Door latching problem

[Mitspowered]

Well, I hate to report any bad news, as I have such high hopes for this car and worry that the negative stuff gets too much notice, but here it goes.

I got in to my car this afternoon to leave work and found the door would not latch shut. I would close the door but the latch would not catch. I spent a few minutes fiddling with the latch-setting off the car alarm twice (boy is it loud!) and no joy. I wound up driving home holding the door shut, planning to take the panels off and see if there was a clear problem with the mechanism.

On the last turn I drove down a bumpy stretch and noted the latch had engaged. Got home and parked it. Too hot to really want to tear the door down and look into it any further.

Hopefully the problem will not reoccur, but I have my doubts. I'll be keeping a close eye on it. If necessary, I'll make the trip to the dealer, but since it's 70 miles away and only open during the hours I work, it's not an easy or convenient thing to do.

Has anyone else experienced a similar problem?

[Old smart]

There was a considerable run of door latch problems reported in the UK after the 2007 451s were released there last September. A faulty part was identified. I don't know the resolution or if there was one.

[DowneasTTer]

Been there done that. Lots of fun. The work around for me when this happens is to pull on the inside handle. That allows for normal operation. This problem started on my cab two weeks ago. Currently it's an intermittent condition. With the closest smartcenter 250 miles away I have lived with it. Will be traveling to CT the beginning of next month. Called both smart usa (received a case number) and smartcenter Hartford to set up an appointment. I just hope pulling on the inside handle will continue to work until then.

[Smart09]

same here but I just slam the door shut