NHTSA vehicle safety data

2012 Smart Fortwo Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

The 2012 Smart Fortwo has no NHTSA recall campaigns and 8 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Smart dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2012 Smart Fortwo, plus NCAP crash-test ratings. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

2012 Smart Fortwo owner complaints

Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Smart Fortwo, describing incidents dated July 20, 2012 to January 16, 2022.

Most-cited components

  • Air Bags 2 complaints
  • Electrical System 2 complaints
  • Seat Belts 2 complaints
  • Engine 1 complaint
  • Exterior Lighting 1 complaint
  • Power Train 1 complaint

Of the 8 complaints on file, 2 report a crash; across all 8 complaints, owners report 3 injuries (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

  • ODI #11447959 · Filed

    The driver side seat belt mount, which in this case is a steel cable, has mostly broken and frayed rendering it unsafe to drive. In the event of an accident, it would certainly break completely. I only noticed it yesterday while cleaning, the breakage would've happened while driving it. I've…

  • ODI #11110785 · Filed

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SMART FORTWO. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE FRONT TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOKEY MERCEDES-BENZ (19820 US HWY 19 N, CLEARWATER, FL) WHERE THE FAILURE WAS CONFIRMED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE…

  • ODI #10966517 · Filed

    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…

Read all 8 complaints
NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for the 2012 Smart Fortwo as of November 3, 2026. New recalls can be issued at any time, so check the specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before buying.

Other Smart Fortwo model years

Check your 2012 Smart Fortwo VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Smart Fortwo at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

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