2023 Polestar POLESTAR 2 problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
114 owner complaints analyzed
4 distinct recall campaigns
12,505 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2023 model year. Data snapshot: . 2 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera is the most frequently named component, appearing in 81 of 114 complaints (71.1%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 5 | 4.4% |
| Transmission and shifting | 3 | 2.6% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 2 | 1.8% |
| Steering behavior | 1 | 0.9% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera | 81 |
| Unknown Or Other | 11 |
| Electrical System | 7 |
| Visibility/Wiper | 7 |
| Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking | 6 |
| Back Over Prevention: Warnings | 4 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 4 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 |
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera: 81; Unknown Or Other: 11; Electrical System: 7; Visibility/Wiper: 7; Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking: 6; Back Over Prevention: Warnings: 4; Fuel/Propulsion System: 4; Vehicle Speed Control: 4
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 1 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 1 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 112 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 21 |
| 2025 | 81 |
| 2026 | 9 |
2023: 3; 2024: 21; 2025: 81; 2026: 9
Pattern summary
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 5 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 3 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11550030 · 2023-10-15 (October 15, 2023)
The parking camera system freezes and flickers on a fresh startup on a fairly consistent basis, all you have to do is let the car go into a "sleep state" then enter the car and go in to reverse. Also, there are false positives from the parking collision system in the rear when going down a sidewalk apron, causing the emergency braking system to trigger. This has happened often enough to the point where I disable the emergency braking system on every startup.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11550030 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11608013 · 2024-08-12 (August 12, 2024)
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 a…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11608013 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11669963 · 2025-06-28 (June 28, 2025)
When shifting the vehicle into reverse the rear view camera fails to activate.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11669963 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11673081 · 2025-07-12 (July 12, 2025)
The rear view camera displays a message of “camera is temporarily unavailable” when shifting into reverse to view the rear camera. This issue was NOT alleviated with the most recent update
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11673081 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11703091 · 2025-12-04 (December 4, 2025)
Despite a recall, rear camera does not activate when putting the car into reverse. This poses immense safety risks as the rear of the vehicle is poorly visible from the driver seat and mirrors when backing up. I have previously noted this instance a few months ago after the recall for this issue, and yet the issue is persisting. There are no warnings or indicators of an electrical or other problem. I have not taken this in for servicing for this problem. But this issue is reproducible every time getting into the car and putting it into reverse,…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11703091 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11736507 · 2026-05-08 (May 8, 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.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11736507 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11555788 · 2023-11-18 (November 18, 2023)
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 t…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11555788 at NHTSA ↗