august 18, 2008. Owners may contact smart USA at 1-248-648-2451.
Report filed by SMART USA DISTRIBUTOR LLC. Manufacturer campaign number 0808-001. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 Oct 2008. The campaign has 1 make, model and year entry.

Download all 5 campaigns of Smart (CSV)

Counts by year

Recall campaigns that name Smart vehicles, by the year NHTSA received the report. The largest year is 2017, with 2 campaigns.

Complaints about Smart vehicles, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2018, with 48 complaints.

Components in the complaints

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

Smart: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	Per 1,000	Mentions
Engine	172.6	82
Power Train	149.5	71
Electrical System	120	57
Unknown or Other	92.6	44
Seat Belts	73.7	35
Structure	54.7	26
Fuel/Propulsion System	52.6	25
Engine and Engine Cooling	50.5	24
Air Bags	33.7	16
Service Brakes	31.6	15

Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.

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Recall Register. Smart: recalls by model and year. https://recallregister.com/make/smart/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 5 Nov 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 3 Nov 2026
Complaint file through: 5 Nov 2026
Investigations that name the make: 3
Units in the campaigns: 47,996

Manufacturers in the recall file: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC..

The make name is the name in the NHTSA files. The units of a campaign that names 2 makes are in the figure of each make. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

Which Smart model lines are on the register?: One: the Fortwo, with 5 recall campaigns and 346 complaints.
Which components do the complaints about Smart vehicles name?: Engine: 172.6 per 1,000 component mentions. Power Train: 149.5 per 1,000 component mentions. Electrical System: 120 per 1,000 component mentions.
How many units are in the recall campaigns for Smart?: 47,996 units in 5 campaigns. The units of a campaign that names 2 makes are in the figure of each make.