2021 Polestar 2 Trailer Hitch and Trailer Owners Manual

Detachable towbar*

Polestar recommends using Polestar towbars that are specially designed for the vehicle.

NOTE

The optional detachable trailer hitch may not be available in all markets or on all models. Contact Polestar Customer Support.

Ball holder
Cotter pin
Towbar assembly
Locking bolt
Safety wire attachment bracket

Installing the ball holder

If necessary, remove the cotter pin from the locking bolt and slide the locking bolt out of the towbar assembly.

Slide the ball holder into the towbar assembly.

Align the hole in the ball holder with the hole in the towbar assembly.

Slide the locking bolt through the towbar assembly and ball holder.

Insert the cotter pin in the hole at the end of the locking bolt.

WARNING

Make sure the towbar locks securely into place before connecting anything to it.
Always secure the trailer’s safety chains or wires in the designated attachment points on the trailer.

Removing the ball holder

Remove the cotter pin from the locking bolt and slide the locking bolt out of the ball holder/towbar assembly.

Pull the ball holder out of the towbar assembly.

WARNING

The towbar could be damaged due to improper use or faulty accessories, for example:

Overloading accessories.
Using faulty accessories.
Using an accessory for an unintended purpose.
Using a weight-distributing towing system.
Incorrectly positioned ballmount; see geometric constraints for the towbar.

Stowing the ball holder

WARNING

When not in use, always store the detachable ball holder in its designated spot under the cargo compartment floor.

Driving with a trailerWhen towing a trailer, the original ball holder or equivalent should be used.

The ball mount must conform to the geometric constraints for the towbar in both distance A and height B. Geometric constraints are described on the type plate affixed to the towbar.

Load-carrying capacity is determined by the vehicle’s curb weight. The total weight of all passengers and any installed accessories, such as a towbar, reduces the vehicle’s load-carrying capacity by the corresponding amount.

Towbars used on the vehicle must be approved for the applicable use.
Distribute the load on the trailer so that the weight on the towbar complies with the specified maximum tongue weight. The tongue weight is calculated as part of the vehicle’s payload.
Increase the tire pressure to the recommended pressure for a full load.
The electric motor is subjected to more load than usual when towing a trailer.
Towing a trailer affects the vehicle’s handling, durability and driving economy.
Do not drive with a heavy trailer when the vehicle is very new. Wait until the mileage has reached at least 1000 km (620 miles).
Follow applicable regulations regarding permitted speed and weight.
Drive slowly when towing a trailer up a long and steep incline.
Avoid driving with a trailer on inclines of more than 12%.

Avoid overloading and other incorrect use.
The trailer’s brakes must be balanced with the vehicle’s brakes to help ensure safe stops (follow applicable local regulations).

IMPORTANT

Bumper-attached trailer hitches must not be used on Polestars, nor should safety chains be attached to the bumper.
Trailer hitches attaching to the vehicle rear axle must not be used.
Never connect a trailer’s hydraulic brake system directly to the vehicle brake system, nor a trailer’s lighting system directly to the vehicle lighting system. Consult Polestar Customer Support for correct installation.
When towing a trailer, the trailer’s safety chains or wire must be correctly fastened to the attachment points provided in the trailer hitch on the vehicle. The safety chain or wire must never be fastened to or wound around the towing ball.

NOTE

The optional detachable trailer hitch may not be available in all markets or on all models. Contact Polestar Customer Support.

Trailer weights

Information on Polestar’s permitted trailer weights is provided in the printed supplement to the Manual.

WARNING

Follow the specified trailer weight recommendations. The vehicle and trailer may otherwise become difficult to control during evasive maneuvers and while braking.

NOTE

The specified maximum trailer weights are those permitted by Polestar. Trailer weight and speed may be further restricted by national vehicle regulations. The towbars may be certified for a higher towing capacity than what the vehicle is permitted to pull.

Driving in mountainous areas or hot weather

In certain situations, there could be a risk of overheating when towing a trailer. If overheating of the electric motor and drive system is detected, a warning symbol will be displayed in the instrument panel along with a message.

Parking on a hill

Depress the brake pedal.

Activate the parking brake.

Release the brake pedal.

Put chocks behind the wheels when the vehicle is parked on a hill with a trailer attached.

Starting on a hill

Depress the brake pedal.

Put the gear selector in D or R and press the accelerator pedal.

> The parking brake will release and the symbol in the instrument panel will go out. You can now drive.

Folding towbar*

The folding towbar is designed for towing trailers and mounting bicycle holders. The towbar is easy to fold in and out as needed. When folded in, the towbar is completely hidden.

WARNING

Follow the instructions to carefully fold the towbar in and out.

WARNING

Do not push the button for folding in/out if a trailer is connected to the towbar.

Folding out the towbar

WARNING

Avoid standing near the center of the bumper behind the vehicle when the towbar is being folded out.

Open the tailgate. A button for folding the towbar in and out is located on the left-hand side at the rear of the cargo compartment. Steady illumination from the indicator light in the button shows that the folding function is active.

Press the button and release – pressing too long on the button may prevent the towbar from folding out.

> The towbar will fold out and down to an unlocked position – the indicator lamp will flash. The towbar is ready to be moved to its locked position.

Move the towbar to its end position, where it will lock into place – the indicator lamp will glow steadily.

> The towbar is ready for use.

WARNING

Make sure to attach the trailer’s safety chain or wire in the designated attachment point.

NOTE

Power-saving mode is activated after a short period of time and the indicator light goes out. Closing and reopening the tailgate will reactive the system. This applies for both folding in and folding out the towbar.

If the vehicle electrically detects a connected trailer, the indicator light will stop glowing steadily.

Folding in the towbar

Open the tailgate. Press the button on the left-hand side at the rear of the cargo compartment and release – pressing too long may prevent the towbar from folding in.

> The towbar will automatically fold down to an unlocked position – the indicator light will flash.

Secure the towbar into position by pushing it back to its retracted position under the bumper, where it will lock into place.

> The indicator light in the button will now glow steadily if the towbar is correctly locked in the retracted position.

IMPORTANT

When the towbar has been activated by pressing the button and has placed in the unlocked position:

Wait at least 2 seconds before moving the towbar to locked position. If the towbar does not remain in locked position, wait a few more seconds and then try again.

Do not kick the towbar.

NOTE

If the vehicle electrically detects a connected trailer, the indicator light will stop glowing steadily.

IMPORTANT

Make sure that there is no adapter in the electrical socket or removable ballmount mounted when the towbar is folded in.

Remove the bicycle holders from the towbar when it is not being used.

Towbar-mounted bicycle holders

NOTE

Maximum weight limits differ for trailers and towbar-mounted accessories. Each has a different limit. This towbar is only designed for towbar-mounted bicycle holders. No other accessory should be used.

Keep the following in mind when mounting a bicycle on the bicycle holder:

Do not mount more than 4 bicycles
The maximum weight for the bicycle holder including bicycles is 200 lbs/90 kg. Example: holder 40 lbs + 4 bicycles at 30 lbs each = 160 lbs total > OK

NOTE

Polestar recommends only using original Polestar accessories. Follow the instructions provided with the product.

IMPORTANT

Never use towbar adapters or towbar extenders
Only use ballmount for towing. Do not mount accessories directly on the ballmount. Use accessories designed to be mounted in the towbar’s square profile. Do not use accessories designed to be attached around the ball.
The use of a load basket is not permitted.

IMPORTANT

Always fold in the towbar when it is not being used.

Loading bicycles onto the bicycle holder

The longer the distance between the load and the holder, the greater the load will be for the towbar and the vehicle.

Keep the following in mind

Load the heaviest bicycle closest to the vehicle.
If possible, load the bicycles symmetrically, as close to the center of the vehicle as possible.
Remove detachable parts from the bicycle, such as baskets, batteries or child seats. This will help reduce the load on the towbar and the bicycle holder.
Do not use bicycle covers – this could increase the load on the towbar.

Disclaimers

* Optional/accessory – The equipment described in the Manual is not available in all cars – the cars have different equipment depending on adaptations for the needs of different markets and national or local laws and regulations.

Towing capacity and tongue weights

Towing capacity and tongue weights for trailers are provided in the tables.

Max. trailer weight	USA (lbs)	Canada (kg)
Without brakes:	1650	750
With brakes:	2000	900
Max. tongue weight	200	90

Trailer Stability Assist*

Trailer Stability Assist (TSA ) (Trailer Stability Assist)is part of the ESC (Electronic Stability Control) stability system and is designed to stabilize a vehicle towing a trailer when the vehicle and trailer have begun to sway. The function is added when installing a towbar. Contact Polestar Customer Support for more information.

Reasons for swaying

A vehicle towing a trailer may begin to sway for various reasons. Normally this only occurs at high speeds. However, if the trailer is overloaded or unevenly distributed, e.g. too far back, there is a risk of swaying even at low speeds.

Swaying may be caused by factors such as:

The vehicle and trailer are hit by a sudden, strong crosswind.
The vehicle and trailer are traveling on an uneven road or over a bump.
Sudden movements of the steering wheel.

Once swaying has begun, it can be difficult or impossible to stop it. This makes the vehicle and trailer difficult to control and there is a risk of swerving into oncoming traffic or driving off the road.

Trailer Stability Assist function

Trailer Stability Assist continuously monitors the vehicle’s movements, particularly lateral movements. If swaying is detected, the brakes are applied individually on the front wheels, which has a stabilizing effect on the vehicle and trailer. This is often enough to enable the driver to regain control of the vehicle.

If the Trailer Stability Assist function’s first attempt is not adequate to stop the swaying motion, the brakes are applied on all wheels and electric motor power is temporarily reduced. As the swaying motion begins to decrease and the vehicle and trailer have once again become stable, TSA stops regulating the brakes/engine power and the driver regains control of the vehicle.

NOTE

The stability function is switched off if Sport Mode is activated in the center display.

Trailer Stability Assist may not intervene if the driver tries to compensate for the swaying motion by moving the steering wheel rapidly, because the system will then not be able to determine if it is the trailer or the driver causing the swaying.

When Trailer Stability Assist is activated, the ESC symbol is displayed in the instrument panel.

NOTE

When retrofitting a towbar, the vehicle’s software must be updated. Contact Polestar Customer Support.

Disclaimers

Trailer light check

When connecting a trailer, make sure that all of the trailer lights are functioning before starting to drive.

Trailer turn signals and brake lights

If one or more of the turn signals or brake lights on the trailer is not working, a symbol and message will be displayed in the instrument panel. The other lights on the trailer must be checked manually by the driver before the vehicle is driven.

Symbol	Message
	Right trailer turn indicator malfunction Left trailer turn indicator malfunction
	Trailer brake light malfunction

If any of the trailer’s turn signal lights is not working, the turn signal symbol in the instrument panel will also flash more quickly than normal.

Trailer light check*

Automatic check

When a trailer has been connected to the vehicle’s electrical system, its lights can be checked by automatically activating them. This function helps the driver check that the trailer’s lights are functioning correctly before starting to drive.

When a trailer is connected to the towbar, the message Perform a trailer lamp check? will be shown in the instrument panel.

Acknowledge the message by pressing the O button on the right-side steering wheel keypad.

> The light check will begin.

Exit the vehicle to check the lights.

> All of the trailer’s lights will start flashing and then illuminate separately one at a time.

Visually check that all of the trailer’s lights are functioning correctly.

After a short time, all of the trailer’s lights will start flashing again.

> The light check is completed.

Trailer light check

To change trailer light check settings:

Tap in the center display.

Tap More.

Select Exterior lights.

Make desired changes.

2021 Polestar 2 Trailer Hitch and Trailer Owners Manual