On July 12, 2025, it was reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States has initiated a recall investigation on the Polestar 2 model produced by the Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer Polestar. This recall affects 27,816 vehicles and is due to ongoing issues with the rear-view camera image, including instances of the camera image disappearing.
According to the NHTSA, a “recall query” is initiated by safety organizations when existing recall measures seem insufficient to fully address defects, prompting further investigation procedures.
Reports from Reuters indicate that Polestar Cars had previously conducted a recall in June 2023 for Polestar 2 models produced between 2021 and 2024. The recall was due to potential issues with the rear-view mirror, such as restricted visibility, display malfunctions, or incorrect display during reversing. At that time, the company proposed resolving the issues through software updates, including reducing image retry times and removing the map display from the driver’s instrument panel during reversing to alleviate the image rendering burden.
However, the NHTSA noted that despite some car owners completing the software updates, they still received 109 complaints of the same faults. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has engaged in discussions with Polestar Cars regarding the situation, with the company admitting that their updates did not address the original technical problems.
Therefore, the ODI has decided to officially commence a recall investigation to assess the effectiveness of these remedial measures.
Polestar Cars has yet to respond to Reuters’ request for comments on the matter.
While Polestar Cars is a Swedish brand, its core products heavily rely on production lines in China. The Polestar 2 is mainly manufactured at the CMA factory in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. The factory is jointly owned by Geely and Volvo and has been supplying the global market since 2020.
Due to high interest rates, escalating inflation pressures, and the increasing competitiveness of hybrid and traditional fuel vehicles in terms of pricing, the demand for Polestar electric vehicles continues to weaken in multiple markets. Nevertheless, benefiting from discounts and promotional efforts, the brand has maintained a strong sales performance in the European market.
Originally a high-performance sub-brand under Volvo, Polestar was established as an independent electric vehicle manufacturer in 2017 through joint investments by Volvo and Chinese Geely, with its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden.
To address global tariff pressures and supply chain challenges, Polestar Cars has planned to establish production facilities for future models like the Polestar 3 and 4 in the United States and South Korea.