smart Car
This may have been discussed and I just missed it, but yesterday morning I went out to start and nothing! I had all electrical, but no click of a solenoid, just silence when I turned the key. The three bars came up on the dash just as what has been discussed before about a stuck shifter, but my shifter was not stuck, so a call was made to Penske. We went thru the turn key on and shift thru the gear routine and still nothing. They called for roadside assistance and in about 45 minutes someone came and went thru a jump start because Penske told them to try that first. Nothing happened. I was then told that it had to be hauled back to the dealer (approx. 150 miles away) for service. The dealer called be when it arrived and said that they would get right on it. They called this morning to say that it was repaired and that it was the electronic shifting module and what it had done was to quit communicating with the engine. I am going to try to get more info on this when I pick up the car, but according to the dealer, they haven't seen many of these problems, but when it goes, it just happens without warning. He did say everything is paid for, except I have to drive 150 miles up and back to get it home. Anyone heard of this problem?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by mr bad example on -
i've heard of it once before, a while ago. i've had my shifter physically lock up twice in the last 6 weeks, each time when the temp was -4F, second time with a new shifter assembly 10 days ago, i'm thinking of carrying a can of spray lube or buy a different knob assembly (they sell them on e-bay, billets and something, tom with a number seller)
my smart has issues, since i installed the Scan Gauge 2, now and then the ESP light will stay on, but nothing that cripples the car.
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Permalink Reply by Tom on -
Thanks for the reply. We picked our car up this morning and everythings seems to be fine again. I still haven't been able to talk to the right people yet, but it was explained that the shifter module was replaced. They restated that the shifter module was not making a connection with the engine so it would not start (sort of like a netural start switch). The car only had 3700 miles, so I hope this is not a problem that shows up very often.
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Not positive, but I think I suffered the same problem on a cold day last week. Drove downtown to store, got in after shopping and car would turn over but not engage. Tried a number of times, went back to store for awhile, came out and tried again with same problem. Walked home and later called for tow. Went back to car to await tow truck. While waiting car started. No problem again for a week, without a repair. Will await for it to happen again when parked out in the woods somewhere miles from anything. I had run through gears while car was off in attempt to get something to work, but I did that both before attempts that did not work and final attempt that did.
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Permalink Reply by Tom on
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Jim
I'm not sure whether this is the same or not, but it could involve replacement of the same part. My car would not even turn over. It was as if the battery was completely dead except everything else worked fine. My gearshift would also move, but after going thru the reset routine with "roadside assistance" several times and then later getting a jump start that also didn't work, they hauled the car to the dealer. Good luck with yours and I hope that maybe it was only the cold weather.
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Permalink Reply by mr bad example on
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i just talked to Dave Schembri yesterday (president of smart USA), i had a conference call with him and a master technician, seems my shifter was locked by a faulty brake circuit that lets the tranny think the brake pedal isn't depressed so it stays in park. i told them i can press the button on the shifter, but it won't go into reverse. so my smart goes back into the shop again, but i'll be getting a loaner this time :)
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Permalink Reply by Tom on
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I hope you finally get your problem solved. It never hurts to go to the top. Our car is now working perfect again. It seems that this shifter module can cause a whole lot of things to go wrong. Lets hope that the replacements are better than the originals.
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Hi Mr.B, I can't believe you could talk to the boss. Thats great. How many people have you ever herd of that could say they talked to the president of GM about a car problem. This say's allot about smart. They must be very dedicated to customer satisfaction. I mean one customer with a problem can talk to Dave Schembri, the president of smart USA. I am blown away ! I don't know how you did it, but it should be a shoe in now that your car will be fixed. At least I hope it is.
I mean you can now say to them "you better get this fixed or I am calling my budy Dave back, and he and I are on a first name base's. Talk about leverage. Good Luck, keep us posted.
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Permalink Reply by Enizete Lane on
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Sorry to discover problems you have mentioned, but above all, its appears as though the true issues of the problems are not really addressed to not occur maybe next time, is that correct?
You get the car towed,part is replaced without addressing the true problem to resolution?
Considering all aspects to your problems, all works well today. What occurs with same event for another person, today or next year and so on.
Am considering buying a car,but this concern is as well getting addressed at the car factory to not occur again?
Would be better to obtain proactive approach to know, yes we at Smart know about problem and have addressed the problem as well. This problem has been addressed and this is what has occurred to not have problem repeat itself.
Smart cars have been sold within Europe at no better winter conditions before, so how has this problem occurred for your car, when if anything were to have occured equal to your problems, would have been addressed to have been eliminated while having had smart cars sold in europe for years?
How is your problem unique to smart cars from last few years,or how has your problems maybe not been addressed by Smart as well.
I want to feel compelled to believe that even Smart cars concerns are addressed to your satisfaction,but why has it occured from the beginning when cars have been used for years elsewhere. Is your problems confronted something new, that Smart cars have never needed addressed before?
maybe that posting about contacting the big whigs can respond to these perceptions, cause to date, it sounds like this problem was fixed for you, but tell me what happens to your Smart car a year from now, or two?
The electronic shifting module problem occurs how often within one thousand cars sold in one year located in winter prone states? How is this module problem unique for smart cars sold in usa, versus having been sold in far colder and or equal winter climate regions in europe before?
how are problems totally solved after having learned that part is in error?
how are problems confronted after having learned this problem has occurred maybe a hundred times, what next?
Figure some responses may answer themselves based upon some tech savvy folks, but would like to know, how problems are addressed to not occur again even with replaced part, say next time it screws up, why would it screw up.
Problems are unique or considered common for this module?
mainly curious cause i would think some guy residing in colder climates of europe would know by now whether this is something new needed addressed to ensure some car that were to not operate does not miss that persons day heading to work for same problems not addressed by past problems needing fixed/
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Hi Enizete, I see your point. This thing seems to be getting more serious. There now seems to be two causes for the same apparent problem. And they both completely dissable the car. We had a -22 below zero night here in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago,and if someone were to park there smart car in some remote area, and forgot there cell phone, and I think you see where I'm going with this. This problem could become more then just an inconvenience, this problem could cause a permanant injury or death ! The car is nothing if it can't prove itself reliable. At least not dead unreliable.
Your right, they better get to the bottom of this problem, and fast ! They better be very proactive with this and maybe issue a recall and make the fix a permanant solution before someone gets hurt or killed over this. Could be two people !
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Permalink Reply by Not very SMART on
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I owned a diesel smart which I had to give up as it would simply stop working at cold temps. Loved the car and had no other problems. The new Smart 08 has been a real headache since 5000 km with it getting stuck and not moving with numerous ( 6) replacements of shifter knob, shifter assembly and clutch. Most recently, the car started flashing the hazard and ABS light while driving and then without warning the car wouldn't shift out of park. I am actually afraid to drive this car anymore. The problems seem to be occurring more and more frequently. The dealership has been super kind but I am still a consumer that is stuck with a very cute lemon!! HELP.. Any suggestions??
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Permalink Reply by Herb Bell on
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Your problem sounds like it's in a circuit board. When a circuit board gets very cold, it shrinks, perhaps causing a break in the printed circuitry or at a connection. This creates an open electrical circuit where there should be continuity. When the board warms up, the problem goes away because electrical contact is often re-established.
What I'd suggest is for SMART to operate a previously failed transmission circuit board (module) in an environmental chamber to see what it does under environmental extremes. If the failure is replicated in the environmental chamber, then the circuit board must be examined optically under high magnification while being operated in a test set designed to exercise the circuit board on the bench. The person examining the board must be thoroughly familiar with the board (maybe the designer, or a board tester at the factory?).
Sometimes a circuit board will fail while being flexed slightly (bent axially and linearly), so bending a board is a good way to find mechanical breaks in the copper traces or solder connections on the board. A board should also be checked for gross overheating, as would become obvious if a "lifted" copper trace is found. The components on the board can not be left unexamined either. Heat and cold can create all sorts of weird symptoms, but trying to find a bad component through the symptoms it causes is often a fool's errand.
If I were SMART, I'd go to the subcontractor that's making these boards and ask them how many of these boards receive full testing after they come off their production line (the percentage tested). Ask to see their failure record of new boards and see if the failures were tracked down and eliminated on the production line. Each change or ser of changes made to the board's design must be recorded in the board's documentation as a revision change.
Until these failures can be eliminated in the final product (the cars), SMART should insist on 100% testing of all new boards. If an airplane suffered from a "safety of flight " issue that could lead to death, believe me when I say that the manufacturer of the plane would work day and night until the problem was fully resolved. There's no such thing as being "slightly" dead.
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I hope they have this fixed on the 2009 models. I have a Brabus on the boat and my wife allredy hates the idea of getting a smart car. If she has any trouble with this car I will never hear the end of it. She wanted the Honda Fit. There may be a Brabus for sale in my future.
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