Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Polestar 2 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
When engaging reverse, the rear view camera feed either cuts out intermittently or never turns on. Without it there is also no way to have a visual indication of incoming rear cross traffic while reversing. This issue happens daily and makes it very dangerous to reverse due to the limited visibility through the small rear window of the vehicle. Often when the camera DOES work, the video feed may freeze or be laggy which causes a false sense of safety when relying on it for visibility. I have attached a still from a video of what this looks like. The full video is hosted on Google drive here: [redacted] There are a substantial number of people reporting this online; probably far fewer are actually reporting this to the NHTSA. I have taken the car to the service center and despite corporate being aware of this issue it has remained unfixed for years. …
The rear view camera in the car will say that it is unavailable about 30% of the time. The center screen just displays "Camera unavailable" despite it being a legal requirement for it to work. This is a constantly recurring issue, not a one off instance, the car also stops all cross traffic alerts due to the error, I have also had instances where the rearview camera will show up but it is completely frozen and the video does not move. I reported this to my Polestar service center as I am still under warranty and was told that this was normal. I would like to call on nhtsa to do a proper investigation of this, the issue does not happen every time however it happens enough for it to be a danger to everyone around you. …
On September 7, 2025, I had a total failure of the forward looking radar system in the vehicle. The symptoms were an error "Collision Avoidance system unavailable" and symbol on the driver display after starting the vehicle, and attempting to activate cruise control (which is typically adaptive cruise control) results in an "Unavailable" error. The symptom occurred suddenly after an otherwise unremarkable drive cycle, and the radar sensor appears to be free of any obstructions. This renders an otherwise key safety feature of the vehicle in reducing the chance of a forward collision completely inoperable, and due to service backlogs, I am unable to have the issue addressed by the dealer/service provider for at least a month, meaning the vehicle will remain stuck in this state until then. …
The backup camera on my 2021 Polestar 2 has never functioned reliably. It frequently fails to activate when the vehicle is placed in reverse and instead displays an error message. This is a manufacturer defect. Although the vehicle was recalled for this defect and I had the recall repair performed, the issue persists. The repair did not fully resolve the problem, and the backup camera continues to malfunction intermittently. Reduced Rear Visibility: Without a functioning backup camera, drivers lose critical visibility directly behind the vehicle, especially in blind spots not covered by mirrors. Risk to Pedestrians and Children: Backup cameras are designed to prevent accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists, or children who may be behind the vehicle. A malfunctioning system increases the risk of striking someone. …
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. …
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. …
Polestars have had 2 recalls for rear view cameras not engaging upon being placed in reverse. My car has been through 2 of these recalls with the most recent being 1-2 weeks ago. The issue still remains and persists, in fact it only got worse after the last recall. I cannot trust my camera as it constantly crashes, freezes or just outright does not work. It is clear that polestar is incapable of fixing this issue via OTA or software updates as they have failed to do so twice now. I kindly ask that NHTSA looks into this issue and calls upon polestar to upgrade the infotainment systems in our cars, it is clear that they are incapable of handling the rearview camera as they are now. Here is a video showcasing the issue, the car is in reverse on the latest update post the second recall. [redacted]
This car will periodically lose all interior audio function. This includes safety alerts like parking, forward collision, rear collision, cross traffic, and any other alert you can think of including the sound the turn signal makes. Bluetooth audio and radio also unavailable. This is a commonly documented problem as noted by Polestar enthusiasts on Reddit and other forums. Some can fix the problem by performing a reset of the infotainment system. I have had instances in which resetting this system made no difference. The car was unfit by US safety standards until the next day if lucky enough to see the issue self correct. I have only had this car for 4 months, but every week or so this issue has happened at least once. This is an unrecoverable safety issue with risk of assumed safety features arbitrarily not working.
Related recalls
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.
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.
NHTSA 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.
Collision Avoidance complaints in other 2 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2021 Polestar 2?
NHTSA has 115 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2021 Polestar 2, 78% of the model year's 148 complaints. The component named most often is sensing system › camera (106 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2021 Polestar 2 collision avoidance problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 25V-615 (software, Sep 15, 2025); NHTSA recall 25V-280 (software, Apr 25, 2025). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2021 Polestar 2 collision avoidance problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 15,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to driver assistance problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.