NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Polestar Polestar 2. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Frequently the rear camera system will not engage, displaying a "Rear camera temporarily unavailable". Polestar claims this was already addressed in a software update, but I am still experiencing the problem after the receiving the update. Due to the poor rear window visibility this presents a very dangerous situation when trying to back out of a parking spot and losing the camera visibility.
my rear backup camera does not work almost 60% of the time even though Polestar released a update quoting to fix this issue it has not been resolved whatsoever
When using the key fob to unlock the car, I have to push the unlock button 30-40 times before the car unlocks. When locking the car after using it, it usually locks the first time pushing the button on the key fob, but definitely locks after 3-4 presses. This is an issue because I am often parked on the side of the road, and when I'm pressing the button many times, I'm often standing at the door waiting for it to unlock while traffic drives past me because I can't get in the car. I will also pull the door handle, because the car has proximity sensors to unlock, but that also doesn't work right when I walk up to the car. So I usually stand at the driver's door pressing the key fob and pulling on the door handle until it unlocks. The only other issue with the car is the backup camera becoming unavailable when first turning on the car. I'm not sure if these are in any way related.
When putting the car in reverse, the backup camera will often flash on the screen before turning off and the message "backup camera is unavailable" will appear on the screen. This usually happens when the car has just ben turned on. I do have the latest software update installed that was supposed to solve this issue. The issue has actually gotten worse and happens more often since the update was installed.
I received the recall notice about the reverse camera malfunctioning, something my car was definitely having an issue with. A little while later I did receive the OTA update to software version 3.6.4, however, my car still receives the "camera is temporarily unavailable" when putting it in to reverse a good amount of the time. Other times it flickers quite a bit. Other times it is OK. I can't identify any patterns or reasons why it fails sometimes.
When I get into my car and reverse, 3 times out of 10, the back up camera says unavailable. Very dangerous as the back window doesn't offer the greatest visibility
Reverse camera does not come on sometimes. When it does come on it can take anywhere from 5- 30 seconds to finally come on. When lane keep assist is activated the car will randomly yank the steering wheel to the right and pull me out of my lane, even with my hands on the wheel. It’s incredibly dangerous.
Reir view backup camera periodically is blank and says "camera not available" even after now software update.
Hi! I recently installed the software update associated with NHTSA campaign 25V409000 and have noticed that the rear backup camera still frequently fails to work. Please add this to the recall query associated with this campaign. Thanks, - [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Their has been multiple recalls from the Manufacturer about the Rear View Camera being disabled during reverse and this is consistent even after all the software updates, i am currently on SW 3.6.4 and the issue persists. The issue seems to be a Hardware issue with limited RAM and Processing capability instead of the way the company is stating for it to be a Software problem. Please Investigate it and ask the Manufacturer to update the Hardware.
Recently had recall fix 25V-280 completed. the software was updated and now shows version p3.6.4 however this did not resolve the issue with the backup camera. Since having the fix applied last week I have had the back camera display fail multiple times. I continue to randomly receive the message "camera is temporarily unavailable". It appears polestar’s software fix did not properly address this issue.
I have updated to the latest firmware intended to fix the rear camera not available error and the issue is still occurring
Recently had recall fix 25V-280 completed. the software was updated and now shows version p3.6.4 however this did not resolve the issue with the backup camera. Since having the fix applied last week I have had the back camera display fail multiple times. I continue to randomly receive the message "camera is temporarily unavailable". It appears polestars software fix did not properly address this issue.
When I put the vehicle in reverse, the backup camera does not display. I instead get a warning message that says "Camera temporarily unavailable"
Rear back up camera works periodically. Polestar sent a software fix but did not fix the problem.
The backup camera still does not work consistently even after software updates. Half or more times I reverse at home, the backup camera is unavailable or defaults to the 360 camera.
The vehicle’s rear view camera continues to be unstable, even after the recent NHTSA-mandated software recall was installed. This recall DID NOT fix the issue. Ultimately, the vehicle’s computer hardware is underpowered and cannot run the latest software versions sufficiently, and that is the root of the flickering and crashing that occurs. Besides the rear view camera cutting out and saying “temporarily unavailable” the car’s automatic emergency braking system often mistakenly slams on the brakes, and because it’s controlled through the rear camera interface, you cannot safely disable it when these erroneous braking events occur as the screen becomes unresponsive or slow to respond.
“Camera temporarily available” is still a very frequent message when backing up despite update to software version P3.6.4, which is claimed to have fixed the issue, the basis of recall number RP1057 (NHTSA recall 25V280000).
NHTSA Recall notice 25V280. Polestar is trying to charge $800 to tow the vehicle to get this recall because their OTA update never came to the car. I contacted support and they never mentioned this until I tried to set up the tow to get it taken to the service center. Now customer support is not responding to messages and failed to call me back twice. So my car is officially stuck in violation of your recall and Polestar is not fixing the issue in a timely manner.
Upon entering the vehicle and starting a drive, inexplicably, no audio sounds were playing inside the vehicle. This includes the infotainment system but also the turn/hazard signal clicking, and likely any additional audible alerts that are necessary to drive safely in all conditions. Volume control did not make any difference. Restarting the infotainment system by holding the home button on the screen bezel for 30 seconds, while still driving the vehicle, and waiting longer for the software to reboot, eventually fixed it. There are additional reports of this online.
Updated software, now I get camera not available issues constantly when reversing
My vehicle was just serviced at the beginning of July, 2025. The software update was applied at the Polestar dealership in [XXX] . The software was updated to version 3.6.4. Immediately as soon as I was leaving the lot, putting the vehicle in reverse I got a message on the infotainment display "Camera is temporarily unavailable”. I went back into the dealership and had them check over the vehicle. They reran the update and got the same results as I did. I was told there was nothing they could do. This problem has been there since 2021 and has not been resolved yet INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Despite the update put out by Polestar, the camera still shows as unavailable when reversing about 50% of the time. Additionally, when it does work, it frequently freezes or doesn't show a live feed.
Even after a recent recall update. I get an error that my rear camera is unavailable very often.
I have applied Software update 3.6.4, relevant to Recall 25V-280 and I am still seeing "Camera Not Available" warnings during backup. Recall fix did not correct the original issue.
Rear camera does not appear when car put into reverse.
Manufacturer successfully upgraded software on vehicle to version 3.6.4 to address recall number 25V-280, but the root cause of the recall remains unresolved. Vehicle continues to intermittently error on the main infotainment display with message "Camera is temporarily unavailable" when vehicle is shifted to reverse and will not display the reverse camera. While in this state, the reverse camera cannot be viewed while the vehicle is reversing.
The rear view cameras on this car rarely function properly due to the infotainment system being underpowered. They issued a recall for this with a software update, the software update didnt work (obviously, lol. You can't solve a hardware problem with software). Anyway my car is still dangerous in reverse because the camera doesnt work.
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. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Rear camera is not working after 3.6.4 update specifically designed to address the camera issues. Polestar needs to take responsibility for the rear camera and sensors failing intermittently, this is a serious issue.
Reverse camera becomes unavailable even after the recall fix with software version 3.6.4
Back up camera system is failing , this is after updating to software 3.6.4.
1. Poorly designed suspension system. Rough ride, clunking suspension, wooden plank ride, excessive interior noise due to unknown or undiagnosed issues. 2. Rear camera failure during backing up. This has been submitted as a recall to NHTSA as an update 3.6.4 by Polestar but it has not resolved the backup camera failure. The hardware in 2021-2025 vehicles is underpowered and incapable of processing information quickly enough to support rear camera activation on demand. Recommend Polestar UPGRADE the head units on all cars in the US to provide safe backup camera availability.
Reverse camera does not activate consistently. After installing 3.6.4, this issue is not resolved and the "camera temporarily unavailable" message is still being displayed.
Even after the most recent software updates, the rear camera does not engage when putting the vehicle into reverse which creates a safety hazard when backing up.
Backup camera not available message when reversing. I have the latest version of software this has not been fixed after undergoing recall 25V-280 still same issue. Car does not show backup view while reversing.
I recently received a recall notice (NTSA Recall No. 25V-280, Polestar Recall RP1056) where the vehicle fails to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111 on "Rear Visibility." After updating the vehicle software that was supposed to fix the safety recall, I'm still having the issue where when backing the car up, I get a "camera is temporarily unavailable" on my center console display.
After being updated to the latest 3.6.4 software, I still get frequent "camera unavailable" error messages. This continues to present a major safety issue.
Back up camera malfunction
Multiple instances of the back-up camera not turning on in reverse, even after the 3.6.4 update.
Received OTA that was supposed to fix the most recent recall (25V-280). 3.6.4 OTA installed and still get "Camera is Temporarily Unavailable" message in the center display when reversing.
The backup camera remains unstable, unreliable, and out of spec per FVMSS111. Issues are frequent, varied, and include: Severely delayed activation upon switching to R, "Camera unavailable", unexpectedly switching from reverse to 360 view, frozen frame, complete IHU reboot (entirely black screen.) My vehicle was updated for both previous recalls (2024 and now 2025) and the issues remain. In fact, they are now more frequent and problematic with software 3.6.4 which was supposed to fix this.
I recently received an OTA update for my 2021 Polestar 2. The update was supposed to fix a known rear view camera issue which presents as an error message on the infotainment screen, instead of the rear camera view. I am still experiencing the error message when putting the car into reverse.
Rear view camera unavailable when car is put into reverse. Blank screen or lagging screens when backing up can put myself and others at risk of harm or great bodily injury. Car has been serviced for this recall previously and has not been resolved. Manufacturer will need to upgrade the system hardware because the updates alone do not fix it.
I recently updated my vehicles infotainment system that was supposed to address the rear view camera issue where it is often "not available" when the vehicle is in reverse. After the update, I have noticed an increase of the issue, where the camera is not available more often than before the update. The issue was not adequately addressed with the latest update from Polestar.
The new polestar update which is supposed to fix the rear view camera issue has not fixed the issue
The back up camera continues to suffer from frequent bugs- where when engaging reverse the back up camera system displays a message : "back up camera unvailable," This has been an known and ongoing issue with Polestar 2, and even with the most recent software update that was supposed to address the issue, it still occurs. It occurs specifically when the car has been sitting for a while- when engaging reverse, the issue happens. If the car has been in use, the system usually operates normally.
Backup camera becomes unresponsive even after update 3.6.4. This update was supposed to resolve this longstanding safety hazard.
The backup camera on this vehicle is very unreliable. Often upon selecting reverse, it will take too long to display the camera view, then it will stutter and flicker for a few moments before finally giving up with the message "Camera is temporarily unavailable". This model was recalled by the Polestar for this issue (25V-280), and Polestar attempted to work around the issue with software updates multiple times (3.1.9 and 3.6.4) but they still have not resolved the problem even with the most recent software. This has been a well-known issue on a number of Volvo models as well which share software with the Polestar, and they were also recently recalled for the same issue (25V-282). It is possible this issue has also not been resolved for those vehicles.
[XXX] After the car automatically switches to my user profile when I open the door, I sit in the driver’s seat and shift into reverse. At that point, the reverse camera fails to load, and an error message is displayed. Additionally, the on-screen sensor visualization (which normally shows proximity to obstacles) does not appear, making all reverse-assist features unavailable. This issue consistently occurs when the profile switch happens automatically—manual profile switching has not been tested. Tapping the camera icon and re-enabling the camera works, but it's a safety issue when in an active parking lot, or around pedestrians. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)