There are 1 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2012 Smart Fortwo in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY (5 LANE) IN MY 2012 SMART FORTWO PASSION COUPE IN THE MIDDLE LANE AT 65-70 MPH. ALL OF THE SUDDEN MY ACCELERATOR WAS NO LONGER FUNCTIONAL. I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THAT MY SPEEDOMETER AND GEAR INDICATOR WERE ALSO NON-FUNCTIONAL. I WAS ABLE TO COAST (DESPITE HEAVY TRAFFIC) TO THE SHOULDER OF THE FAST LANE - IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO GET TO THE SLOW LANE SHOULDER DUE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO USE THE BREAKS ONCE I HIT THE SHOULDER (UNSURE IF POWER BRAKES OR NOT) AND ONCE STOPPED WAS UNABLE TO USE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS. I COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES. AFTER 2 MINUTES I TRIED AGAIN TO MOVE THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE AND WAS ABLE TO PUT IT IN PARK. AT THAT POINT I WAS ABLE TO RE-START THE CAR AND ACCELERATE ENOUGH TO GET BACK ON THE FREEWAY. I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACH THE SHOULDER (AS IT ENDED ABOUT 200 YARDS DOWN THE FREEWAY). THE EXPERIENCE WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Sep 8, 2026