Polestar Polestar 2
2021–2025
Overview
The Polestar 2 is an all-electric luxury sedan targeting tech-savvy buyers who want European design and Google integration. Based on 751 complaints filed through 2025, the vehicle's primary weakness is its advanced driver assistance sensors, which account for 73% of all reported problems. This is a young model line still working through software and electrical gremlins typical of first-generation electric vehicles from a new brand.
What Breaks
ADAS sensors fail early and often. With 548 complaints concentrated around 17,000 miles, owners report blind-spot monitoring going dark, lane-keeping systems throwing false warnings, and parking sensors failing intermittently. These are software-related faults, not physical damage, but they disable critical safety features. Some require multiple dealer visits to resolve.
Body control module issues emerge around 38,100 miles. Eighty-seven complaints describe electrical glitches—windows that won't roll up, door locks cycling randomly, climate control freezing. These failures disrupt daily use but rarely strand the car.
Infotainment crashes on delivery. Forty-six complaints report screen freezes, Android Automotive reboots, and total system failures at a median of just 10 miles. Many are first-day problems that require software reflashes.
Airbag light warnings appear without cause. Twelve complaints (25% classified as severe) involve airbag system faults, often false alerts that require harness inspections or module replacements.
Safety Recalls
Seven recall campaigns have been issued, two targeting back-over prevention camera software that could fail to display rear views when reversing. One recall addressed brake system software that might not engage regenerative braking properly. Another involved the traction battery management system where a software fault could cause unexpected loss of propulsion. The infotainment system received a recall for software that could freeze and disable the rearview camera. No fire-risk or do-not-drive recalls have been issued.
Warranty Extensions and TSBs
Polestar has published 179 technical service bulletins, an unusually high count for a four-model-year vehicle. No warranty extensions are documented in federal data, but the TSB volume signals ongoing calibration and software patch activity. Many bulletins address nuisance electrical faults and sensor recalibration procedures that dealers perform under warranty.
Owner Watch-Outs
- Test every ADAS feature during your pre-purchase inspection—blind-spot, lane-keep, parking sensors. These fail early and are expensive out-of-warranty.
- Verify the infotainment screen boots cleanly and doesn't freeze. Ask whether all software updates have been applied.
- Check for airbag warning lights on the dash. False alerts are common and require diagnostic work to clear.
- Confirm the rearview camera engages instantly when shifting to reverse. Delayed or black screens are recall indicators.
- Budget for dealer-only diagnostics. Independent shops lack the software tools to troubleshoot Polestar's electrical architecture.
Data Notes
This analysis draws from 751 NHTSA complaints filed between 2021 and 2025. The complaint volume is elevated for a low-production vehicle, reflecting both the model's tech complexity and active owner reporting. Median mileages are low because the fleet is young; many complaints describe first-year failures.
Trends
Complaint trends by era
Click a window below to see complaint data scoped to just those years.
Year-over-year complaint volume
Complaints filed per individual model year, not blended into 5-year bands like the chart above — hover a bar for exact numbers. Recent model years show fewer complaints mainly because they've been on the road less time.
5-year windows, not manufacturer generations — this database doesn't have reliable platform/redesign data to draw real generation boundaries from. Recent model years show fewer complaints mainly because they have been on the road less time, not necessarily because they're more reliable — read this as complaint volume and mix by era, not a reliability trend.
What breaks, and when
Median onset: 17,000 miles. 0.4% of these involved a crash, fire, or injury.
Typically $250–$5,240 to fix a electrical repair, nationally.
Median onset: 38,100 miles.
Tends to show up later than this model's other issues. · Typically $250–$5,240 to fix a electrical repair, nationally.
Median onset: 10 miles.
Tends to show up earlier than this model's other issues. · Typically $250–$5,240 to fix a electrical repair, nationally.
Onset mileage not consistently reported. 25.0% of these involved a crash, fire, or injury.
Typically $330–$620 to fix a body_interior repair, nationally.
Onset mileage not consistently reported.
Typically $250–$5,240 to fix a electrical repair, nationally.
Median onset: 76,000 miles.
Tends to show up later than this model's other issues. · Typically $330–$620 to fix a body_interior repair, nationally.
Median onset: 13,000 miles.
Typically $330–$4,240 to fix a drivetrain repair, nationally.
Onset mileage not consistently reported.
Typically $330–$4,240 to fix a drivetrain repair, nationally.
From owner-filed complaints to NHTSA, not independently verified. Federal mileage reporting on recent complaints is sparse — see methodology. Cost ranges are national estimates from book labor hours and parts pricing, not this vehicle's actual repair history — they don't account for your location or shop type.
See the full repair-cost breakdown →Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — complaints, recalls, investigations, service bulletins. Methodology. This is not an inspection and not a recommendation to buy or avoid this vehicle.