My gear shifter broke.

[Andrewlcox]

I was afraid this was going to happen. I have had my smart for 5 days now and the shift level has been acting clunky. I pulled into my driveway tonight and the shifter won't go into reverse or park. The button won't depress so it must be a 30 cent part keeping the lever from moving through its full range.

I called 1-800-smart-usa and they are sending a flatbed truck in the morning to take it to the Creve Coeur (St Louis) dealer for repair. The customer service representative was very friendly and even told me this is becoming a common problem. I got the impression this was not his first time dealing with this problem.

Hopefully they determine the problem and fix it with a more reliable part and this never happens again. Too bad the dealer is 1'45" away from my house.

Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone know if I can fix it without sending my car in for surgery?

Andy

[Steven79]

sorry to hear that. this is THE reason I am thinking about canceling my smart order (late april delivery). seems like the shifter mechanism has a serious design flaw that i dont want to deal with.

what is your production date of your smart? is this an orphan or a custom order?

[Lgaruti]

I believe one other owner had this problem and the dealer fixed it ASAP.
You might try a search.

[Andrewlcox]

Steven79,

I think it was built on February 8 according to a sticker in the driver's side door jamb. I ordered this car on March 28, 2007, confirmed on October 26, 2007 and took deliverey and March 20, 2008.

I am not going to let this scare me away from smart and if I were you I would still get your smart car. These cars are so much fun. I am amazed at all the smiles it brings to peoples faces.

Andy

[Steven79]

Thanks Andy,

I know Im probably a little OCD, but geeze I just can't get over buying a brand new car and before it's even broken in, technicians need to rip apart my shifter console etc.. and make repairs.

I understand all cars can have problems, BUT geeze this problem seems really common. Quite a few complaints have been made about the shifting mechanism failing and preventing the car from being put into "park" or removing the key.

This problem should have been corrected by the time your unit was built.

sigh... I'll check my build date on the door jam before delivery.. if its really close to a feb build date, i dont think I will take delivery.

Nevertheless, I hope you have a swift and problem free repair!! =)

[xcrew229x]

At least there is no cruise control to catch fire ala Ford........

[SmartAzz]

You'd be surprised what they might do to a new car pre-delivery. In any case, if a part is turning out to be endemically weak they have to redesign, probably test, then have the part produced first, this takes time and from what I've experienced before most manufacturers do the same thing - replace the defective part with the same one as often as needed, until whenever the new part is available, what else can be done? With hope the Smart dealers will stay stocked to help people that need it as quickly as possible.

[sixcrows]

I had this EXACT same problem about a week after receiving delivery.
My dealer picked up my smart at my jobsite and had it ready for me before the end of the work day.

They tell me the issue was a small screw inside the shift lever head. It was replaced, lubricated, and hasn't been a problem since.

Hopefully, your fix will be as easy as mine.

Walt

[Steven79]

aghhhhhhhhhhh! why and how did smart overlook such a problem!????

i really dont want to "not take delivery" but we shall see.

[Andrewlcox]

To all:

I need to tell everyone that I think I might have fixed or put a bandaid on the problem. I like to tinker with things but was afraid to break the shifter even more but here is what I found.

If you pull straight up on the knob, it pops right off. That exposes a white plastic T that moves up and down and unlocks the shifter to allow it to travel in its full range of motion (park to drive). I don't see any screws or adjustments but, and this is a questionable but, when I reinstalled the knob, the shifter performs flawlessly. It (the button on the knob) felt like it was in a bind but now it isn't. This was way too easy to be a broken piece that needs replaced. I can't explain it but it almost seems like a ghost problem.

I am getting ready to call off the tow truck until this happens again and I can't seem to fix it.

I don't want smart to pay for all that gas and service to haul my car to and from STL if it isn't broke. If it is broke for real, I won't hesitate to call for help.

Hope this helps anyone in the future with a similar problem.

Andy