The Polestar 2 EV Is Revealing Some Troubling Glitches

Oct. 29, 2022 3:40 PM ET by Michael Butler Electric Vehicles / 3 Comments

Including GPS, key fob, and LTE interruptions.

The Polestar 2 is an impressive electric five-door liftback with sleek looks and punchy performance. This Swedish EV was first unveiled in 2019 and received a significant update with a new design and more range back in April. Since then, a facelifted model has been spied testing in the wild, and pricing for the 2023 model year has been announced, but it's not all roses and sunshine for this classy EV: customer complaints are starting to roll in regarding the car's Telematics and Connectivity Antenna Module (TCAM), which runs the car's GPS, cellular connectivity and key fobs. The Polestar 2 has been recalled for a high-voltage disconnection issue. Could these issues trigger another?

The issues have already been noted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and include complaints relating to difficulty entering the car due to faulty key fobs and even the inability to lock or start the vehicle. The TCAM isn't only responsible for locking and unlocking the Polestar 2 but also controls GPS reception. Owners have complained about buggy GPS signals. This also affected critically important functions such as the SOS call function and a general loss of cellphone signal and LTE interruptions. The Polestar 2 has a physical emergency key hidden in the key fob that can be used when the TCAM module bugs out, but its use sets off the car's alarm. The key fob has to be placed in the cupholder for the alarm to switch off.

These issues raise serious safety concerns. Not being able to enter or start the vehicle raises obvious problems, but small children and pets being locked inside Polestar 2 cars is also a worry, not to mention the fact that the SOS distress call function can stop working just when you need it most. These issues have been raised on the Polestar Forum, with one recommendation being a reboot of the TCAM system. To do this, owners need to hold the front demister button for 30 seconds while the car is parked. Some have also found that rebooting the infotainment system (holding the home button for 15 seconds) also helps. As a last resort, owners can also disconnect the car's 12-volt battery or even the TCAM module's internal battery. All of these methods have only resulted in temporary fixes, however.

2021-2023 Polestar 2 Infotainment System

According to Polestar, keeping the car's software updated is the most important thing. Polestar has released several over-the-air updates since the car's launch that deal with minor connectivity issues, and Polestar says that the latest 2.4 OTA update resolves a TCAM issue. The update has been rolled out this week, and Polestar has said that cars with LTE connectivity issues will have to either reboot the TCAM or contact a dealer for further support. Back in the day, you could fix a car with some duct tape and cable ties, but the complexity of today's cars makes them seem destined for the scrap heap or the used car lot unless you have a background in IT.