smart bulletin LI54.10-P-069138
What it saysComplaint The following symptoms with electrical range: Displayed electrical range is implausible for charging process (SOC) . NHTSA’s full summary ↓
smart filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 20, 2025, received Dec 24, 2025, about the electrical system. It names 3 model years (2017–2019). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
Get the next smart fortwo bulletin by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationComplaint The following symptoms with electrical range: • Displayed electrical range is implausible for charging process (SOC) . • Displayed electrical range reduces rapidly after short period of driving. • High-voltage battery can no longer charge. Cause The voltage difference (maximum cell voltage minus minimum cell voltage) within the high-voltage battery is too great (> 100 mV). In an extreme case, no individual cell voltages are displayed in the Battery Management System (BMS) anymore (signal not available). Remedy Replace high-voltage battery. Note on analysis for transportability: The transportability assessment should be conducted promptly, as the high self-discharge level means that an assessment at a later stage may no longer be possible. Conduct the transportability assessment using the diagnostic system, to do so, select menu item "Special procedures" -> see also WISnet AR54.10-P-1140SRE, operation step 2. The procedure, if no individual cell voltages can be read out (signal not available - SNA), is also described in the diagnosis procedure.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LI54.10-P-069138 | Service bulletin | Dec 20, 2025 | 11026831 | PDF, 37 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
Email me new smart bulletins for the fortwo
A weekly email, sent only in a week when smart files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 6 of them name Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
Faulty n83 and Electric Drive Failure occured after charging @ public charging center. No longer under warranty but currently owe 5k on Mercedes lease . Mercedes dealership recommended replacement of both @ 16k I leased the car from them used . Time when lease began 19k
2019 smart fortwo · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 30, 2024 · ODI 11586101
The Power Electronics Control Unit (ECM), Part No. A453-900-72-11, and the DC-to-DC converter have both failed, rendering this all-electric vehicle completely inoperable. There is no backup propulsion system.
2017 smart fortwo · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 8, 2026 · ODI 11730040
The car won't charge over 20% due probably a faulty manufacturer part of N83 high voltage control box. This could cause very serious electrical/battery issues if the high voltage box is faulty
2017 smart fortwo · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 28, 2023 · ODI 11535062
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the electrical system
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against the smart fortwo under the same component group (electrical system), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI82.70-P-077433 | Service bulletin | Mar 5, 2025 | Complaint During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or interference/background noises… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for smart, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is smart LI54.10-P-069138 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the LI54.10-P-069138 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Mercedes-Benz warranty extension on file lists the ones Mercedes-Benz has filed.
Which vehicles does LI54.10-P-069138 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2019 smart fortwo, 2018 smart fortwo, 2017 smart fortwo. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.