Smart Fortwo - Problems, Statistics, and Analysis

Smart Fortwo owners have reported a total of 459 problems for their cars built in the 13 model years listed in the chart below. The chart shows the number of problems reported across all service years for each given model year of the Smart Fortwo. The 2008 Smart Fortwo cars have the most problems reported (164 problems).

Table 1. Total number of problems by model year for Smart Fortwo

🔍 Common problems of Smart Fortwo

The following chart shows the 23 most common problems for Smart Fortwo cars. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's engine and engine cooling (102 problems). The second most common problem is related to the vehicle's power train (65 problems).

Table 2. Common problems of Smart Fortwo

📉 Compare Reliability Across Model Years Using PPMY Index

It would not be fair to compare the Smart Fortwo of an older model year to newer model years since older vehicles have been in service longer and thus are expected to have more problems. In order to compare the reliability across Fortwo model years, we use the PPMY index which is defined as the problems reported per thousand vehicles per Year. A smaller PPMY index indicates greater reliability of the given model year cars.

    PPMY = P / S / Y * 1000,

where P = total problems reported during the life of a Smart Fortwo model year; S = total units sold of the model year; Y = years since the debut of the model year (the age of the vehicle).

The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Use PPMY Index to Compare Reliability Across Fortwo Model Years

Fortwo
Model Year
Problems Sales [1] Vehicle
Age
PPMY Index
  2019 14007    
0.36
  2017 132,1089    
0.69
  2016 407,15010    
0.56
  2015 107,79211    
0.12
  2014 145,41512    
0.22
  2013 3613,41013    
0.21
  2012 115,05914    
0.16
  2011 233,17915    
0.48
  2010 83,25516    
0.15
  2009 13220,78717    
0.37
  2008 16422,08818    
0.41

📊 Number of Problems Reported During the First Year

Another way to measure the reliability across the model years of the Smart Fortwo is to use the total number of problems reported during the vehicle's first year in service, as shown in the Table 4.

Table 4. Number of problems in vehicle's; first service year

Model YearProblems Reported
  2017 Fortwo
2
  2016 Fortwo
12
  2014 Fortwo
3
  2013 Fortwo
6
  2012 Fortwo
3
  2009 Fortwo
2
  2008 Fortwo
12


Fortwo Service Bulletins
Fortwo Safety Recalls
Fortwo Defect Investigations
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