Why won't my Polestar 4 charge at home, or let go of the charging cable?

Short answer: If home charging fails with the Polestar cable but works at public stations, suspect the portable charger or the outlet. Have an electrician check the outlet's ground and neutral, and ask Polestar service about the charger under warranty. If the cable is stuck, lock and unlock the car, then pull it within about a minute.

Symptom: The car shows a charging error on your home Level 2 charger, or the cable stays locked in the port after charging is done.

What to check first

1. Try the same charger at another outlet, and another EV's charger at your outlet.
2. Use an outlet tester or have an electrician check the wiring.
3. For a stuck cable, lock then unlock and pull right away.
4. Find the emergency release in the owner's manual for the last resort.
5. Run your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Likely causes

1. Faulty portable charger. The portable charger is the cable-and-box unit that plugs into a wall outlet. One owner's first unit failed and was replaced under warranty.
2. Outlet wiring fault. A ground or neutral problem in the outlet can make a charger refuse to start. A cheap plug-in outlet tester can check it.
3. Cable lock working as designed. The car locks the cable to the port while charging so nobody can unplug it. Owners say it releases when you unlock the car, but may re-lock if you wait too long.

What it usually costs

One owner's portable charger was replaced under warranty. An outlet tester is inexpensive. Owners didn't post electrician costs.

Is it safe to keep driving?

Yes, the car is safe to drive. Don't keep using an outlet that is hot, scorched or faulty.

DIY or shop?

Testing the outlet with a plug-in tester is DIY. Electrical repairs belong to a licensed electrician, and charger faults to Polestar service. An EV's high-voltage system can stay live with the car off. Leave the orange cables, the big battery and the charging hardware to a trained EV technician.

Recalls, bulletins and complaints in plain words

• Recalls: NHTSA's recall lookup returned no data for the Polestar Polestar 4 for 2 model-year queries on 2026-11-01, so we couldn't confirm recalls here. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. If your car is part of a recall, the dealer fixes it for free.
• Plain words: The complaint count below shows how often owners reported problems that mention these words to NHTSA. A count is not proof of a defect.
• NHTSA complaints: 1 keyword-matched complaints for Polestar 4 2025–2026 (of 3 unique complaints queried, NHTSA complaints API by model year, queried 2026-11-01; keywords: charg, cable, plug, port) (NHTSA returned no data for 2 model-year queries). This counts complaints that mention these words. It is not a defect finding.

What owners report

• In Charging Error on Reddit r/Polestar4, a Polestar 4 owner got a charging error on home Level 2 charging with a second portable charger, while public stations and the family's other EVs on the same outlet worked fine. Service had replaced the first charger under warranty. A reply suggested testing the outlet for a ground or neutral fault.
• In Charging port won’t release charger on polestar 4 on Reddit r/Polestar4, owners whose cable wouldn't release after charging said locking and then unlocking the car frees it. One said that on AC charging the car only lets go for about a minute after unlocking before grabbing it again. Another tried the emergency release cord in the trunk on a DC charger without luck before lock and unlock worked.

Quick tip

A charger that fails twice on the same outlet points at the outlet, so test it before you swap a third charger.

Vehicle focus: Polestar 4, 2025-2026.

Safety / mechanic note

High-power outlets can overheat if wired wrong. Verify with a mechanic.