2008 smart Fortwo Coupe: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Sep 25, 2015 · Engine, Transmission · 38,326 miles · MA

Several times my 2008 smart will not go into reverse gear.or start sometimes as explained in many other post here. Mb said that its my clutch assemby, mb report says (1) transmission need to be removed inspect clutch disk pressure plates and thowout bearing/ clutch will not teach in causing engine lamp cost $1359.00 and if that dont work (2) clutch assemby replacement of clutch thowout bearing pressure plate if needed when transmission is out parts only $1031.20 this car only has 38,326 miles on it I am the 2nd owner pad got the car with 4,500 miles on it. Mb and smartusa have been no help at all in this matter

Filed Sep 1, 2015 · Transmission · 22,000 miles · FL

This car has periodically failed to go into reverse and drive. Last event that I experienced is when I actually realized it to be an safety issue. I got into my car that was parked in my drive way to take my daughter to school. I started the car as usual and proceeded to place it in reverse. It was backing down the driveway as I believed it should. A car was coming down the road which would normally not be a problem but this time it was different my car was not truly engaged into reverse and wouldn't and also wouldn't go into drive. My car rolled down the driveway into the road instead. I have a problem maneuvering out of the way as the other driver was expecting me to be able. I had to turn the car off and restart it. The other driver that was heading my way had to slam the brakes and nearly hit us. I brought this problem up with mercedes and smart car. They have been aware that this problem exists. When I was at the service station for a tmps problem that no one else could fix, I told them then. They told me that it needed a computer update. I told them that they could fix it but I couldn't afford to pay for it. They allowed me to leave with the car. I have researched and found that this is something that many smart cars like mine are experiencing. There is a youtube video out. I feel that I could have been hurt by this defect. I feel that others could be getting hurt by this defect. Smart car has never notified me of this defect before. They are only willing at my expense to fix it. I told them that they needed to notify others and they told me that that was not something that they are willing to do. Please do something to make this company fix their product and spare the lives of innocent victims. Here is an example of the problem and this is not my video. Follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iwbpvzksze

Filed Nov 19, 2013 · Transmission · 38,760 miles · IL

I own 2 of the 2008 smart fortwo automobiles (pure & cabrio). Both have periodically been balky shifters (stuck when trying to move the gear selector out of park). One has briefly refused to shift into any gear, independent of the gear indicated. Both have briefly refused to shift out of park... Until today when my wife was stuck in park at a red light. The ABS light had come on, my wife decided to see if she could clear the indicator. She quickly put it in park, engine off then on, but vehicle remained stuck in park. A deputy moved traffic around her. I arrived & after repeated attempts for 20 minutes, it finally released from park into drive. I drove it home & thoroughly lubricated the shifter mechanism per posts on the smart car of america forums. As I re-read this thread containing 4 years of contributors, there is an impression that the factory released a 1st, then 2nd generation of shifter replacement hardware. There is abundant owner feedback that there is a reliability issue in gear-shifting, at least on the 2008 model. Per my local dealership in st charles, il, there is no factory recall for this issue. The dealership will run a $120 diagnostic, but repair is at the expense of the owner. Apparently, I am on my own to purchase updated shifter hardware, or self-maintain sufficient lube on the original, balky shifter hardware. If one ever pulls over in a remote or dangerous area & puts the transmission in park, he may be stuck there permanently, until rescued. In dangerously cold weather, this mechanical failure could be fatal. In traffic, this could have LED to a serious accident. On what other vehicle would this behavior be tolerated? If 2 out of 2 of my vehicles exhibit this issue, it is widespread, & a danger to operators of this vehicle. I'm going to also report it using my other 2008 smart fortwo VIN next.

Filed Sep 10, 2011 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 25,646 miles · CA

Driving on ca70 south towards plumas lake blvd. Exit, braking lightly from 55 MPH to 35mph to exit the freeway caused ABS and electronic stability program (esp)((electronic stability control)) exclamation lights to light up which denoted the ABS and esp disabled. When coming to a stop at the stop sign, the smart was shut down and restarted to reset the ABS and esp for safety only to find that the transmission would not shift from park to drive and was locked into park. This created a very dangerous situation where the car was unable to be shifted to neutral to move the car into the shoulder and the car was stuck in the middle of the road with cars exiting the freeway (hazard lights were on). To get out of a dangerous situation, an online forum that discusses the smart car (www.smartcarsofamerica.com) showed that if the shifter is stuck into park to check and see if the brake lights in the rear were working. The brake rear brake lights were checked and there was no light emitting from them. The site stated that if there was no brake light then that pointed the problem to the brake light switch which is a known issue with the smart fortwo na451 models. A remedy was recommended to get out of park by rapidly pressing and depressing the brake pedal to get the light to come on which would disable the parking lock on the shifter. That worked and got me out of a dangerous position on the roadway where there was not sufficient time to contact the california highway patrol or a tow truck to get me off the road. I strongly recommend a recall to be drafted to replace the brake light switch on all smart na451 models as they can be defective.

Filed Nov 28, 2008 · Transmission · 6,789 miles · UT

My new smart car would not shift into reverse or park. The button on the shifter lever would not depress. Many owners are finding this problem. There is a do-it-yourself fix listed. However this problem is due to faulty manufacture and needs to be recalled and replaced.

Filed Oct 4, 2008 · Transmission · 6,500 miles · TX

Gear shifter stuck in park. Unable to move car. Many others having same problem. See: http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f25/gear-knob-button-stuck-4454/ http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f25/diy-gear-shift-removal-lube-short-video-5428/ this appears to be a serious problem.