what year is your smart? i know my first smart, 2006, you had to shut down in the right sequence or it would not be in P or N when you tried to start it again. If it is not in P or N when you try to start it, it wont start and you have to play with it to start it. .. the key was to ALWAYS make sure it was in P or N before you turned it off. sorry,, i cant remeber whether it was P or N it had to be in.. lol