2021 Polestar Polestar 2

Routine

Owners filed 148 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the backup camera. It has been recalled 5 times.

Not among the Polestar Polestar 2 years to avoid. Which Polestar Polestar 2 years to avoid →

Most common 2021 Polestar Polestar 2 problems

101 of the 148 complaints (68%) are about the backup camera.

ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera · backup camera93
000
Visibility/Wiper · wipers12
000
Unknown or Other9
000
Electrical System6
000
Suspension4
000
Back Over Prevention › Warnings · backup camera4
200
Back Over Prevention › Rearview System Braking · backup camera4
000
Seat Belts2
000
Lane Departure › Blind Spot Detection · lane-keeping assist2
000
Fuel/Propulsion System · fuel and propulsion system2
000

5 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Back Over Prevention › Software25V615000
Filed Sep 15, 202527,816 vehiclesPolestar Automotive USA, Inc.

Defect. Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Polestar 2 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse.

Risk. A rearview camera image that does not display reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed June 4, 2026. Owners may contact Polestar's customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is RP1069. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning April 20, 2026. This recall replaces previous NHTSA recalls 24V477 and 25V280. Vehicles previously repaired under those recalls will need to have the new remedy performed.

Service Brakes25V409000
Filed Jul 2, 20252 vehiclesPolestar Automotive USA, Inc.

Defect. Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021 and 2024 Polestar 2 vehicles. In certain driving scenarios while coasting down a hill and using "One Pedal Drive," the vehicle may lose brake function.

Risk. A loss of brake function increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Owners are advised not to use "One Pedal Drive" until the repair has been completed. Polestar has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2025. Owners may contact Polestar's customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is RP1061.

Back Over Prevention › Software25V280000
Filed Apr 25, 202527,816 vehiclesPolestar Automotive USA, Inc.

Defect. Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Polestar 2 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk. A rearview camera image that does not display reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2025. Owners may contact Polestar's customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is RP1056. Vehicles in this recall that were previously repaired under 24V-477 will need to have the new remedy completed.

Equipment › Electrical › Infotainment › Software24V477000
Filed Jun 26, 202425,825 vehiclesPolestar Automotive USA, Inc.

Defect. Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Polestar 2 vehicles. The Infotainment Head Unit (IHU) software may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk. A rearview camera image that does not display decreases the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Polestar has released an over-the-air IHU software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Polestar customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is RP1016.

Electrical System › Propulsion System › Traction Battery › Management System/Energy Control Module (bms/Becm) › Software21V110000
Filed Feb 24, 20213,457 vehiclesPolestar Automotive USA, Inc.

Defect. Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Polestar 2 vehicles. The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) microprocessor may reset and cause the high voltage system to disconnect.

Risk. A disconnected high voltage system can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Polestar will notify owners, and the software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 23, 2021. Owners may contact Polestar customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is R10079.

All 5 campaigns on file, newest first.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Oct 14, 2026PA

I am reporting a recurring, unresolved propulsion-system fault affecting my 2021 Polestar 2 Dual Motor. Since 2025, this vehicle has experienced repeated electrical and propulsion-system problems, including an incident in November 2025 when the vehicle became immobilized and would not engage Drive or Reverse. That incident was resolved after the 12-volt battery was replaced. During 2026, the vehicle repeatedly displayed the warning "Propulsion System Service Required." These warnings have occurred despite numerous repair attempts involving major high-voltage electrical components. Polestar service documentation identifies diagnostic trouble codes involving the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM), including P0AE300, P0ADB00, and P0C7800. These codes concern high-voltage contactor control and precharge-system operation. Additional diagnostic codes have been recorded in the onboard charging system. Repairs during 2026 have included replacing the Battery Energy Control Module, the onboard charger twice, the high-voltage air-conditioning compressor twice, and high-voltage switching or precharge components. In June 2026, the vehicle was returned following repairs, but the propulsion warning recurred within approximately 50 miles. On September 23, 2026, Polestar Princeton returned the vehicle after replacing the onboard charger for a second time. The service department indicated that the vehicle was operating as designed. On September 25, 2026, approximately two days after this rep

Power Train
Filed Aug 5, 2026CO

Rear driveshaft/axle shafts failing at 39,000 miles on a 2021 Polestar 2. Symptom is a ticking/clicking noise during deceleration at low speed cadenced to wheel speed. Polestar issued Technical Journal TJ 36854.1.0 in March 2024 acknowledging this as a known issue on 2021-2023 model year vehicles with VST Operation Number 46602-2. Despite this being a documented manufacturer defect, Polestar is not covering the repair outside the bumper-to-bumper warranty period. Quoted $2,547 for both rear axle shafts at an authorized service center. This defect affects multiple vehicles across multiple model years and warrants investigation for a formal recall.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Jun 24, 2026TX

Center entertaiment touchscreen which provides visiblity for the rear camera as well as the backup sensors and A/C controls for front defogger went is completely blank. Polestar2 logo appears, but no longer boots. This causes the rear camera to be completely useless.

Back Over Prevention › WarningsCrash
Filed Jun 16, 2026CA

Well backing out of a parking space at the grocery store. My rear camera failed to activate even after several times trying to get the camera to work. I decided to try and back out by just looking over my shoulder, but could not see through the back window and collided into a shopping cart. None of the advanced systems activated no object detection, no camera and no collision warning.

Air Bags
Filed May 6, 2026PA

Vehicle Info: 2021 Polestar 2 74,765 mi Software version 5.0.10 About 2 weeks ago, I updated to the newest OTA update 5.0.10, which may be unrelated. 1 week ago, the normal start-up safety procedure flagged the airbag and instructed me to find a service station immediately. I scheduled an appt and I was charged $300 diagnostic fee. It's unclear if the airbags would deploy in a collision based on the fault. The service manager shared with me that there are two reasons for the issue in his experience - 1. the vehicle was in a collision and the sensors fail to lock out or 2. there is wiring under the seat that failed either at the harness or on the wire directly. #1 can be ruled out by the vehicle history report and the car was never in a collision. #2 is the only viable reason based on vehicle use. If this is the case, it's a design flaw that must be addressed by the manufacturer. More investigation should be conducted to find the cause (e.g. electronic seat adjustments damaging SRS wiring, faulty electrical components, OTA software patches, etc.). Regardless, it's unacceptable for customers to bear the financial responsibility of an SRS failure.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Mar 29, 2026CA

An update was applied last year to fix the reverse camera issue. The issue remains, sometimes the camera is unavailable, it the camera goes in to 360 degree mode. Happens about once a week or every two weeks

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Mar 16, 2026MN

Polestar has issued two recalls and claims they fixed the reverse camera issues with a software update, but they have not been remedied. When reversing, the camera screen will still often go blank, freeze, or stutter. I am not confident that the picture I'm seeing on the screen is a real time depiction of the view behind me or is simply frozen. This presents safety issues where the screen may have frozen or gone blank just before someone runs behind the vehicle, and the driver is led to believe there is nothing behind the vehicle.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Mar 8, 2026NC

Backup Camera still doesn't function when reversing after multiple recalls.

Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking
Filed Mar 8, 2026NC

2021 Polestar 2, consistently the rear back up camera fails to display. In my case the issue did not occur until my car was updated past 3.2.8. The issue is caused by extremely dated hardware. The processor, and memory are insufficient for the more modern software that is being released. I also believe this is why my car will slam on the brakes in reverse when there is no object behind the car while I am reversing. Polestar has released a IHU hardware upgrade in other Polestar markets, but has not given any dates or information for this to be released in the US. A further software update is not going to rectify this issue, unless features are removed to fre up resources. Not a safety concern but Media will stop playing in SiriusXM and have to be restarted after 20 minutes of driving. After parking over night the IHU will take 2-3 minutes to fully wake up to be able to set navigation or activeate Apple Car play.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Mar 3, 2026WA

The vehicle was serviced on 2/13 at the Polestar service center in Seattle. I believe this is when software version 4.2.13 was installed. In the last week, I've noticed a new behavior. When I accelerate from a stop, the vehicle intermittently does not accelerate as it used to. For approximately 2 - 3 seconds, I have no control over acceleration and the vehicle only operates around 5 mph. This put me in a scary situation as I was making a quick turn in front of oncoming traffic, and did not have the acceleration I expected to safely make the turn. It's happened to me about six times in the last week.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Feb 18, 2026CA

The rear view camera fails repeatedly and the rear window is not large enough to safely reverse.

Back Over Prevention › WarningsCrash
Filed Feb 11, 2026CA

Cameras stopped working when backing out and collision with pole when reversing out

Back Over Prevention › Warnings
Filed Jan 21, 2026WA

I am reaching out to bring to your attention an urgent issue regarding the backup camera in the 2021 Polestar 2. The backup camera frequently fails to work when the car is put into reverse or, even more concerning, it intermittently cuts out while backing up. Given the limited visibility when relying solely on the rearview and side mirrors, this malfunction poses a significant safety risk. The inability to see small children or obstacles behind the vehicle without the aid of the backup camera is a major concern that needs to be addressed promptly. Polestar has attempted several fixes over several years, none to date have resolved the issue. Neither Polestar or NHTSA have taken this issue seriously.

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Dec 19, 2025MN

The backup camera fails to activate, freezes up, or turns off while backing up. The rear window of this vehicle and the height of the trunk block visual sight lines making the camera essential. I am a software engineer, it is clear to me that the combination information screen has an underpowered processor and memory. Polestar have attempted software updates which have been ineffective. Other aspects of the system also struggle to load and be responsive as well such as switching modes from bluetooth audio to radio or loading the navigation system. I see that there is a second recall but it appears this is a software based update as well. I doubt that software can fix what is very likely a hardware performance issue.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Dec 11, 2025NJ

Intermittently, when shifting into reverse, the rear camera does not work, with error stating that the camera is unavailable. Dealer states there is no fix.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Dec 9, 2025FL

When the car is put into reverse the rear camera activates and then goes dead. There is no image from the camera and an error appears on the screen saying camera is temporarily unavailable. There have been multiple recalls on this issue and the updates have not resolved the issue. My car is on software 3.6.4

Service Brakes
Filed Dec 8, 2025UT

Under regen braking the car has very loud ticking in the rear and feels as if the axles are sheering themselves. Looking into the issues with other owners the culprit is the ERAD motor turns to recoup the energy. It looks like this component is used in a wide variety of Volvo based vehicles like this one and other models report the same issue. The worry comes with failure, as this is a braking component, failure while braking would be highly dangerous.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Dec 7, 2025OR

Back up camera not available. Again.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Dec 5, 2025NY

The back up camera constantly fails to turn on. It appears to be a known defect of the car. Service centers seem to have no fix for the issue.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Dec 5, 2025CA

The backup camera on my 2021 Polestar 2 has never functioned reliably. It frequently fails to activate when the vehicle is placed in reverse and instead displays an error message. This is a manufacturer defect. Although the vehicle was recalled for this defect and I had the recall repair performed, the issue persists. The repair did not fully resolve the problem, and the backup camera continues to malfunction intermittently. Reduced Rear Visibility: Without a functioning backup camera, drivers lose critical visibility directly behind the vehicle, especially in blind spots not covered by mirrors. Risk to Pedestrians and Children: Backup cameras are designed to prevent accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists, or children who may be behind the vehicle. A malfunctioning system increases the risk of striking someone. Parking and Maneuvering Hazards: In tight spaces, garages, or crowded parking lots, the lack of a reliable rear camera increases the likelihood of collisions with other vehicles, walls, or objects. False Sense of Security: Drivers may assume the camera is functioning and rely on it, only to discover too late that it has failed. This inconsistency creates unpredictable and unsafe driving conditions. Non-Compliance with Federal Safety Standards: Backup cameras are federally mandated safety equipment. A defective or unreliable system means the vehicle does not meet required safety standards. Incomplete Recall Remedy: Since the recall repair did not fully resolve the de

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Dec 4, 2025CA

Ever since I bought the vehicle, I would often get an alert when putting into reverse that the rear reverse camera "Camera is Temporarily Unavailable". I did have the recall linked to this issue executed on the car. While the issue occurs less, it still does occur.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Dec 4, 2025MN

Rear camera constantly “unavailable”

Suspension
Filed Nov 20, 2025CA

When making a sharp left turn at full steering lock the car makes clicking noises. Service center states it is CV joint related and several cars with this performance suspension have this problem. It may be a safety hazard should the CV joint fail and it is a known issue.

Electrical System
Filed Nov 20, 2025WA

The On-Board Charger failed under normal conditions, leaving the car unable to be charged by any AC charger, this is a common issue that I have seen reported on several forums, and should be addressed.

Suspension
Filed Nov 8, 2025MN

1 - The rear axles have failed. 2- A rear axle failure while driving presents extreme safety hazards, including sudden loss of vehicle control and stability, potential wheel separation, and abrupt loss of drive power, greatly increasing the risk of a severe accident 3 - Polestar has created a report on 3/4/24 regarding the issue AND IS AWARE OF IT - Technical Journal 36854.1.0 - Ticking noise during deceleration at Low Speeds. My car is 2 months out of Warranty and is a 2021 model and has 48,000 miles and they refuse to cover the cost of the repair Polestar owners have confirmed this online in various Polestar forums. 4- The Polestar dealer inspected it. 5- No warnings

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Nov 7, 2025AZ

Backup camera constantly unavailable

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Oct 15, 2025MA

The backup camera does not function about 50% of the time. Polestar did issue a OTA software update that I have installed several months ago (software version 3.6.4) but the issue has not really improved. I was hoping that another update might be issued but so far, nothing. I should note that it is not just the backup camera, the entire infotainment has been very buggy and laggy as well but the backup camera is a real safety issue while the rest is more of an inconvenience.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Oct 11, 2025CA

Backup camera often doesn’t work when reversing even after previous recall

Electrical System
Filed Oct 3, 2025CA

The backup camera has progressively been made worse by software updates. It is often nonfunctional, shows a black screen, or excessively flickers, making it hard or impossible to see.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Sep 30, 2025OR

Most recent firmware fix from Polestar (3.6.4) to resolve backup camera not displaying issue is still non-sufficient. Backup camera still fails regularly after we received the ‘fix’ on June 13, 2025 at a Volve/Polestar dealership. Vehicle is now ‘timed out’ out of the factory warranty, and a call to Volvo/Polestar to schedule service was met with ‘you are out of warranty now, there is nothing we can do’. Vehicle is fully operable and in good repair otherwise.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Sep 23, 2025CA

When vehicle is behind driven, and adaptive cruise and steering assist are active the vehicle regularly falsely interprets road lines. When this happens the vehicle veers quickly. This has happened multiple times veering the vehicle into oncoming traffic, off the road, or onto the shoulder. It can be corrected by driver intervention but the car maneuvers quickly when falsely reading road signs

Back Over Prevention › Rearview System Braking
Filed Sep 22, 2025OR

After applying the latest update to fix the recall, the camera and infotainment system performs worsee than before. The rear camera stops displaying almost 95% of the time, the only time it does work is if you get back in the car before the system goes to sleep .

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Sep 22, 2025NC

Car was stopped, battery died

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Sep 21, 2025WA

Back up camera intermittently stops working and “camera is temporarily unavailable” displayed on infotainment screen. I have to back up my car 2-3 times a week with no backup camera. Cars software is up to date on 3.6.4

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Sep 13, 2025NH

Even after having the vehicle updated to the latest OTA update (3.6.4) I still get an error message warning me that the backup camera is unavailable at least 50% of the time. Sometimes I am able to get the image to appear after putting the car back into park, and waiting 1-2 minutes before shifting back into reverse. Needless to say, this defect continues to present a significant safety issue, especially in a vehicle with such poor outward visibility from the driver's seat.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Sep 12, 2025CA

The rear-view camera fails to activate or remain active when the car is in reverse. Despite applying all available software updates, including for recalls meant to address this problem, it persists. The screen may go blank or indicate "camera unavailable."

Forward Collision Avoidance › Warnings
Filed Sep 8, 2025CA

On September 7, 2025, I had a total failure of the forward looking radar system in the vehicle. The symptoms were an error "Collision Avoidance system unavailable" and symbol on the driver display after starting the vehicle, and attempting to activate cruise control (which is typically adaptive cruise control) results in an "Unavailable" error. The symptom occurred suddenly after an otherwise unremarkable drive cycle, and the radar sensor appears to be free of any obstructions. This renders an otherwise key safety feature of the vehicle in reducing the chance of a forward collision completely inoperable, and due to service backlogs, I am unable to have the issue addressed by the dealer/service provider for at least a month, meaning the vehicle will remain stuck in this state until then. Prior to this, I have received "Camera temporarily unavailable" errors when in reverse (inhibiting the backup camera feature from operating as intended), even after updating to the latest software version as indicated by the most recent safety recall notice. I've also received very intermittent errors around the blind spot sensor/rear auto-brake/park assist system -- and these three errors occur at the same time -- but I have not seen this error either in the days before or after receiving the collision avoidance system unavailable error.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Sep 4, 2025CO

The backup camera is unavailable when reversing.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Sep 2, 2025CO

This is a follow up to repairs made under previous recall number 25V-280; 'camera is temporarily unavailable' error when the car is operated in reverse. Despite being on the most recent version of the infotainment software (v 3.6.4) this problem persists in my vehicle. On many occasions since the most recent software update the rear view camera displays the error message (as above). This occurs at least as often as it did before the latest software update, several times per week during normal use. I have documented a few of these on 2/27/2025, 7/4/2025, 7/20/2025, 7/24/2025/ 7/27/2025, 7/30/2025, 8/2/2025, 8/30/2025. These are not the only instances but reflect the continuing pattern of cameral issues over the time since the latest software update.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Aug 27, 2025IN

Put the vehicle into reverse and the backup camera was listed as unavailable

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Aug 13, 2025IL

Still encountering occasional "Camera temporarily unavailable", camera video feed stutter, and lag even after upgrading to software 3.6.4.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Aug 13, 2025MN

The reverse camera continues to fail regularly, especially within the first few minutes of using the vehicle. I shift to reverse, and rather than seeing the video from the reverse camera, I see the message "Camera is temporarily unavailable" or something to that effect. My car is updated to the most recent software (version 3.6.4) which I believe was intended to fix this issue as a recall, but there has been no improvement.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Aug 8, 2025NC

Rear camera malfunction while attempting to reverse out of a parking spot on a busy street. The rear camera would not activate and the car displayed the following message: "camera is temporarily unavailable". This issue persisted until I restart the infotainment unit.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Aug 8, 2025OR

For my MY'21 Polestar 2, post software update 3.6.4 (Recall 25V-280) I experienced another back up camera failure.

Unknown or Other
Filed Aug 5, 2025DC

This complaint relates to NHTSA Action Number: RQ25004 The rear view camera image consistently does not appear and reads as unavailable on the driver's view screen even after a recent recall repair.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Aug 5, 2025WA

I wanted to bring to your attention an ongoing issue with the backup camera functionality. Despite updating the car software to version 3.6.4 as per the last recall, the backup camera still frequently shows "camera unavailable" when placing the vehicle into reverse. It seems that the problem remains unresolved even after following the recommended update per the recall.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Aug 2, 2025CO

Despite installing the latest software release intended to resolve the problem, my review camera continues to go out intermittently. This is dangerous as I lose visibility in the midst of backing up.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera
Filed Aug 1, 2025DC

In reverse, the backup camera will not appear..often get a “camera is unavailable” during the only time I need it available. Latest software upgrade to 3.6.4 still has not corrected the issue.

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Jul 31, 2025OR

Failure of the rearview camera system AFTER the recall software update to 3.7.

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Jul 31, 2025OR

Failure of the rearview camera system AFTER the recall software update to 3.7.

Complaints 1-50 of 148, newest first, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2022
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20251200Routine
202425500Routine
2023117400Routine
2022305400Above average
2021 — this page148500Routine

Compare every Polestar 2 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Sep 15, 2025. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.