2023 Polestar Polestar 2 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance9474.6%
- Visibility75.6%
- Electrical75.6%
- Fuel system43.2%
- Brakes21.6%
- Powertrain (other)21.6%
- Body & structure21.6%
- Exterior lighting21.6%
- Interior & seats10.8%
- Engine10.8%
- Airbags10.8%
- Seat belts10.8%
- Steering10.8%
- Suspension10.8%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
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.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
The EV will refuse to charge at ChargePoint locations and will error out with a red light.
The vehicle was driven to a shopping mart in my locality for less than 10 miles. When we got out of the vehicle it started showing all sorts of errors like Propulsion system failure, Parking Brakes unavailable, Breaking system not available. The car was taken to Polestar Austin and after keeping the vehicle for 15 days they informed me that they can't find the issue hence have only done a SW update. They suspected a DashCam connected to the camera WILL DEFINATELY cause propulsion and brake failure. The EV reached a temperature of about 161F and was frantically trying to cool itself.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
The vehicle was driven to a shopping mart in my locality for less than 10 miles. When we got out of the vehicle it started showing all sorts of errors like Propulsion system failure, Parking Brakes unavailable, Breaking system not available. The car was taken to Polestar Austin and after keeping the vehicle for 15 days they informed me that they can't find the issue hence have only done a SW update. They suspected a DashCam connected to the camera WILL DEFINATELY cause propulsion and brake failure. The EV reached a temperature of about 161F and was frantically trying to cool itself.
I have started to experience sudden acceleration issues. The car, when you are attempting to pull into a parking spot or garage, will seem to accelerate, sensors beeping. I have jumped curbs and even crashed into bikes in my garage. The car has had a slew of issues (engine propulsion, losing power), and I have had it at the dealer 4 times. Polestar stopped communicating with me when I let them know this happened. I have read others online claiming the same thing. I had had others witness this happening
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
The vehicle was driven to a shopping mart in my locality for less than 10 miles. When we got out of the vehicle it started showing all sorts of errors like Propulsion system failure, Parking Brakes unavailable, Breaking system not available. The car was taken to Polestar Austin and after keeping the vehicle for 15 days they informed me that they can't find the issue hence have only done a SW update. They suspected a DashCam connected to the camera WILL DEFINATELY cause propulsion and brake failure. The EV reached a temperature of about 161F and was frantically trying to cool itself.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Rattles and popping noises from the front driver door and window glass. The problem can be reproduced. Door shaking while driving. Please see the attached video.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
Infotainment system crashing post most recent software update causing main dashboard to stop showing information and make critical information difficult to see because of washed out background. Malfunctioning Components: Infotainment system. Available for inspection. Safety Risk: Difficulty seeing speed, unable to see warnings Dealer: No Inspection: No Warnings: No
The vehicle stopped playing interior sounds, including indicator “clicks”; alerts like collision avoidance, parking collision warning, etc; as well as radio. A hard reset of the infotainment system was required to restore functionality. The issue continued through multiple times “turning the vehicle off” and starting again. Malfunctioning Component: Infotainment system. Available for inspection. Safety Risk: No advanced audio warning indicators that emergency action may be taken. Reproduced by dealer: No Inspected: No Warnings: No
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The vehicle improperly sensed an impending rear collision when there was no vehicle present. The vehicle entered a mode where the electronic seatbelt tensioners aggressively pulled the occupants and did not release until the seatbelt latches were depressed. This happened in traffic. The occupants sustained soft tissue injuries. The manufacturer refused to acknowledge the situation.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
The vehicle refuses to acknowledge the keys to the vehicle and refuses to shift to D or N. This is happened to my vehicle multiple times. The dealership from Polestar Austin refuses to repair the issue.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
I RECEIVED THIS VEHICLE AS A RENTAL FROM HERTZ WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR THE "DRIVE TO WORKSHOP SRS AIRBAG SERVICE URGENT" WAS ILLUMINATED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
The vehicle improperly sensed an impending rear collision when there was no vehicle present. The vehicle entered a mode where the electronic seatbelt tensioners aggressively pulled the occupants and did not release until the seatbelt latches were depressed. This happened in traffic. The occupants sustained soft tissue injuries. The manufacturer refused to acknowledge the situation.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
Vehicle chassis vibrates noticeably at speeds around 30 mph and 65 mph, which is translated to the steering wheel. The vibration is of a high frequency, almost akin to a sander, and is most prominent under acceleration or deceleration. It's been present since I took delivery of the car in December of 2022 and can be felt on every drive. Polestar can reproduce the problem in other Polestar 2s and claims this vibration is within spec, but it feels like a defective drive shaft, which is quite worrying. There are many reports of this issue across the internet. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) https://www.polestar-forum.com/threads/vibration-under-acceleration.2217/#post-228870
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
Vehicle chassis vibrates noticeably at speeds around 30 mph and 65 mph, which is translated to the steering wheel. The vibration is of a high frequency, almost akin to a sander, and is most prominent under acceleration or deceleration. It's been present since I took delivery of the car in December of 2022 and can be felt on every drive. Polestar can reproduce the problem in other Polestar 2s and claims this vibration is within spec, but it feels like a defective drive shaft, which is quite worrying. There are many reports of this issue across the internet. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) https://www.polestar-forum.com/threads/vibration-under-acceleration.2217/#post-228870
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .