Table 1 shows one common electrical system related problems of the 2012 Smart Fortwo.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System problems |
Transmission will go into three bars and not shift on highways and parkways, usually able to safely drive under power to side of road sometimes goes into neutral and have to coast to side. Occurs with elevated ambient moisture. Started at 32,000 miles. Known issue, transmission has a limp mode for this occurrence. Very difficult to diagnose, appears electrical in nature. Smart dealership will not address.
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.