Sedan, electric, AWD/All-Wheel Drive, built in China. Owner complaints on file from Oct 15, 2023 to Sep 24, 2026.
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.
Check a specific vehicle by VIN on NHTSA's site: a campaign may cover only part of a model year's production.
| Campaign | Filed | Subject | Component | Vehicles | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25V-615 | Sep 15, 2025 | Rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse | Back-over prevention | 27,816 | Software update |
| 25V-280 | Apr 25, 2025 | Rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse | Back-over prevention | 27,816 | Software update |
| 24V-477 | Jun 26, 2024 | Infotainment Head Unit (IHU) software may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying | Back-over prevention | 25,825 | Software update |
| 23V-476 | Jul 12, 2023 | Front left lower ball joint may have been incorrectly installed, allowing the control arm to disconnect from the steering knuckle | Suspension | 3 | Part replacement |
The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
116 complaints on file, page 1 of 6.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, Reverse Lights available for inspection upon request? Yes How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Low visibility at night while backing up. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not sure. But I've done some research and it's a known issue among other Polestar 2 owners Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? UNKNOWN Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No
NHTSA complaint 11766651Safety complaint description In August 2026, I experienced a potentially dangerous incident involving my 2023 Polestar 2 AWD Performance while performing a U-turn. During the maneuver, the vehicle unexpectedly stopped or hesitated and did not move forward when I expected it to, leaving me exposed in the roadway and creating a risk of a collision with approaching traffic. I do not know what caused this behavior. I am concerned that it may involve an unexpected interruption of vehicle propulsion, a driver-assistance system or another electronic or mechanical malfunction. I have not received a diagnosis confirming the cause. I have also experienced other concerning vehicle symptoms, including clicking, popping and creaking noises during low-speed turns, a clunk from the front-left area and a tendency for the vehicle to pull slightly to the left despite equalized tire pressures. I do not know whether these symptoms are related to the U-turn incident. I reported these concerns in August 2026 and scheduled the earliest available service appointment at Dyer & Dyer, the authorized Polestar service location in Georgia, for September 18, 2026. I delivered the vehicle for that appointment on September 18. On September 22, I was informed that the vehicle had not yet been inspected or diagnosed and that the next anticipated opportunity for an initial inspection was October 13, 2026, unless an earlier opening became available. As of September 22, 2026, the cause of the unexpected vehicle behavior has not been identified, and I have not received confirmation that the vehicle is safe to operate. I am submitting this complaint because the unexpected failure to respond during a U-turn created a potentially serious traffic hazard. I am requesting that NHTSA document and evaluate this incident as a possible vehicle safety defect.
NHTSA complaint 11766117The contact owns a 2023 Polestar Polestar 2. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V615000 (Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer informed the contact that the recall remedy could not be completed because previous software updates were not completed. The contact stated that the dealer would only complete the recall if the previous software updates were completed, and the updates were not covered under the recall. The contact stated that the dealer failed to complete the software updates previously. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure.
NHTSA complaint 11749104Over the last 1.5 months, the liftgate system on the vehicle has failed to fully close and latch. The vehicle shows the liftgate as unsecured and the liftgate has play despite being partially latched. Investigation of the vehicle shows that the tailgate damper drive unit wiring harness is designed in a way that the wires pinch and short to ground. This design flaw causes the vehicle to lose communication with the position sensors in the tailgate damper drive unit and prevents the tailgate from closing fully.
NHTSA complaint 11736507Polestar 2 software version 4.2.13. While reversing out of a parking spot the rear camera briefly turned on, but after a second, the infotainment system crashed, with the screen shutting off. The infotainment system automatically rebooted after ~1min of driving. This system crash also temporarily disabled rear cross traffic alert and the parking sensors. Backup cameras are a federally mandated safety feature which reduce the risk of collisions when reversing. Without this safety feature, the risk of a collision increases.
NHTSA complaint 11728323The backup camera consistently fails and displays a "Backup Camera is Temporarily Unavailable" message. Polestar is only issuing a software fix for this on model year 2026 Polestar 2s and a solution has not been offered for over 8 months now.
NHTSA complaint 11728097the rear camera on this car has been having issues for well over a year. The dealership says they are well aware of the issues and that it's common but there is nothing they can do about it and that I just need to wait for an update to eventually come. They do not know when the update is coming. This has been an ongoing issue that is a big safety issue. The rear visibility on these cars is bad to begin with, so the rear camera is essential for safety. it either doesn't go on at all every other time I try to go in reverse, or it will just cut off mid-reverse driving. This is just on top of all the rest of the infotainment system issues this car has.
NHTSA complaint 11725216Rear‑view camera intermittently fails to provide a usable image when shifting into reverse. Symptoms include delayed activation, black screen, frozen frame, or extremely choppy video. This results in intermittent loss of rear visibility and does not comply with FMVSS 111. The defect has persisted for several years despite multiple Polestar software updates and multiple NHTSA recall campaigns intended to correct the issue. The failure is reproducible and appears strongly load‑dependent. It occurs most often immediately after vehicle startup or when the infotainment system is busy with background activity such as app initialization, updates, or UI redraws. Under these conditions, shifting into reverse frequently produces no usable camera image. If I wait several seconds for the system to stabilize before shifting into reverse, the camera usually works, which indicates a resource‑contention or performance‑limitation issue within the Intel Atom–based infotainment head unit used in earlier Polestar 2 vehicles. The recall remedies have not resolved the defect, and the failure continues to occur under predictable, real‑world conditions. Because rear‑view camera activation is time‑critical for detecting pedestrians, children, pets, and obstacles, this ongoing defect presents an unreasonable safety risk. The repeated failure of software‑only remedies suggests the underlying cause may be hardware‑related. Newer Polestar and Volvo vehicles equipped with the Snapdragon‑based infotainment unit do not exhibit this behavior, which further supports the possibility of a hardware limitation in the original head unit. I request that NHTSA re‑evaluate the effectiveness of the current recall remedies and determine whether a hardware‑based fix is required to bring the vehicle into full compliance with FMVSS 111. This defect remains active despite multiple attempts to correct it and continues to compromise rear visibility and overall safety.
NHTSA complaint 11724728When put into reverse, display just shows Camera is temporarily unavailable. This is after the OTA update 4.2.13 that was supposed to fix the issue. Rear cross traffic braking is also unavailable at this time.
NHTSA complaint 11717689Constant camera issues. The rear camera only works half the time and when it does go it, it'll just cut off while driving in reverse. It's completely unreliable and dangerous. New update has affected the cars acceleration. Now when its below a certain degrees outside they changed it so the car can no longer accelerate at its normal speed and instead, barely responds when you hit the gas causing a multiple second delay before the car moves. It's incredibly dangerous and makes it impossible to move out of the way if needed in an emergency. Issue was reported and was told that just how it is now and there is nothing they can do about it. This is dangerous and not the vehicle I purchased.
NHTSA complaint 11717270Rear backup camera continues to not function reliably, even after updating to the latest firmware 4.2.13
NHTSA complaint 11715971After multiple software OTA updates due to previous NHTSA recalls, the rear backup camera consistently has issues to where the image of the rear of the vehicle cannot temporarily be displayed.
NHTSA complaint 11707307Car rear camera constantly freezes, doesn’t appear or just stops during vehicle usage
NHTSA complaint 11703101Despite a recall, rear camera does not activate when putting the car into reverse. This poses immense safety risks as the rear of the vehicle is poorly visible from the driver seat and mirrors when backing up. I have previously noted this instance a few months ago after the recall for this issue, and yet the issue is persisting. There are no warnings or indicators of an electrical or other problem. I have not taken this in for servicing for this problem. But this issue is reproducible every time getting into the car and putting it into reverse, on the center display where the cameras would display, an error message appears, again, exactly as occurred prior to the recall. In summary, despite recall, rear view cameras/backup cameras do not properly work when putting the car into reverse to reverse.
NHTSA complaint 11703091An ongoing issue with Polestar 2 vehicles has been its unreliable rear camera. When reversing, the rear camera does not always engage, leaving either a blank space on the dashboard screen or sometimes the phrase “Rear camera currently unavailable”. This continues to occur despite software updates from the manufacturer.
NHTSA complaint 11702172-The rearview camera fails intermittently when gearshift is placed in reverse and when the car drives in reverse. -Passengers and pedestrians are at risk of collision due to restricted view around vehicle. -I have not reported the problem to the dealer or manufacturer because they are well aware that this problem exists, although they claim it was remedied by software updates. -I have not had my vehicle inspected by anyone to date, but will do so if the problem is not effectively addressed soon. -There is a warning message at the time the vehicle is placed in reverse that the rearview camera is temporarily unavailable. -The problem, and the error messages, have been recurring for months. -In addition, as a result of the software changes, the vehicle radio and Google maps fail intermittently.
NHTSA complaint 11698981The back up camera repeatedly fails, and does not work, when I put my car into reverse.
NHTSA complaint 11693369Infotainment system continues to be intermittently unresponsive. Today, the system was totally frozen which made it so heat/air conditioning could not be controlled, no sound for turn signals were present, and backup camera was not functioning.
NHTSA complaint 11692572Rear camera does not work quite often and I get a message that the system the rear camera is unavailable. This is a safety hazard when reversing the vehicle. Polestar stated that the new software they released a few months back would fix this but it did not fix it at all (software version 3.6.4)
NHTSA complaint 11690853I received the NHTSA Recall No. 25V-280 and had the vehicle updated to Software 3.6.4 in July 2025. Following this update I still have issues with the rear camera while the vehicle is in reverse. This includes 1) the camera not available with the system showing this error, 2) the camera not available with the screen continuing to show content not related to the camera, and 3) when the camera is available there are refresh issues that cause interrupted visibility concerns.
NHTSA complaint 11689653Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall; the 60 most recent are listed.