I am reporting a recurring, unresolved propulsion-system fault affecting my 2021 Polestar 2 Dual Motor. Since 2025, this vehicle has experienced repeated electrical and propulsion-system problems, including an incident in November 2025 when the vehicle became immobilized and would not engage Drive or Reverse. That incident was resolved after the 12-volt battery was replaced. During 2026, the vehicle repeatedly displayed the warning "Propulsion System Service Required." These warnings have occurred despite numerous repair attempts involving major high-voltage electrical components. Polestar service documentation identifies diagnostic trouble codes involving the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM), including P0AE300, P0ADB00, and P0C7800. These codes concern high-voltage contactor control and precharge-system operation. Additional diagnostic codes have been recorded in the onboard charging system. Repairs during 2026 have included replacing the Battery Energy Control Module, the onboard charger twice, the high-voltage air-conditioning compressor twice, and high-voltage switching or precharge components. In June 2026, the vehicle was returned following repairs, but the propulsion warning recurred within approximately 50 miles. On September 23, 2026, Polestar Princeton returned the vehicle after replacing the onboard charger for a second time. The service department indicated that the vehicle was operating as designed. On September 25, 2026, approximately two days after this repair, the "Propulsion System Service Required" warning returned. I photographed the warning and notified Polestar Princeton and Polestar Customer Engagement. The warning persisted across vehicle shutdown and restart attempts. I returned the vehicle to Polestar Princeton on approximately September 27, 2026, where it remains. I have not received confirmation that the promised higher-level engineering evaluation
The worst 2021 Polestar 2 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Driver assistance115
- Visibility13
- Electrical10
- Fuel system4
- Suspension4
- Acceleration2
- Airbags2
- Seat belts2
- Steering2
- Brakes1
- Engine1
- Locks1
- Transmission1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2021 Polestar 2
Recalls 5
Back over prevention: software
- What is wrong
- Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Polestar 2 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse.
- Risk
- A rearview camera image that does not display reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed June 4, 2026. Owners may contact Polestar's customer service at 1‑800‑806‑2504. Polestar's number for this recall is RP1069. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning April 20, 2026. This recall replaces previous the federal safety agency recalls 24V477 and 25V280. Vehicles previously repaired under those recalls will need to have the new remedy performed.
Recall number 25V615000 · Recall details
Service brakes
- What is wrong
- Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021 and 2024 Polestar 2 vehicles. In certain driving scenarios while coasting down a hill and using "One Pedal Drive," the vehicle may lose brake function.
- Risk
- A loss of brake function increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to use "One Pedal Drive" until the repair has been completed. Polestar has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2025. Owners may contact Polestar's customer service at 1‑800‑806‑2504. Polestar's number for this recall is RP1061.
Recall number 25V409000 · Recall details
Back over prevention: software
- What is wrong
- Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Polestar 2 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A rearview camera image that does not display reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2025. Owners may contact Polestar's customer service at 1‑800‑806‑2504. Polestar's number for this recall is RP1056. Vehicles in this recall that were previously repaired under 24V‑477 will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall number 25V280000 · Recall details
Equipment: electrical: infotainment: software
- What is wrong
- Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Polestar 2 vehicles. The Infotainment Head Unit (IHU) software may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A rearview camera image that does not display decreases the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Polestar has released an over-the-air IHU software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Polestar customer service at 1‑800‑806‑2504. Polestar's number for this recall is RP1016.
Recall number 24V477000 · Recall details
Electrical system: propulsion system: traction battery: management system/energy control module (bms/becm): software
- What is wrong
- Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Polestar 2 vehicles. The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) microprocessor may reset and cause the high voltage system to disconnect.
- Risk
- A disconnected high voltage system can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Polestar will notify owners, and the software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 23, 2021. Owners may contact Polestar customer service at 1‑800‑806‑2504. Polestar's number for this recall is R10079.
Recall number 21V110000 · Recall details
See all 5 recalls for the 2021 Polestar 2
Defect investigations
Loss of rear-view camera image
On July 9, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query (RQ) 25004 to investigate and review the effectiveness of the remedy for Recall 25V‑280.Polestar initiated Recall 25V‑280 to address shortcomings in the remedy for Recall 24V‑477, which intended to address rear camera outage conditions. Consumer complaint traffic reporting rear-view camera outages after receiving the remedy for 25V-280prompted the RQ opening. On July 7, 2024, Polestar initiated Recall 24V‑477 to address issues with the rear-view camera display in certain Model Year (MY) 2021-2024 Polestar 2 vehicles. According to Polestar, this failure was due to a memory allocation error in the IHU. To address this error, the remedy, provided by an over-the-air (OTA) software update , shortened the retry times of the camera streams and removed the rendering of the map in the driver display during backing events to release the graphic memory for the rear-view camera. On April 25, 2025, Polestar initiated Recall 25V‑280 to address similar issues with the rear-view camera display in certain MY 2021-2025 Polestar 2 vehicles. The recall remedy consisted of an OTA software update intended to correct a synchronization error between the Parking Assist Camera (PAC) and the Infotainment Head Unit (IHU). The updated software would maintain the high-speed signal connection between the PAC and IHU, instead of toggling on and off by request. ODI has received two hundred seventy-five (275) Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) alleging failure of the rear-view camera to display after receiving the remedy for Recall 25V‑280. Consumers reported that the rear-view camera failed to display once the vehicle was initially placed in reverse, as well as losing the rear-view image while the vehicle was traveling in reverse . Failure to display the rearview image will reduce the driver’s visibility in a backing event, increasing the risk of a crash. On July 18, 2025, ODI sent Polestar an Information Request (IR) letter requesting data for vehicle production, field incidents, and any modifications related to the backup camera and its software. ODI also requested information pertaining to Polestar’s internal assessments, problem resolutions, and their assessment of the alleged defect. On September 15, 2025, Polestar issued Recall 25V‑615, which sought to remedy the failure of Recall 25V‑280. Polestar acknowledged that the prior remedy was insufficient and that further engineering analysis would be required for final software development and validation. Polestar worked with its supplier (Volvo) and began validation of the new software in February 2026. On April 20, 2026, Polestar released the remedy for Recall 25V‑615 via an OTA software update. The update provided general stability improvements to the operating system, as well as bug fixes for the rear-view camera. Since the deployment of the 25V‑615 remedy, ODI has received only 3 VOQs alleging a rear camera outage, yielding a complaint rate of 0.01% for Recall 25V‑615. ODI assessed the conditions that led to the 25V‑280 remedy failures and the countermeasures deployed to prevent recurrence in vehicles that received the remedy for 25V‑615. To measure its efficacy, ODI analyzed materials produced by Polestar in its responses to ODI’s July 18, 2025, IR letter and additional materials Polestar furnished in response to email requests and a technical meeting in 2026.ODI also reviewed information Polestar provided in response to another IR letter the federal safety agency sent on March 25, 2026, requesting additional information related to the decision-making process for correcting the remedy failure of Recall 25V‑280. On June 10, 2026, at the request of ODI, Polestar presented a technical briefing of the remedy for Recall 25V‑615, which included both completion rates and remedy failure counts. ODI has monitored the remedy for Recall 25V‑615 since April 2026 and has observed the failure rate to remain low. ODI is closing this RQ following manufacturer action in the form of Recall 25V‑615. The Agency will continue to monitor the remedy and reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to
RQ25004
Pedestrian alert sounds
the federal safety agency received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, the federal safety agency opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.
DP22005
Technical service bulletins for the 2021 Polestar 2 181
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This is a TJ
- This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 3 png files and 1 mp4 file CSD Stuck in Recovery Mode, iCUP....
- This is a TJ
- This is a Technical Journal
- This is a Technical Journal: Headlamp condensation inside lens
- This is a TJ
- This is a TJ
- This is a TJ
- This is a TJ text only no attachments
- This is a Technical Journal: Headlamp condensation inside lens
What 2021 Polestar 2 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Rear driveshaft/axle shafts failing at 39,000 miles on a 2021 Polestar 2. Symptom is a ticking/clicking noise during deceleration at low speed cadenced to wheel speed. Polestar issued Technical Journal TJ 36854.1.0 in March 2024 acknowledging this as a known issue on 2021-2023 model year vehicles with VST Operation Number 46602-2. Despite this being a documented manufacturer defect, Polestar is not covering the repair outside the bumper-to-bumper warranty period. Quoted $2,547 for both rear axle shafts at an authorized service center. This defect affects multiple vehicles across multiple model years and warrants investigation for a formal recall.
Center entertaiment touchscreen which provides visiblity for the rear camera as well as the backup sensors and A/C controls for front defogger went is completely blank. Polestar2 logo appears, but no longer boots. This causes the rear camera to be completely useless.
Well backing out of a parking space at the grocery store. 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. None of the advanced systems activated no object detection, no camera and no collision warning.
Vehicle Info: 2021 Polestar 2 74,765 mi Software version 5.0.10 About 2 weeks ago, I updated to the newest OTA update 5.0.10, which may be unrelated. 1 week ago, the normal start-up safety procedure flagged the airbag and instructed me to find a service station immediately. I scheduled an appt and I was charged $300 diagnostic fee. It's unclear if the airbags would deploy in a collision based on the fault. The service manager shared with me that there are two reasons for the issue in his experience - 1. the vehicle was in a collision and the sensors fail to lock out or 2. there is wiring under the seat that failed either at the harness or on the wire directly. #1 can be ruled out by the vehicle history report and the car was never in a collision. #2 is the only viable reason based on vehicle use. If this is the case, it's a design flaw that must be addressed by the manufacturer. More investigation should be conducted to find the cause (e.g. electronic seat adjustments damaging SRS wiring, faulty electrical components, OTA software patches, etc.). Regardless, it's unacceptable for customers to bear the financial responsibility of an SRS failure.
An update was applied last year to fix the reverse camera issue. The issue remains, sometimes the camera is unavailable, it the camera goes in to 360 degree mode. Happens about once a week or every two weeks
Polestar has issued two recalls and claims they fixed the reverse camera issues with a software update, but they have not been remedied. When reversing, the camera screen will still often go blank, freeze, or stutter. I am not confident that the picture I'm seeing on the screen is a real time depiction of the view behind me or is simply frozen. This presents safety issues where the screen may have frozen or gone blank just before someone runs behind the vehicle, and the driver is led to believe there is nothing behind the vehicle.
2021 Polestar 2, consistently the rear back up camera fails to display. In my case the issue did not occur until my car was updated past 3.2.8. The issue is caused by extremely dated hardware. The processor, and memory are insufficient for the more modern software that is being released. I also believe this is why my car will slam on the brakes in reverse when there is no object behind the car while I am reversing. Polestar has released a IHU hardware upgrade in other Polestar markets, but has not given any dates or information for this to be released in the US. A further software update is not going to rectify this issue, unless features are removed to fre up resources. Not a safety concern but Media will stop playing in SiriusXM and have to be restarted after 20 minutes of driving. After parking over night the IHU will take 2-3 minutes to fully wake up to be able to set navigation or activeate Apple Car play.
Backup Camera still doesn't function when reversing after multiple recalls.
The vehicle was serviced on 2/13 at the Polestar service center in Seattle. I believe this is when software version 4.2.13 was installed. In the last week, I've noticed a new behavior. When I accelerate from a stop, the vehicle intermittently does not accelerate as it used to. For approximately 2 - 3 seconds, I have no control over acceleration and the vehicle only operates around 5 mph. This put me in a scary situation as I was making a quick turn in front of oncoming traffic, and did not have the acceleration I expected to safely make the turn. It's happened to me about six times in the last week.
Compare the 2021 Polestar 2
Other model years
Questions about the 2021 Polestar 2
Is the 2021 Polestar 2 reliable?
Owners have filed 148 complaints about the 2021 Polestar 2, close to a typical Polestar 2 model year.
What is the 2021 Polestar 2 year score?
The 2021 Polestar 2 scores 67 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Polestar 2: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Polestar 2?
Driver assistance and stability, with 115 complaints. Next is visibility (13).
How many recalls does the 2021 Polestar 2 have?
5 recalls, covering back over prevention, service brakes and equipment.
Was there a recall on the 2021 Polestar 2 driver assistance?
Yes, 2 recalls: 25V615000, 25V280000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Polestar 2 have the most driver assistance problems?
The Polestar 2 model years with the most driver assistance complaints are 2022 (217 complaints), 2021 (115 complaints) and 2023 (90 complaints).
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