The 2021 Proterra Catalyst has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,083 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Phoenix Motorcars (Phoenix) is recalling certain 2019-2021 800V Catalyst and 2020-2022 ZX5 transit buses. The vehicle controller software may allow the electrical circuit for the radiator fan to overheat.
Electrical circuits that overheat increase the risk of a fire.
Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 15, 2024. Owners may contact Phoenix customer service at 1-909-987-0815.
Proterra Operating Company, Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2019-2022 40' and 35' Catalyst 800V transit buses equipped with ProDrive 1.0, and 40' and 35' ZX5 800V transit buses equipped with ProDrive 1.0. A transistor inside the inverter may overheat and fail, which can result in a loss of power steering and…
A loss of power steering and/or drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2023. Owners may contact Proterra customer service at 1-864-438-0000.
Proterra Operating Company, Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2020-2022 35" Catalyst, 35" ZX5, and 40" ZX5 vehicles. The windshield wiper motors may operate intermittently or may fail to operate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 104,…
Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the wiper motors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 3, 2023. Owners may contact Proterra customer service at 1-864-438-0000.
Proterra Operating Company, Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Catalyst and 2019-2022 ZX5 transit buses. Back pressure in the shared air exhaust for the pneumatic ride height system and parking brake control valve may engage the parking brake while the vehicle is in motion.
Unintentional engagement of the parking brake increases the risk of a crash.
Proterra will install a redesigned air circuit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 21, 2022. Owners may contact Proterra's customer service at 1-864-438-0000.
Proterra, Inc. (Proterra) is recalling certain 2017-2019 35 foot Catalyst E2, 2017-2019 40 foot E2, 2020-2021 35 foot RR, 2019-2020 40 foot RR, 2019-2022 40 foot ZX5, and 2020-2022 35 foot ZX5 buses. The plexus adhesive between the torque limiter plate and the bus body may be insufficient, causing the bolts that…
A loose steering gearbox can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will install a mechanical fastener and new bolts on the steering gearbox, and install a new torque plate, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 7, 2022. Owners may contact Proterra's customer service at 1-864-438-0000.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“The contact called on behalf of the university that owns several 2021 proterra catalyst transit bus. The university received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v697000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Proterra Catalyst as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.