AutoUtility currently tracks 9 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 smart fortwo. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 4 complaints (44.4% of submitted records). Zero crashes, fires, injury reports, or fatality reports are cited across these complaint records.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 9 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (4 reports • 44.4% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (2), Steering System (2)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 0 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2017 smart fortwo
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Electrical System
Powertrain & Transmission
Steering System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #17V447000 STEERING
Air Bags & Restraints
Engine & Cooling
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 smart fortwo
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The Power Electronics Control Unit (ECM), Part No. A453-900-72-11, and the DC-to-DC converter have both failed, rendering this all-electric vehicle completely inoperable. There is no backup propulsion system. The DC-to-DC converter powers safety-critical systems including lighting, turn signals,..."
"What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Driver Side front wheel / maybe steering rack / etc. makes loud grinding / rubbing sound when making turn only when the weather's hot and humid and when the car has been running for about 20 min How..."
"The car won't charge over 20% due probably a faulty manufacturer part of N83 high voltage control box. This could cause very serious electrical/battery issues if the high voltage box is faulty."
"SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT. THERE WERE COUPLE OF TIMES WHILE IN TRANSIT ON CITY ROAD, I HAD TO APPLY BRAKE SUDDENLY AND SEAT BELT FAIL TO ENGAGE TO HOLD THE PASSENGER BACK . ALL THE TIME , BOTH SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT TO THEIR HOME POSITION WHEN NOT IN USE AND CAR IS STOPPED AND PARKED, THIS..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SMART FOR TWO. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE REAR EXTERIOR LIGHTING AND REAR WIPER WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GARAGE ISLA VERDE LLC (LOCATED AT AVE, BALDORIOTY..."
Complaint History for smart fortwo
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2019)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 smart fortwo | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 smart fortwo | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 smart fortwo Current Page | 9 | 0 | 1 | Current |
| 2018 smart fortwo | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 smart fortwo | 1 | 0 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2017 smart fortwo
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 7 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
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 pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.