Hello!
I've just come off my second time in three months dealing with having the three bars of death come up while driving my Smart down the middle of the road and trying to find a safe spot to coast to a stop (and not stopping in the middle of the road).
Dealer finally figured out it was the transmission motor.
But during my own research over the holiday, I have discovered, it seems there are several different reasons why the three bars might come up and the Smart will immediately shut down.
I'm trying to get a sense of who has experienced this and what were the circumstances behind it? Did you report it to the NHTSA?
It seems to me, unless the issue with your car is dire (like it could catch on fire or explode), there is no reason your car should be stopping in the middle of the road while you are driving. The warning should be lesser like a warning light on your dash telling you to get your car into the dealership ASAP.
Just the act of the car shutting in the middle of the road causes more danger and potential death than weak batteries or frayed wires.
What were your experiences?
I've just come off my second time in three months dealing with having the three bars of death come up while driving my Smart down the middle of the road and trying to find a safe spot to coast to a stop (and not stopping in the middle of the road).
Dealer finally figured out it was the transmission motor.
But during my own research over the holiday, I have discovered, it seems there are several different reasons why the three bars might come up and the Smart will immediately shut down.
I'm trying to get a sense of who has experienced this and what were the circumstances behind it? Did you report it to the NHTSA?
It seems to me, unless the issue with your car is dire (like it could catch on fire or explode), there is no reason your car should be stopping in the middle of the road while you are driving. The warning should be lesser like a warning light on your dash telling you to get your car into the dealership ASAP.
Just the act of the car shutting in the middle of the road causes more danger and potential death than weak batteries or frayed wires.
What were your experiences?