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What 6 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Smart Cabrio

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (6)Crash / fire / injury (2)Engine (2)Airbags (1)Electrical system (1)Fuel system (1)Seat belts (1)Suspension (1)Traction Control System (1)

2 of 6 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 26, 2025Electrical systemEngineFire

Sunday 3/23 I was driving west on 225 heading towards work, all of a sudden the check engine light comes on and all kinds of other lights on the dash came on. I got pulled over and looked in the rear view mirror I seen flames. Quickly grabbed my stuff and got out of the car. The investigation at the time stated most of the heat was coming from the engine

NHTSA ODI 11650674

Oct 15, 2020AirbagsCrash1 injury

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY A SAFE DISTANCE BEHIND A LINCOLN NAVIGATOR WHEN THEY FOR NO REASON SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND STOPPED. I ENDED UP REAR ENDING THE NAVIGATOR. THE REAR OF THE CAR WENT UP INTO THE AIR CAME DOWN AND SPUN AROUND THREE TIMES BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. MY WIFE WAS INJURED. SHE SUSTAINED A BROKEN RIB CUTS AND SCRAPES AND CHEST PAINS. NO AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED IN THE CAR AT ALL.

NHTSA ODI 11364499

Working with the data? Download all 6 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 28, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2015 Smart Cabrio verdict →