Polestar Polestar 3 Complaints

78 consumer complaints on file.

#11674931July 21, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AC charging fails rendering the vehicle unusable when only having access to level 1 and level 2 EV chargers. The onboard charger has been replaced by the Polestar dealer twice. They replaced it once, and it failed to rectify the issue at the dealer; so they replaced it again. After a month of downtime for this issue, we are now on the third onboard charger. Lo and behold, we have the vehicle for three days and it failed again. We’ve resorted to using DC charging but polestar is now unresponsive to our inquiries. We are uncertain whether they will continue to try fixing the issue. Or if they will just ignore us. Also, we had many other electrical and software issues that also caused another separate month of downtime. In the three months since we had this lease, we’ve only driven it on and off for one month. Two months it’s been sitting at a dealership and we are stuck with bad rental car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674724July 19, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle suddenly lost power with no warning on a busy four-lane highway. Despite the obvious crash possibility, I was luckily able to move to the shoulder, but the entire electrical system soon went out. Emergency flashers quit working, making a rear-end collision more likely . It was a hot sunny day but the a/c and even the windows wouldn’t operate and we ran out of water before the tow truck arrived; heat stroke was a real possibility. The car was towed to a dealer who diagnosed the problem as failure of the High Low Control Module (HLCM). It seems to be the same type of failure for which NHTSA issued recall 24V940000, but this recall is not pending on my car. As of this writing, the car is still at a dealer undergoing repairs and should be available for inspection.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673963July 16, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Air conditioner is being over worked because front grill shutters won’t open
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672690July 11, 2025
STEERING, VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The steering wheel has a piece of high-reflective chrome as does the entire front dashboard (and high reflective trim of the speaker on the top of the dash). When the sun is high in the sky, depending on the angle of car, the sun creates a BLINDING reflection in the driver's eyes. I almost got in to accident because of this. They need to find a solution to replace those high-reflective parts of the interior with something that is matte and non-reflective. It is very dangerous. I also reported this to Polestar.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671764July 7, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
To Whom It May Concern, I am filing this complaint to formally alert the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to what I believe is a recurring and potentially dangerous defect in the Polestar 3 — specifically, a failure of the air conditioning system. In my case, the A/C began malfunctioning just one month after I received the vehicle. The system frequently fails to cool, blows warm air, or cycles inconsistently — even in extreme heat. This creates a safety and comfort risk, particularly in regions with high summer temperatures. While Polestar has pushed multiple software updates that claim to improve HVAC performance, none have resolved the issue. This is only one of several problems I’ve experienced with the vehicle. There has been a litany of other issues, including software instability, unreliable app connectivity, and system behavior that seems inconsistent with expected performance for a new vehicle. However, the A/C failure remains the most significant and dangerous problem. What’s more troubling is Polestar’s lack of responsiveness. I have attempted to resolve this through customer service and even escalated the matter to their legal department. I’ve received no reply. Most recently, I attempted to have my vehicle towed to the Costa Mesa, California service center using Polestar Roadside Assistance. Despite repeated efforts, I was unable to reach anyone at the service center to coordinate the tow. I was left stranded with no resolution or support. I have now exhausted all reasonable avenues with the manufacturer. Given the combination of a critical HVAC failure, unresponsiveness from the manufacturer, and what appears to be a broader trend among other owners, I urge NHTSA to investigate whether this issue warrants a safety recall or broader intervention. I am happy to provide documentation, including my VIN, service history, and records of my communications, upon request. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671481July 6, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The car is unable to charge using AC. No matter what AC charge cables are used an AC Charging Fault warning comes up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11670008June 28, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle loses 2-3% battery a day, while parked. I've communicated with several Polestars reps, from service technicians, corporate support, etc. and no one can offer a fix. Since leasing the vehicle I've estimated I've lost the equivalent of 540% of battery over six months while the vehicle was parked.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668236June 20, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR BAGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I was driving my Polestar 3 2025 Performance into a gated garage. The car was on one pedal mode, I slowed down to come to a stop to open the gate. When the clicker for the garage door was clicked the car lunged forward and full speed rammed into the opening gate. Realizing the car is not stopping I pressed harder on the brakes, lifted my foot up and looked down to insure that I was pressing on the correct pedal and started pumping the brake pedal. None of these slowed down or stopped the car, which eventually hit a wall and stopped.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667882June 19, 2025
AIR BAGS, SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Software update latest on 06/16/25 caused airbag warning not recognizing seat belts being locked therefore airbag warning started. Loss of regenerative braking. Loss of emergency brake application. Constant alarm because doesn't recognize seat belts being locked.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664905June 4, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
After being away for a couple days the car has been completely unresponsive. I can not access the car and doors will not open. The car had to be towed and seems to be an issue with electrical powertrain such as 12V battery that is dying for some reason. This should not be the case as car was driven before hand and should have recharged the 12V battery. This is very concerning as this can leave you trapped and have to access to the car while traveling. Please investigate as I've seen many issues with this car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664747June 4, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle no longer charges at home, work, or any other level 2 AC charging location. This occurred 3 days after driving it off the dealer lot new in Rockville, MD on [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664077May 31, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The system component that failed was the on-board AC charger (OBC). This failure prevents AC charging of the vehicle. The Polestar - Houston service team has confirmed that this hardware needs replacement. There is currently a 2-3 week wait for part, so vehicle is currently sitting at the service center. The dealer has diagnosed and confirmed that the on-board AC charger needs to be replaced. Prior to the failure, there were no warnings or symptoms to suggest that a failure was imminent. Three NHTSA manufacturer communications (DP1035, DP1037, and DP1038) are in reference to this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663261May 27, 2025
STRUCTURE:INTERIOR TRIM
Polestar has choosen to use highly reflective material around the cabin. Specifically the steering wheel has a large metal component that reflects overhead sunlight into the drivers eyes. Here is the issue as discussed on the Polestar Forum. [XXX] The design of the wheel reflects the light directly into the driver's eyes. Sunglasses are not a fix... This is a very dangerous design flaw. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660636May 13, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY
During the first week of March, 2025, my Polestar 3 suffered a total AC charging failure, meaning I was no longer able to charge at home. March 7 I brought the vehicle to Dyer & Dyver Volvo in Atlanta, GA, and they confirmed that the AC charging inverter failed and would have to be replaced. This part took more than two weeks to receive, and I retrieved the vehicle April 1. This issue seemed resolved since then, however two evenings ago I arrived home to discover that once again the Polestar 3 would not charge, and displayed "Charge fault, contact workshop" on the driver display. The inability to charge the vehicle, and its now pattern of trouble, is certainly a safety issue. While my car was in the dealership I also had addressed a failure of the central locking system. All proximity keys refused to lock, or unlock, the vehicle. The only functional method was one of the card-keys supplied by Polestar. This safety issue completely erodes my trust that I will be able to gain access normally to my own vehicle, but may have to use my phone, or a backup card key (necessitating I carry two keys at all times). This issue has once reoccurred since retrieving the vehicle. Lastly, the driver door was not able to be opened from the exterior. The door handle, though extended and in the unlocked position, completely failed to function. The door had to be opened via the interior handle. I find this to be an extremely grave problem. It has not reoccurred.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659836May 8, 2025
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
- Blind spot warning detection failure (intermittent, unpredictable) - stops working during a drive and doesn't identify cars in blindspot despite working at the beginning of the drive without any notification of system failure. No way to reproduce this as it occurs randomly. Alternatively, it will sometimes light up when there is no car in the blindspot. - Lane keeping assist with cruise control: sometimes car will show that it is following a lane and stop following the lane without warning or notification, with the dash showing that the feature is still on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658534May 2, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
There is a documented bug with Polestar. If you shift the car into reverse, the rear camera comes on (point back, like it should). If you shift out of reverse, and back into reverse, the camera defaults to an overhead view. With this view it is very difficult to see what is behind you. This happens 100% of the time...it is not a "sometimes happens" bug.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11656463April 24, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I leased a 2025 Polestar 3 in February 2025. Within days, I began to experience serious discomfort. It started with a sensation of inner-ear pressure. It got worse the more time I spent in the vehicle and soon escalated to headaches, dizziness, and nausea. The vehicle is undrivable for me now, and, worse, the sensation of pressure hasn't completely gone away even though I haven't driven the vehicle in weeks. The problem seems to stem from the vehicle's active noise cancellation (ANC) system. I notified Polestar Corporate of the issue on approximately February 26, 2025. On March 13, 2025, a Polestar repair shop attempted to disable the ANC with a software update. After this didn't fix the issue, Polestar suggested on March 27, 2025, that I try driving with the windows closed. This also didn't resolve the issue, and Polestar since has failed to suggest another fix, articulate a plan, identify a timeline, or even let me speak to someone who can make decisions about the matter. Meanwhile, although my case may be extreme, I'm certainly not the only person who's experienced discomfort in the Polestar 3. Even though it's a new model, a forum post suggested other have had issues with the ANC. In addition, one of the Polestar customer service representatives with whom I spoke mentioned that her household has a Polestar 3 and that she avoids it because it bothers her as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652437April 2, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
From the time of purchase, literally since I first got home from the dealership with it, it will NOT AC charge at 110 or 220v. Multiple chargers tested in multiple locations, both home based and commercial (ChargePoint, etc), none will charge. DC fast charge works fine. Stuck with just having to DC fast charge exclusively. Took it to the dealer, took them about 1.5 hours to finally believe me, but they have identified it, but the module that needs replacement is on back order, so stuck DC charging at about 3x the home charging cost for the time being. Very frustrating on a brand new car. Reference prior NHTSA manufacturer communications (DP1035, DP1037, and DP1038).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650913March 26, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
This is a BEV. The vehicle has routine charging problems, especially with level 2 home AC charging. Parts have been replaced, but the issues persist.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650300March 24, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The vehicle simply will not charge at any AC plug. At home I have a Type2-AC charger and the car vails to charge, at work I have access to a similar Type2-AC charge, that too fails to charge. The car will only charge at DC fast chargers and those are few and far between.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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