2024 Polestar Polestar 2: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2024 Polestar Polestar 2
On the 2024 Polestar Polestar 2, the failure owners report most often is backup camera failure, with 5 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 80,000 miles. Overall it scores 69 out of 100, high risk for a 2024.
High risk for a 2024 — 174th riskiest of the 226 2024 vehicles we can rate. 38 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2024 Polestar Polestar 2
Owners have reported 15 named failure modes on the 2024 Polestar Polestar 2, and the three most-reported carry 34% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Backup camera failure leads with 5 reports and about 0.8 per 1,000 vehicles.
Lane keep or steering assist fault follows with 4 reports.
Tire pressure monitor failure follows with 4 reports.
By system, the reports fall mostly into adas (9), infotainment (5) and wheels (4).
The mileage the reports cluster at
Too few of the reports on this year carry an odometer reading to describe the timing: 4 of them do. The mileages quoted elsewhere on this page come from the modes that have enough of them.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 15. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 3 mention a crash and 3 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.95, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: backup camera failure at $250–$1,200, lane keep or steering assist fault at $200–$1,600, tire pressure monitor failure at $80–$600 and other electrical problem at $250–$2,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
21% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backup camera failure | infotainment | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.8 | $250–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Lane keep or steering assist fault | adas | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.6 | $200–$1,600 | High |
| Tire pressure monitor failure | wheels | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.6 | $80–$600 | Low |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 4 | 1 | — | 129k | — | 0.6 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.5 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 3 | 1 | — | 1k | — | 0.5 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 1 | — | 94k | — | 0.3 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 2 | 1 | — | 70k | — | 0.3 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Excessive oil consumption | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $900–$6,500 | High |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.5 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2024 Polestar Polestar 2 draws about 5.9 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 89th percentile of complaint rates among 2024 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 6,456 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2024 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2024 model year
NHTSA has issued 5 recall campaigns covering the 2024 Polestar Polestar 2, affecting an estimated 17,590 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover back over prevention:software, service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:electric:control modu and air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
27,816 vehicles 2025-09-15- Defect
- 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.
- Consequence
- 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 NHTSA.gov beginning April 20, 2026. This recall replaces previous NHTSA recalls 24V477 and 25V280. Vehicles previously repaired under those recalls will need to have the new remedy performed.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:ELECTRIC:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
2 vehicles 2025-07-02- Defect
- 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.
- Consequence
- 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.
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
27,816 vehicles 2025-04-25- Defect
- 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."
- Consequence
- 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.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
7 vehicles 2024-12-18- Defect
- Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2024 Polestar 2 electric vehicles. The clamps may be improperly crimped on the driver's side inner far side air bag module (FSAB), which can cause the air bag to deploy improperly.
- Consequence
- An air bag that deploys improperly may not protect the driver as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driver's side inner FSAB, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 17, 2025. Owners may contact Polestar customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is RP1044.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
25,825 vehicles 2024-06-26- Defect
- 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."
- Consequence
- 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 work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2024 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2024 — 174th riskiest of the 226 2024 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 4 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2023 comes out best at 69 and 2021 worst at 70, with 2024 itself at 69.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2024, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2021–2025 generation specifically, 2023 is the strongest year at 69 and 2021 the weakest at 70.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2021-2025 generation, 2023 Polestar Polestar 2 scores best at 69 and 2021 Polestar Polestar 2 worst at 70.
Where these figures stop being useful
38 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 38 reports, 4 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 11% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2024 Polestar Polestar 2?
The most-reported failures are backup camera failure (5 reports), lane keep or steering assist fault (4 reports) and tire pressure monitor failure (4 reports). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2024 Polestar Polestar 2 reliable?
It scores 69 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 174th riskiest of the 226 2024 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2024 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Polestar Polestar 2 is best?
Within the 2021–2025 generation, 2023 scores best at 69 out of 100 and 2021 worst at 70. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed