smart electricity meter is an important part of smart power grids, with the gradual promotion of smart electricity meter, smart electricity meter quality problems in the design, manufacturing, management, transportation and other sectors are gradually exposed. In this paper, the smart electricity meter fault example as the foundation, analysis of the causes of failure, to classify the fault, detection methods of different fault types, the formation of the corresponding detection project, based on reliability technology as the center, puts forward operation management measures, reduce fault, improve the operation level.