NHTSA Launches Recall Investigation for Polestar 2 Over Camera Issues

According to Reuters, on July 11, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a recall investigation involving 27,816 units of the Polestar 2 electric vehicle from Swedish manufacturer Polestar due to issues with the rearview camera losing image. This investigation was initiated when the safety regulator found that the solutions offered for the issue were insufficient. Polestar had previously recalled some 2021 to 2024 model year Polestar 2 vehicles in June of last year, citing problems with limited visibility, inoperability, or malfunctioning features while reversing. The solution proposed at that time was a software update aimed at fixing these issues, including shortening the retry time for camera streams to reduce graphical rendering limits and removing map rendering from the driver’s display while reversing. However, the NHTSA has received 109 complaints indicating that the earlier camera malfunction issues persisted even after Polestar's recall repairs. In July, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) discussed these complaints with Polestar, which confirmed that its software update did not resolve the original problem. As a result, the ODI has initiated a recall investigation to assess whether Polestar's previous repair measures were adequate. Polestar has not yet responded to Reuters' request for comment on this matter. The demand for Polestar electric vehicles has been suppressed in several markets due to high interest rates, inflation, and the introduction of more affordable hybrid or gasoline vehicles. In the U.S. market, Polestar's sales dropped by 56% year-over-year in the second quarter of this year. However, driven by promotions and discounts, the company has maintained stable demand in the European market. Notably, Polestar is still focusing on the European market. Polestar's CEO Michael Lohscheller stated that the European market accounted for 76% of the company's total sales in the second quarter of this year. Data shows that Polestar's global retail sales reached 18,049 units in the second quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 38%. In the first half of this year, the company's global retail sales surged by 51% year-on-year to 30,319 units.