Smart Cars Under Investigation After 8 Reports Of Engine Fires

There are a lot of things you don’t want to happen to your car, but having it go up in flames for no apparent reason is likely close to the top of the list. Yet, that’s apparently occurred to eight Smart vehicles in the last two years. As a result, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced this week that it had opened a preliminary investigation into 42,875 model year 2008 to 2009 Fortwo vehicles. According to NHTSA’s preliminary evaluation notice [PDF], the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation has received eight complaints from consumers related to incidents in which the engine compartment — located in the back of the vehicle — caught fire.