Most common 2021 Polestar 2 problems
Share of the 148 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Polestar 2 complaints by model year
Best 2 years: 2025, 2024. Compare all years →
2021 Polestar 2 recalls (5)
Back over prevention › Software
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.
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.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Electric › Control module › Software
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.
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.
Back over prevention › Software
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."
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.
Equipment › Electrical › Infotainment › Software
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."
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.
Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery › Management system/energy control module (BMS/becm) › Software
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.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2021 Polestar 2:
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.
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA 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 NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
What 2021 Polestar 2 owners say
Driver assistance all 115 →
The contact owns a 2021 Polestar Polestar 2. The contact stated while reversing, the back over prevention camera system failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the camera displayed a gray screen and the message "Camera Unavailable". The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the rearview camera software was recently updated under an unknown recall; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
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.
Windows, wipers & sunroof
The backup camera fails to activate, freezes up, or turns off while backing up. The rear window of this vehicle and the height of the trunk block visual sight lines making the camera essential. I am a software engineer, it is clear to me that the combination information screen has an underpowered processor and memory. Polestar have attempted software updates which have been ineffective. Other aspects of the system also struggle to load and be responsive as well such as switching modes from bluetooth audio to radio or loading the navigation system. I see that there is a second recall but it appears this is a software based update as well. I doubt that software can fix what is very likely a hardware performance issue.
Since the latest software update, the rear camera feed flickers unpredictably, blocking the rear view. As I understand it these systems are mandated for all cars on US roads and to be more functionally operational than this. I have two of the same model car and this problem started with both with the last software update. This problem started with a software update and resolves when I manually clear the cache in the infotainment system and apply any app updates that are pending suggesting it is purely a software issue. This problem is well known to my service point/dealer and to Polestar corporate, yet there is no fix several months later.
Electrical system
Polestar has issued several software updates over the past year that have resulted in serious safety issues: A previous software recall for issues with the vehicle's backup camera has not fixed the issue. About 50% of the time, the vehicles backup camera flashes, freezes, and then fails while reversing before eventually displaying a "Backup Camera Not Available" message. The issue is that this all happens while reversing in motion, meaning it's distracting and dangerous. Similarly, the vehicle's automatic emergency rear braking engages erroneously about 20% of the time while revering. This happens when the system is slow to respond and seems to mistake shadows as objects. It has almost resulted in causing a collision twice now while I was driving. On occasion, the passenger side mirror will fail to raise from the folded position preventing the vehicle from driving safely. …
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. …
2021 Polestar 2 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | Single-speed | AWD | 96 / 88 / 92 MPGe | 233 mi |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2021 Polestar 2 a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the 2 to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 148 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Polestar 2?
The driver assistance — 115 complaints, 78% of all complaints for this model year, most often about sensing system › camera. Next are the windows, wipers & sunroof (13) and electrical system (10).
How many recalls does the 2021 Polestar 2 have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2021 Polestar 2, the most recent from September 15, 2025 (software). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Polestar 2?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2025 and 2024. See the full Polestar 2 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2021 Polestar 2 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 15,000 miles; 100% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.