What 24 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Smart Ed

1ST MONTH OF OWNERSHIP NOTICED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A PINE NEEDLE ON DRIVERS SIDE OF WINDSHIELD. TRIED TO REMOVE ONLY TO DISCOVER A HAIRLINE CRACK. CALLED DEALERSHIP ONLY TO BE TOLD IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO REPLACE AS IT WAS 99% A ROCK CRACK. IT'S NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY DEALERSHIP BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS CAUSED BY POOR INSTALLATION. THE [XXX] CRACK IS NOW 13 INCHES LONG JUST ACROSS MY LINE OF VISION. MY MILEAGE IS JUST OVER 5000 MILES AFTER 9 MONTHS OF USE AND FIND IT MORE THAN DIFFICULT TO PAY OVER 800.00 FOR REPLACEMENT OF SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY MFG. GRRRRRRRRRR! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10587577

IN COMPLIANCE WITH MY 2013 SMART FORTWO VEHICLE OWNER'S MANUAL, I WASHED MY VEHICLE IN AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH, LOCATED AT A FUEL STATION. UPON THE START OF THE DRYING CYCLE, THE FRONT "HOOD ASSEMBLY" DETACHED FROM THE CAR AND FLEW BACK, STRIKING MY WINDSHIELD. IT WAS CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF ONE OF TWO PLASTIC CLIPS, LOCATED IN THE FRONT GRILLE. THE CLIP WAS STRESSED TO THE POINT OF BREAKAGE. THIS EVENT BLOCKED ALL VISIBILITY, THEREFORE, CAUSING A POSSIBLE CRASH HAZARD AND/OR A PEDESTRIAN STRIKE. THE EVENT ALSO PLACED RISK TO OCCUPANTS, IN THE EVENT OF WINDSHIELD GLASS INJURY AND/OR HOOD PENETRATION INTO THE OCCUPANT CABIN. IN THIS SPECIFIC INCIDENT, THE VEHICLE WAS AT LOW SPEED, AND RISK WAS MINIMAL; HOWEVER, I DO NOT KNOW THE WIND SPEED OF THE DRYER MECHANISM. IT SEEMS POSSIBLE THAT SIMILAR EXPOSURE TO SUCH FORCES COULD BE REPLICATED NATURALLY, DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. IN SUCH CASE, THE POSSIBILITY OF MECHANISM FAILURE EXISTS. FOR INSTANCE: IF WIND SPEEDS/GUSTS AND SPECIFIC DIRECTIONALITY IS COMBINED WITH THE OPPOSING DIRECTIONALITY, AND A MUCH HIGHER VELOCITY OF A VEHICLE (THAN THAT OF ONE IN A CAR WASH). RESEARCH CONDUCTED, AFTER THE INCIDENT, INDICATED A HIGH PREVALENCE OF OCCURRENCE; THIS INFORMATION WAS FOUND ON PUBLIC SMART CAR INTERNET FORUMS, BY THE FUEL STATION COMPANY'S DISTRICT MANAGER, AND MANAGEMENT OF A WELL-ESTABLISHED, NATIONAL CAR WASH FRANCHISE. NOTE: ACCORDING TO THE 2013 SMART FORTWO OWNER'S MANUAL, OWNERS CAN UTILIZE AUTOMATIC CAR WASHES. IT DOES NOT WARNS AGAINST THE POSSIBILITY OF THE ABOVE DESCRIBED SITUATION. SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS STATE: "WASHING YOUR VEHICLE IN AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH: WHEN RUNNING YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH, WATER DROPLETS CAN RUN DOWN THE INSIDE OF THE SIDE WINDOWS. UNSCREW YOUR VEHICLE'S ANTENNA BEFORE DRIVING INTO AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH" (P.154, SMART OPERATOR'S MANUAL, OCT 2, 2012). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10522854