[ZigZag]

Hi all, I'll give you the story. Yesterday like every day for our 2014 Smart EV I drove it and all was fine though it was raining and there were many puddles which I avoided. I got home and all was okay and battery was showing 50 % so I plugged her into our 220 volt charger like always and went into the house.

Today I got out to drive to the store, unplug it and get in. Turn the key and it goes into the alarm and on the display it's showing these.
Drive system

Engine off

Do not tow away

HV system

work shop

The car won't go into drive mod, horn and radio etc all still working. It won't charge and is still at 50 %. Can anyone out there give me an answer to what happened. All has been great for these past 7 years of ownership.

 

[jzchen]

Alarms don't usually sound unless you have a weak 12 V. Hoping changing that will bring it back to normal.

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[ZigZag]

Alarms don't usually sound unless you have a weak 12 V. Hoping changing that will bring it back to normal.

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What's a good 12 volt for this car ? The one in there is 7 years old.

 

[jzchen]

If I'm not mistaken BCI LN1 fits well. Here's one:

ACDelco 88866037 ACDelco Gold Automotive AGM Batteries | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - ACDelco Gold Automotive AGM Batteries with qualifying orders of $99. Shop Batteries at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

(I hope someone can come and confirm).

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[jzchen]

Do you have a charger or portable jump starter you can try? (I'm afraid there may be danger of damaging the HV battery IF the problem is the 12 V and it isn't resolved soon).

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[MB DNA]

What's a good 12 volt for this car ? The one in there is 7 years old.

My suspicion, SEVEN YEAR OLD 12V is done?

This may not bode well for the HV?

 

[jzchen]

Found the post with pics of proper size aftermarket battery, well GM OEM...

12v Battery replacement help

I'm not sure what you mean here. The new battery I'm buying has the 6yr warranty. They are going to install it today. The battery that's in the car now is the original one.Sorry about being unclear. Let's say the new battery dies and needs to be replaced under warranty within 6 years. If they...

www.smartcarofamerica.com

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[sokoloff]

See the sticky above in this forum for changing the 12v battery. Part numbers and battery options are discussed. And I reiterate what MB DNA said - get that seven year old battery out of there ASAP.

Len

 

[ZigZag]

Well I just replaced the 12 volt battery with a Diehard Gold and unfortunately no change. So I guess I'll be calling the dealership where I bought the car to make an appointment. Don't really want to go to the dealer but no choice. There wasn't anything else I can try is there ?

 

[MB DNA]

“Do not tow away” - make sure to use a rollback hauler and “time” may not be on your side?

 

[rubyg]

The 12v battery has european standard even the terminals messurements are in mm.
there are Varta batteries on ebay europe but to ship one of them is $100.and this batteries cost 100/120 euros.
The dealer charge me $250 to replace the battery with 2 years guarrante on the battery.not a bad price.
Im interested to know with american battery will fit,I went to autozone etc and none of the batteries has the same messurments.

 

[jwight]

This one certainly fits...

 

[ZigZag]

“Do not tow away” - make sure to use a rollback hauler and “time” may not be on your side?

What about a flat bed truck ? Could it possibly be the charger ? It was like only 24 hours that it was down.

 

[MB DNA]

Flat bed w/roll on/off capabilities would work - even a trailer. Issue may be, is it locked in Park?

 

[ZigZag]

Flat bed w/roll on/off capabilities would work - even a trailer. Issue may be, is it locked in Park?

No it's not locked in park. All the small stuff still works, horn, lights etc.

 

[Yinzer]

...

 

[Yinzer]

The 12v battery has european standard even the terminals messurements are in mm.
there are Varta batteries on ebay europe but to ship one of them is $100.and this batteries cost 100/120 euros.
The dealer charge me $250 to replace the battery with 2 years guarrante on the battery.not a bad price.
Im interested to know with american battery will fit,I went to autozone etc and none of the batteries has the same messurments.

The battery does not have to have the same measurements - as long as it fits and the terminals polarities are on the correct ends. Some slight hand alterations of the hold down bracket may be needed. The group H5 battery available from discount parts stores works fine. For example Advance auto specifies this for the Smart ED (ignore the "down for maintenance"):

Advance Auto Parts - Down for Maintenance

 

[__dlan__]

I went to O'Reilly's and got a new battery a few months ago. They picked one out of their system that said it was compatible, and it did require the hold-down bar to be bent so it would fit properly. They did it for me and had me on the road again in 10 minutes for around $160 if I remember correctly.

 

[alanl]

Most important item is if you purchased the car new, did you purchase the extended HV battery warranty. Would still be covered if you did.

 

[DYWong]

I had the same message (Drive System - Engine Off) on my 2015 EV about a month ago after a full overnight charge on 110V. Tried diagnosing the issue and I found both 12V battery cables loose. Tightened them and the same error, charged the 12V and same error, tried plugging in the HV cord and same error. (12V battery is 2 years old) I let the car set for a week while checking it every day, with no success. (Battery measured 12.5V at rest, 13.5V when connected to a running 'jump' vehicle)
I ended up getting it towed to a hybrid repair garage. The next day the shop called me up and said there is no error, they inserted the key, turned it on, and drove down the street. WTH!! They kept it for another week, drove it, charged it, and never saw the error message.
We even called an MB Smart dealer and they did not know what would cause the error and suggested 'registering' the battery. This made no sense as the battery had been in the car for 2 years.

The best I can figure is the loose battery cable caused the error message. The car has been fine for the last month and I've done at least 5 charges, one time from 5% SOC.

Hope your diagnosis is more definitive.