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What 21 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Smart Ed

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 (21)Crash / fire / injury (8)Engine (7)Fuel system (7)Brakes (5)Electrical system (5)Body & structure (2)Steering (2)Visibility & wipers (2)Driver assistance (1)Engine & cooling (1)Equipment (1)

1 of 21 complaints match · Engine & cooling · clear filters

Mar 28, 2017Engine & coolingFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SMART FORTWO. AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN ABNORMAL ODOR AND OBSERVED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE EXHAUST PIPES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 400.

NHTSA ODI 10969003

Working with the data? Download all 21 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 2016 Smart Ed verdict →