2023 Polestar Polestar 2
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Polestar › Polestar 2 › 2023
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2023 Polestar Polestar 2. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
4 recalls name the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2. Newest first.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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."
A rearview camera image that does not display decreases the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2023 Polestar 2 vehicles. The front left lower ball joint may have been incorrectly installed, allowing the control arm to disconnect from the steering knuckle.
The control arm disconnecting from the steering knuckle can cause a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the ball joint fastening bolt as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 10, 2023. Owners may contact Polestar customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is R10245.
The vehicle's "Infotainment System," which includes the displays and the GPS, intermittently fail and black out completely. This also disables the radio and telecommunications. After 30-60 seconds, the system will reboot. However, the last time it occurred, on or about XXX, the audio did not restart and I had to reboot the system again manually. The Polestar service center (Volvo in [XXX]) had reset the Infotainment software earlier, on XXX, in response to my previous complaints. I have tried to schedule a new appointment with the service center, but they claim they cannot provide a loaner car (since they may have to keep my car more than 1 day) for weeks, even though I asserted that this issue creates a driving hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(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
Safety 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.
The 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.
Over 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.
Polestar 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.
The 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.
the 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.
Rear‑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.
When 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.
Constant 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.
Rear backup camera continues to not function reliably, even after updating to the latest firmware 4.2.13
After 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.
Car rear camera constantly freezes, doesn’t appear or just stops during vehicle usage
Despite 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.
An 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.
-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.
The back up camera repeatedly fails, and does not work, when I put my car into reverse.
Infotainment 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.
Rear 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)
I 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.
The rear view camera does not always work when putting the car into reverse and gives a "Camera Unavailable" error. My car is on the latest software revision which was supposed to resolve this, but it is still occuring. With the very small rear window, having a 100% working rear camera is imperative.
The reserve camera shows unavailable after the recall software update. My car is on 3.6.4 and camera unavailable happened twice in one day.
A recall was issued April 25 because the rear camera fails. It is supposed to be addressed by OTA software update. I have NOT received an update, and I've been unable to get an appt to have it installed by Service. It's been 4 months, and I'm told there are no appts for several more months. This seems very dangerous...
Backup camera becomes unavailable. This is after the latest update supposedly to fix the issue.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
On July 9, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query (RQ) 25004 to investigate and review the effectiveness of the remedy for Recall 25V-280.Polestar initiated Recall 25V-280 to address shortcomings in the remedy for Recall 24V-477, which intended to address rear camera outage conditions. Consumer complaint traffic reporting rear-view camera outages after receiving the remedy for 25V-280prompted the RQ opening. On July 7, 2024, Polestar initiated Recall 24V-477 to address issues with the rear-view camera display in certain Model Year (MY) 2021-2024 Polestar 2 vehicles. According to Polestar, this failure was due to a memory allocation error in the IHU. To address this error, the remedy, provided by an over-the-air (OTA) software update , shortened the retry times of the camera streams and removed the rendering of the map in the driver display during backing events to release the graphic memory for the rear-view camera. On April 25, 2025, Polestar initiated Recall 25V-280 to address similar issues with the rear-view camera display in certain MY 2021-2025 Polestar 2 vehicles. The recall remedy consisted of an OTA software update intended to correct a synchronization error between the Parking Assist Camera (PAC) and the Infotainment Head Unit (IHU). The updated software would maintain the high-speed signal connection between the PAC and IHU, instead of toggling on and off by request. ODI has received two hundred seventy-five (275) Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) alleging failure of the rear-view camera to display after receiving the remedy for Recall 25V-280. Consumers reported that the rear-view camera failed to display once the vehicle was initially placed in reverse, as well as losing the rear-view image while the vehicle was traveling in reverse . Failure to display the rearview image will reduce the driver’s visibility in a backing event, increasing the risk of a crash. On July 18, 2025, ODI sent Polestar an Information Request (IR) letter requesting data for vehicle production, field incidents, and any modifications related to the backup camera and its software. ODI also requested information pertaining to Polestar’s internal assessments, problem resolutions, and their assessment of the alleged defect. On September 15, 2025, Polestar issued Recall 25V-615, which sought to remedy the failure of Recall 25V-280. Polestar acknowledged that the prior remedy was insufficient and that further engineering analysis would be required for final software development and validation. Polestar worked with its supplier (Volvo) and began validation of the new software in February 2026. On April 20, 2026, Polestar released the remedy for Recall 25V-615 via an OTA software update. The update provided general stability improvements to the operating system, as well as bug fixes for the rear-view camera. Since the deployment of the 25V-615 remedy, ODI has received only 3 VOQs alleging a rear camera outage, yielding a complaint rate of 0.01% for Recall 25V-615. ODI assessed the conditions that led to the 25V-280 remedy failures and the countermeasures deployed to prevent recurrence in vehicles that received the remedy for 25V-615. To measure its efficacy, ODI analyzed materials produced by Polestar in its responses to ODI’s July 18, 2025, IR letter and additional materials Polestar furnished in response to email requests and a technical meeting in 2026.ODI also reviewed information Polestar provided in response to another IR letter NHTSA sent on March 25, 2026, requesting additional information related to the decision-making process for correcting the remedy failure of Recall 25V-280. On June 10, 2026, at the request of ODI, Polestar presented a technical briefing of the remedy for Recall 25V-615, which included both completion rates and remedy failure counts. ODI has monitored the remedy for Recall 25V-615 since April 2026 and has observed the failure rate to remain low. ODI is closing this RQ following manufacturer action in the form of Recall 25V-615. The Agency will continue to monitor the remedy and reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.