The 90 degree fittings(integral to the fuel pump) on top of the fuel pump cracked and leaks gasoline leading to a potential fire that could cause bodily injury for the driver and passenger. It is noticeable because of strong gasoline smell inside and outside of the car. There are many of the same complaints from Smart Car drivers in various forum.
smart Fortwo fuel pump problems
10 of the 346 owner complaints about the smart Fortwo describe fuel pump failure, most of them for the 2008 model year.
- owner complaints
- 10
- worst model year
- 2008
- typical mileage
- 41,179
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
Fuel pump connectors cracked leaking fuel.
Electric fuel pump inlet and outlet nipples to fuel hoses broke and caused fuel leakage.
Fuel pump connector cracks
2008 smart passion, 116k miles, maintained at recommended service intervals: condition: vehicle in use, various driving conditions: "old gas" smell inside vehicle after a break from usage of ~4-8 hours. "fresh gas" smell outside vehicle near the rear, after vehicle is used. No smell inside or outside if vehicle is left to stand 2-3 days. Inspection: no fluid leaks observed under car. Condition is repeating/repeatable. Upon removing rh rear lamp inspection plate, gas smell was found to be greater. No visual evidence of overfill on the fuel filler tube observable inside inspection cover. No wet or moist dust/dirt found in or near same. Inspected under-car, forward of engine for evidence of leaking, none found. Inspected engine compartment fuel rail and fuel returns. No leaks/seeps found. No insulation degradation found, no modifications or foreign material found. Concern: similar year/model/mileage smarts have been reported as having caught fire "in the engine compartment". One online resource has documented cracked/broken fuel pump outlet/inlet/bypass nipples (which resulted in an observed pool of gas under the car). Action: further investigation of the fuel tank, pump and vapor-recovery systems are planned.
Top of fuel pump crack after car hit bumpy roadways leaking fuel filling with gasoline fumes
As my wife was filling the gas tank it failed to build back pressure that would normally shut off the gas pump. This has occurred twice. Then on mon. The 19th of june after work my wife complained of a strong gas oder inside the vehicle. She drove the car to work on tues. Morning and had the same strong gas smell. She thought that it might be due to overfilling the tank. When she got home on tues. Night we noticed a steady stream of gas pouring out of the vehicle under the car near the passenger side of the vehicle. The gas only streamed out when the engine was running. Once we shutoff the car it would dribble out for a few more minutes then eventually stop. When I turned the car on it would begin flowing fuel onto the ground immediately. I had the car towed to the mercedes benz\smart car dealer located nearest to me. After the car was towed I started to do some research online to determine if this is a common issue. I was surprised to find that there have been many complaints posted to chat room boards regarding a fuel leak and a broken discharge line from the fuel pump to the engine. What I was even more startled to find was literally hundreds of different videos of smart cars catching on fire. I soon discovered that there is an open investigation with the federal safety agency for engine fires on model 2008-2009 fortwo smart cars. The investigation number is pe-16-016 the dealership called me today and stated that the fuel pump is leaking gas on top of the tank and that the fuel pump will need to be replaced. They have not dropped the fuel tank yet. They witnessed the fuel leak using a mirror. It is now friday at 2:15pm pst, and to late for them to start repairing the fuel pump today. The dealership plans to drop the tank and replace the fuel pump on tues. Morning. I will be there to photograph the location of the break on the fuel line and update this complaint after that.
I was driving down the city highway - route 283 to get something to eat as I turned my car stalled out completely. Trying to turn over it would try to start but never start. Car has just over 17k miles on it. Thankfully I wasn't in heavy traffic as this could have caused an accident by someone rear-ending me because of the reduced speed and stall. I had to have someone push me up to a parking lot while I waited for a tow truck. A month later I am still waiting on a replacement fuel pump. The original bosch keeps blowing fuses and stalling out. My mechanic test drove it and he had to be towed back to his shop as well because of a stall/blown fuse because of the fuel pump issue. These fuel pumps seem to be on back order because lots of smart cars are having the same issue at the moment with their bosch fuel pumps.
Where do I begin? After about a year of owning my smart car, I was driving on the highway doing about 70 MPH when suddenly I feel my car pull to the right and start shaking. I pull safely to the shoulder to find the valve stem for my tire had detached and my tire was now flat. Not having a spare, I had to call a tow truck. The same issue happened to the remaining 3 tires in the following months to a year. While driving the valve stem would detach and all air depleting from the tires. I called the smart dealer to be told this was impossible because the valve stems were bolted to the rim, well clearly not since it had happened to every tire.I have had multiple cylinder misfires with this car. I have had to replace the fuel pump. I have had to replace the alkaloid timing sensor. I have had to replace the blower motor for my heat and A/C. My headlights go out every other month. Car has stopped because a wire came loose in the battery. When I turn right or go on an onramp, I hear this awful clunking sound as if something is hitting a tin. When I go over bumps my car makes a squeaking sound. When going from park into reverse...car will not go into gear. My car will read p and n. I have to turn my car off/on multiple times as well as mess with my shifter for about 5 minutes before I can go anywhere. The cherry on top happened today on my way home to akron from columbus. As I am driving on the highway with a semi truck behind me my car started losing speed, even when pushing the gas. I almost was struck by the semi due to the sudden decrease of speed but thankfully was able to pull off the highway. Once stopped, all lights came on and car shut off. Put my car in park to try to start my car again, nothing. My engine will rev but the engine will not turn over. Will find out what that is tomorrow hopefully. Car was brand new when purchased and bought the car 5yrs and 1 month ago.
Fracture in the plastic nipple at the top of the fuel pump which connects the fuel pump output to the engine. This condition allowed gasoline to spray all over the bottom of the vehicle. The manufacturer's field representative who was present when the defect was discovered stated that this was due to normal wear and was not a manufacturing defect.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the smart Fortwo fuel pump
Which smart Fortwo years have fuel pump failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2008 (5 complaints) and 2009 (5 complaints).
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