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Polestar Polestar 2Model year report

2023 Polestar Polestar 2 Problems

Compared with other Polestar Polestar 2 years

Typical for this model

50/100 1.0× a typical year · 50 = typical

Nearby years with fewer complaints than typical and no open NHTSA investigation: 2021

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
117filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
12,505miles, 2 complaints with mileage
Recalls
4campaigns on record
Trend
Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
NHTSA crash rating
5 / 5stars overall, 2 rated versions
EPA fuel economy
—not in EPA data

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests. Report an error

What owners report

Complaints on the 2023 Polestar 2 are dominated by one theme: the rearview camera frequently fails to display, showing a "camera temporarily unavailable" message or a black, flickering, or frozen image. Many owners say over-the-air software updates intended to address this, including version 3.6.4 issued under NHTSA recall 25V-280, did not resolve it and in some accounts made it more frequent. A smaller set of complaints covers infotainment freezes and intermittent propulsion or acceleration delays.

  1. Back-over prevention (rear camera)

    Rearview camera intermittently unavailable

    • 74 complaints (63%)
    • median 12,505 mi at 1.5 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
    • filed 2023–2026

    Owners describe putting the car in reverse and getting a "camera is temporarily unavailable" message instead of the rear image, or a camera feed that appears and then cuts out, freezes, or lags. Complaints say it happens most on the first reverse after start-up and resolves sometimes by cycling gears, restarting the car, or switching between camera views. Many report the condition persisted after the over-the-air update to software 3.6.4 that was released to address it, and some say the dealer told them nothing further could be done until a future update. Several owners note the rear window is small, so they rely on the camera for reversing. Reported at all mileage levels in the sample, from vehicles barely driven to about 25,000 miles, often on the first reverse of the day and in cold weather.

    Recall 25V615000Recall 25V280000Recall 24V477000

    What to check: Ask whether recall 25V-280 and later recalls (24V477, 25V615) have been applied and on which software version the car sits, then put it in reverse several times from a cold start and watch whether the camera image appears. Confirm the infotainment head unit has not been repeatedly replaced without the underlying software work.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Rear view camera intermittently displays “camera is temporarily unavailable” message when backing up. Vehicle doesn’t have the best rear view visibility through the window, so I rely on the rear view camera more than in other vehicles. This is still occurring after installing the 3.6.4 update, which I’m told was supposed to address this issue.”

    NHTSA complaint #11672971, filed 2025-07

    “I was notified of NHTSA RECALL 24V-280 - RP1056 of my vehicle. Polestar said this issue was fixed by going to software 3.6.3. My Car skipped this update and went straight to 3.6.4 which is past that release. But the same issue is present and works no better. I still get frequent messages in the console saying camera is temporarily unavailable”

    NHTSA complaint #11669846, filed 2025-06
  2. Electrical system

    Infotainment freezes and reboots

    • 27 complaints (23%)
    • typically at 2.8 yrs old
    • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2023–2026

    Complaints describe the center screen freezing, going black, or rebooting, sometimes taking the rear camera, climate controls, turn-signal sound, radio, and warning chimes with it. Owners report needing a hard reset either through a menu sequence or by shutting the car down, and that the problem returned after restarting. Some say the screen stayed out for a minute or more while driving. Reported across ages of vehicle in the sample, often shortly after an over-the-air software update and during or just after reversing.

    Recall 24V4770004 related service bulletins

    What to check: Test the center screen through a short drive: start the car, switch between camera views, adjust climate and audio, and confirm chimes and turn-signal sound work. Ask whether the infotainment head unit or its software has been updated or replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Backup camera often turns off and on 3 to 6 times when backing up after first starting the car. If can be off for 5 to 20 seconds when it flashes off and it all happens within a 2min window. It makes it very dangerous when backing up. This is not a new issue as I’ve had it for over a year and has been reported by others on forum websites for the car. It seem related to the infortainment system fully as the screen is shared with it.”

    NHTSA complaint #11580797, filed 2024-04

    “Infotainment system continues to be intermittently unresponsive. Today, the system was totally frozen which made it so heat/air conditioning could not be controlled, no sound for turn signals were present, and backup camera was not functioning.”

    NHTSA complaint #11692572, filed 2025-10

Buying note. The single thing worth verifying on a used 2023 Polestar 2 is the rearview camera: confirm the recall software has been applied and test the camera repeatedly from a cold start, since many owners report the fix did not hold. Also exercise the center screen and check for software-update history, as infotainment freezes are the second most common theme.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 117 consumer complaints for the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2. 2 of the complaints include a mileage, and 100% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 12,505 miles. Of all complaints, 1 involved a crash, 2 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns and 103 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 2 Polestar Polestar 2 model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 50 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Lane departure (2), Body and structure (2), Transmission and drivetrain (2), Air bags (1), Seat belts (1), Seats (1), Steering (1), Suspension (1).

Example complaints

Back-over prevention (rear camera): “The rear backup camera is still flaky and often will stop working or have a large and noticeable lag when backing up. This has not been fixed by the recent 3.6.4 software update as promised. It is available for inspection. If I am already in the middle of backing up and the camera goes out, I may hit someone that comes behind me quickly. No No None”

NHTSA complaint #11672872, filed 2025-07

Other or unknown: “My rear cameras are blacking out as I back up (I have video) or at times switching to an overview 360 visual. I have let the dealer know this, but its taken 3 weeks to get an appointment. They have switched out the IHU a couple of months ago but this problem is still occurring. Polestar is refusing (corporate) to speak with me about this.”

NHTSA complaint #11590287, filed 2024-05

Electrical system: “Safety complaint description In August 2026, I experienced a potentially dangerous incident involving my 2023 Polestar 2 AWD Performance while performing a U-turn. During the maneuver, the vehicle unexpectedly stopped or hesitated and did not move forward when I expected it to, leaving me exposed in the roadway and creating a risk of a collision with approaching traffic. I do not know what caused this behavior. I am concerned that it may involve an unexpected interruption of vehicle propulsion, a driver-assistance system or another electronic or mechanical malfunction. …”

NHTSA complaint #11766117, filed 2026-09

Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors): “NHTSA Recall No. 25V-280 concerning rear camera. I have been getting the camera is temporarily unavailable display occasionally since late last year (2024). I had no problem with the rear camera before that. I received the above recall notice and took the car into the shop on Jul 7, 2025 for the software upgrade from 3.3.16 to 3.6.4. Since then, I am still getting camera is temporarily unavailable displays occasionally. The problem was not solved with this software upgrade.”

NHTSA complaint #11677568, filed 2025-07

Mileage when problems were reported

100% of the 2 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 10 and 25,000 miles.

50%0–100%10–2550%25–500%50–750%75–1000%100–1500%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (2 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 12,505 miles.

Complaints by year filed

This model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.

202320242025812026
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Polestar 2 · hatchback AWD★★★★★5 / 5555 · 8.3% risk
Polestar 2 · hatchback FWD★★★★★5 / 5555 · 8.3% risk

Driver aids listed by NHTSA for the 2023 model year: forward collision warning standard, lane departure warning standard, automatic emergency braking standard.

Neighbouring years: 2022: same overall rating; 2024: same overall rating. A redesign between years can change both the car and the test.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

NHTSA investigations

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 103 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 103 bulletins →

Other model years of the Polestar Polestar 2

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2024251,00055—Too new to compareToo new
202311712,50545—50 · TypicalToo new
202230520,00045—57 · TypicalRising
202114815,0005—92 MPGe0 · FewerRising

All Polestar Polestar 2 model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2?

Complaints on the 2023 Polestar 2 are dominated by one theme: the rearview camera frequently fails to display, showing a "camera temporarily unavailable" message or a black, flickering, or frozen image. The issues reported most often: Rearview camera intermittently unavailable; Infotainment freezes and reboots.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 have?

NHTSA recorded 117 consumer complaints for the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 as of Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 is reported most often?

Back-over prevention is named most often, in 88 complaints (75% of the total), followed by other or unknown with 12.

Has the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 been recalled?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

How did the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 do in NHTSA crash tests?

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings give the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 5 out of 5 stars overall, across 2 rated versions (body style and drive). Ratings from different model years are only comparable when the vehicle was not redesigned in between.

At what mileage are problems with the 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 reported?

Among the 2 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 12,505 miles and the middle half falls between 10 and 25,000 miles; 100% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program.

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.