Polestar 2 Owners Plagued With Faulty Key Fobs, GPS, Cellular Connectivity
The problems all center around functionality baked into the car’s TCAM module.
Owners of Polestar 2 EVs are complaining of persistent issues with the car's Telematics and Connectivity Antenna Module (TCAM). This module is responsible for various radio-related and communications functions in the vehicle.
The NHTSA has fielded a range of complaints on the issue. Problems with keyfobs and gaining entry to the car are perhaps the most worrying problem. Owners have complained of being unable to lock or start the car. Others have found they cannot get back into the vehicle after it has locked behind them when the module has malfunctioned.
The TCAM also handles GPS reception, which several owners have reported as buggy or malfunctioning. Other common errors include a loss of the SOS call capability or a general loss of cellular connectivity over LTE, with the latter causing the car's Internet-related functions to stop working.
It raises safety concerns if children or pets were to be stuck inside the vehicle when it stopped responding to the keyfob. Some complaints also speak of a fear of being stranded in the event their car will no longer allow them access or to start the vehicle. The Polestar 2 does have an emergency physical key that will provide access in the event of a TCAM failure. It must be removed from the fob for use, and sets off the alarm when used. The keyfob must then be placed in the cup holder after gaining entry in order to switch the alarm off.
One owner has posted on Reddit that they are "throwing in the towel" after repeated TCAM issues. Their vehicle has reportedly been to the dealership four times without a satisfactory resolution to the problem. Polestar Forum has a thread collating knowledge on the issue, with multiple owners reporting problems since January this year.
One recommended solution is to reboot the TCAM system by holding the front demister button for 30 seconds while the car is parked. Alternatively, rebooting the infotainment system by holding the "Home" button on the car's head unit for 15 seconds has helped some. A more complex method involves disconnecting the car's 12-volt battery as well as the TCAM's own internal backup battery, for a more complete powercycle of the system. However, these are temporary fixes that don't resolve the root cause of the problem.
The Drive contacted Polestar for comment on the problem. According to a company representative, ensuring the car is up to date with the latest software is key. Several over-the-air updates have been issued since launch that deal with minor connectivity issues. The latest version 2.4 OTA update resolves a TCAM issue, according to the source, and has begun rollout this week. It bears noting that a car with no LTE connectivity will not receive updates. In this event, it may be necessary to either reboot the TCAM as above, or contact a dealer for help with performing the update.
A loss of basic functions like locking and unlocking the doors is highly frustrating. Issues around GPS and LTE connectivity are less so, but these features are still relied on by owners and are expected to work. Those affected by repeated TCAM issues will be hoping that Polestar's latest over-the-air update reaches them and solves the problem once and for all.
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