2023 Polestar Polestar 2

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 109 complaints for rear-view camera failures on Model Year (MY) 2021 to MY 2025 Polestar 2 vehicles. On June 26, 2024, Polestar recalled certain MY 2021 – MY 2024 Polestar 2 vehicles for visualization issues during a backup event and failure to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111 (Rear Visibility) (Recall 24V-477). Specifically, Polestar stated that the rear-view camera “may have limited visualization, be inoperative, or function incorrectly when reverse gear is engaged, thereby affecting the driver’s rear visibility capability in a backing event.” Polestar proposed to remedy this condition via a software update to minimize an Infotainment Head Unit (IHU) graphical rendering limitation by shortening the retry times of the camera streams, as well as removing the rendering of the map in the driver display during backing events to release the graphic memory for the use of the rear-view camera. Subsequent consumer complaints to ODI reported continued rear-view camera outages in remedied vehicles pointed to limitations in Polestar’s 24V-477 approach, and, on April 25, 2025, Polestar filed a new recall to address the rear-view image visualization issues (Recall 25V-280). Polestar's stated remedy for this recall provided an additional software update intended to always maintain the high-speed signal connection between the Parking Assist Camera (PAC) and IHU, instead of toggling on and off by request. The update would also be designed to add a reset of the IHU video signal receiving hardware in case a synchronization error is detected, instead of just setting an error message. On June 21, 2025, ODI began receiving complaints from consumers whose vehicles had been remedied according to Recall 25V-280, but whose rear-view cameras were nevertheless continuing to fail in the same manner that they had previously. In July, ODI discussed the complaints with Polestar, which confirmed that their over the air software remedy for Recall 25V-280 did not correct the original issue. ODI is therefore opening this Recall Query to further evaluate the adequacy of Recall 25V-280’s remedy. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

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.

NHTSA ID

11749104

Incident

Mar 11, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11736507

Incident

Mar 10, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11728323

Incident

Mar 31, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11728097

Incident

Mar 29, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11725216

Incident

Mar 31, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11724728

Incident

Mar 16, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11717689

Incident

Feb 12, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11717270

Incident

Feb 9, 2026

This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 3 png files and 1 mp4 file CSD Stuck in Recovery Mode, iCUP. Provide vehicle report.

This is a TJ - Text plus 1 PDF - If the customer reports the navigation map in the DIM become black during driving or at start-up, follow the instructions under "Service" (see attached picture TJ_37516_1.pdf).

This is a Technical Journal - Text plus 1 .png attachment- If during a Software Download (SWDL) at the workshop, and connected to VIDA, the CSD (Center Stack Display) turns black and the IHU (Infotainment Head Unit) becomes stuck in programming mode or is unresponsive, follow the advice under "Service". This TJ concerns ICUP vehicles / Vehicles with Variant Designation Number (VDN) Code RP03.

This is a Technical Journal: Headlamp condensation inside lens - Note that normal condensation will not be solved by replacing the headlamp. The headlamps are designed to withstand moisture and the functionality of the lamp is not affected by condensation. To avoid or eliminate moisture in the headlamps, use the car regularly. The car also needs to be used for longer period of time with low beam on

This is a TJ - Text only - no attachment - Do not perform fault tracing or replace any parts before reading this journal. An acceleration constraint from a standstill when the driver's seatbelt is unbuckled has been implemented and should be regarded as expected behavior. The models listed in this journal are the first to receive this software, but it will be rolled out progressively throughout the coming months to all BEV vehicles.

This is a TJ - Text plus 3 PD's - If customer complains about any of the symptoms regarding Bluetooth / Cellular as noted in this TJ Do not replace any components for this issue, follow but not limited to the 10 steps, and all instructions under "Service".