RoadVitals

2021 Proterra Catalyst

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

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.
1
Latest Sep 25, 2024
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.
5
Latest Sep 6, 2024
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.
0
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2021 Proterra Catalyst, most frequently naming the electrical category. 5 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 55 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.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Electrical1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

5 campaigns cover this model year

View all 5

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
24V655000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Sep 6, 2024
483 units potentially affected
The defect: Phoenix Motorcars (Phoenix) is recalling certain 2019-2021 800V Catalyst and 2020-2022 ZX5 transit buses. The vehicle controller software may allow the electrical circuit for the radiator fan to overheat.
The risk: Electrical circuits that overheat increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy: Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 15, 2024. Owners may contact Phoenix customer service at 1-909-987-0815.
Phoenix MotorcarsManufacturer number SC-24-009View on NHTSA.gov
23V697000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Oct 17, 2023
238 units potentially affected
The defect: Proterra Operating Company, Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2019-2022 40' and 35' Catalyst 800V transit buses equipped with ProDrive 1.0, and 40' and 35' ZX5 800V transit buses equipped with ProDrive 1.0. A transistor inside the inverter may overheat and fail, which can result in a loss of power steering and drive power.
The risk: A loss of power steering and/or drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2023. Owners may contact Proterra customer service at 1-864-438-0000.
Proterra Operating Company, Inc.View on NHTSA.gov
23V078000

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

Feb 13, 2023
252 units potentially affected
The defect: Proterra Operating Company, Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2020-2022 35" Catalyst, 35" ZX5, and 40" ZX5 vehicles. The windshield wiper motors may operate intermittently or may fail to operate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems."
The risk: Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the wiper motors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 3, 2023. Owners may contact Proterra customer service at 1-864-438-0000.
Proterra Operating Company, Inc.View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Electrical
Filed Sep 25, 2024

The contact called on behalf of the University that owns several 2021 Proterra Catalyst Transit Bus. The University received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V697000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that there was an unstated electrical failure with one of the buses, rendering the bus inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that there were seven additional buses included in the fleet. The failure mileage was 15,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID
11616330
Incident
Jan 2, 2024
Mileage
15,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

SC-24-009

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN

Software update for the 800vRRs Vehicle and Body Software to reduce the radiator fan current draw to 80%. Additionally corrects a bug to properly route ESM faults away from the coolant light icon.

SC-23-176

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

BMS software update to the latest version. It improves current sensors performance and adjusts the isolation fault threshold value.

SC-23-054

SERVICE BRAKES; SUSPENSION

Relocation of the air compressors intake as well as adding a preliminary filter at the top of the air intake.

SC-23-062

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The procedure describes the process of updating the Customer CAN Gateway to improve data retrieval on specific customer ITS equipment on ZX5 vehicles.

SC-23-082

ENGINE

This procedure adds improved caps to the coolant system for 800V buses.

SC-23-135

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM; POWER TRAIN

This procedure describes the process for updating the 800VRR Prodrive Vehicle, Powertrain, Body Controller, ESM and Charge Controller software to BuSCoM 2.0.

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—
2021Viewing150—
2020080—
2019091—
2018091—
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.