RoadVitals

2018 Proterra Catalyst

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
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Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
9
Latest Nov 30, 2022
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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1 currently open
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains no NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2018 Proterra Catalyst. 9 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 74 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Safety recalls

9 campaigns cover this model year

View all 9

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
22V887000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

Nov 30, 2022
300 units potentially affected
The defect: Proterra Operation Company, Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Catalyst transit buses. One or more battery packs may allow liquid to leak into and accumulate in the battery pack enclosure.
The risk: The accumulation of liquid inside the battery pack enclosure increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy: Proterra will update software, inspect, and replace the battery pack, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed November 6, 2023. Owners may contact Proterra's customer service at 1-864-438-0000.
Proterra Operating Company, Inc.View on NHTSA.gov
22V114000

STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)

Feb 28, 2022
724 units potentially affected
The defect: Proterra, Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2017-2019 35 foot Catalyst E2, 2017-2019 40 foot E2, 2020-2021 35 foot RR, 2019-2020 40 foot RR, 2019-2022 40 foot ZX5, and 2020-2022 35 foot ZX5 buses. The plexus adhesive between the torque limiter plate and the bus body may be insufficient, causing the bolts that secure the steering gearbox to loosen.
The risk: A loose steering gearbox can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will install a mechanical fastener and new bolts on the steering gearbox, and install a new torque plate, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 7, 2022. Owners may contact Proterra's customer service at 1-864-438-0000.
Proterra, Inc.Manufacturer number SC-22-040View on NHTSA.gov
20V664000

STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)

Oct 28, 2020
5 units potentially affected
The defect: Proterra Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2018-2020 35 foot and 40 foot Catalyst buses. Lack of plexus adhesive between the torque plate and the vehicle chassis may cause the bolts securing the steering gear box to loosen.
The risk: An unsecured steering gear box could cause the driver to lose the ability to steer the vehicle, increasing the risk of crash or injury.
The remedy: Proterra will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering gear mounting bolts and the plexus adhesive layer between the torque plate and the chassis. If the plexus adhesive layer is missing or insufficient, the components will be repaired, free of charge. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Proterra customer service at 1-864-438-0000. Proterra's number for this recall is SC-20-154.
Proterra Inc.Manufacturer number SC-20-154View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

RQ25001OpenRecall Query

Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 22V887

Opened Jun 27, 2025

In November 2022, Proterra Operating Company, Inc. (Proterra) filed a safety recall (NHTSA recall 22V887) covering nineteen 2017-2019 Proterra Catalyst transit buses to address the potential of liquid accumulation in the 400-volt battery packs, increasing the risk of a fire. On December 16, 2022, Proterra mailed an interim owner notification letter stating that Proterra would physically inspect and analyze each recalled battery pack.In October 2023, Proterra amended their filing to now cover 300 vehicles, with a final remedy plan of updating the battery monitoring software. According to the final remedy documents from Proterra, should liquid be detected within the battery pack, the updated software would illuminate a warning light in the driver's dash display, prevent the batteries from being charged, and reduce the maximum speed of the buses.As of the most recent recall completion rate report, 109 of the 300 buses (36.3%) have received the software update. In August 2023, Proterra declared bankruptcy, with its the three major business areas going to three separate companies.Phoenix Motorcars assumed liability for recall 22V887. On June 5, 2025, a fire occurred at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) decommissioning lot.Local officials stated that the fire initiated in a battery pack of one of the Proterra buses. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Recall Query (RQ) to evaluate the remedy effectiveness of recall 22V887 and to further understand the effects of nearly two-thirds of the affected population having not yet received the recall remedy.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

No owner complaints recorded for this model year

Either none have been filed with NHTSA, or this vehicle is too new for reports to have accumulated.

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SC-23-147

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; STRUCTURE:BODY

The procedure describes the process of updating the body controller to remove a 2.5 second delay to a door open request.

IB-23-132

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Repair instructions to support transit buses when a charge shunt fails. If the installed charge shunt were to fail we can replace with the original shunt installed, therefore this instruction set provides documentation for installing an alternative.

FC-23-003

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Repair instruction to inspect heavy duty transit vehicles for humidity in the battery pack and perform preventative maintenance.

SC-22-026

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Service Bulletin for upgraded battery fans on select heavy duty electric buses. Moving to brushless fans to extend the service life of the fans.

SC-22-150

STEERING

Bulletin to add shim under the steering TLP due to build variances of the bodies and bond gaps.

FC-22-167

STRUCTURE:BODY

Instruction to verify the BTMS chiller panels are assembled correctly, ensuring the hinge pin is secured.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Proterra Catalyst by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2022030—
2021150—
2020080—
2019091—
2018Viewing091—
2017081—
2016060—
2015040—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.