AI DamagePolestar Polestar 2: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Polestar Polestar 2 across 7 model years: 597 owner complaints and 205 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Backover prevention 71% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 12% of all complaints
- 3 Visibility 7% of all complaints
- 4 Forward collision avoidance 3% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel/propulsion system 3% of all complaints
- 6 Lane departure 3% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 2% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 2% of all complaints
- Backover prevention: 425 complaints (71% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 26.
- Electrical system: 71 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 157.
- Visibility: 44 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 3.
- Forward collision avoidance: 20 complaints (3% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 11.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 20 complaints (3% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 8.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 597 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backover prevention | 425 | 4 | 26 |
| Electrical system | 71 | 1 | 157 |
| Visibility | 44 | 1 | 3 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 20 | 0 | 11 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 20 | 1 | 8 |
| Lane departure | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 9 | 1 | 33 |
| Suspension | 9 | 0 | 23 |
| Service brakes | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 6 | 0 | 26 |
| Structure | 5 | 0 | 19 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 1 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
My rear camera failed to activate even after several times trying to get the camera to work. I decided to try and back out by just looking over my shoulder, but could not see through the back window and collided into a shopping cart.
At the time of the incident, the rearview camera system did not display any image on the center screen. There were no warning messages or indicators alerting me to a malfunction prior to or during the incident.
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.
After the vehicle lost propulsion, the dashboard displayed the warning message âPropulsion System Failure.â Following the incident, the vehicle would not engage Drive and remained in Park. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Polestar service center in North Hills, California, for diagnosis.
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.
I jerked my wheel to the right and the oncoming traffic was able to make it around me without a rear end collision. The display read propulsion error. The car was ultimately towed to Polestar Tampa.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Backover prevention. Rear camera and parking sensors after a rear impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Forward collision avoidance. Radar and camera: calibration after bumper or windshield replacement.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- This is a TJ - Text Only - No attachments - If the software version displayed in the CSD is not aligned…
- This is a Technical Journal
- This is a TJ - Text plus 1 PDF - If the customer reports the navigation map in the DIM become black during…
- This is a Technical Journal - Text plus 1 .png attachment- If during a Software Download (SWDL) at the…
- This is a Technical Journal
- This is a TJ - Text only - no attachment - Do not perform fault tracing or replace any parts before…
- This is a TJ text only no attachments - If customer complains it is not possible to download or update…
- This is a TJ - Text plus 3 PD's - If customer complains about any of the symptoms regarding Bluetooth /…
- This is a TJ - text only, no attachments - f the customer complains about a significant HV battery SoC…
- This is a Technical Journal
- This is a Technical Journal - Text plus 1 .png attachment- If during a Software Download (SWDL) at the…
- This is a Technical Journal
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.