The insufficient supply of H₂ to the anode of a fuel cell (so-called “H₂-starvation”) leads to a high electrode potential that can ultimately cause cell failure. Herein we mimicked this H₂-starvation in a liquid electrolyte using a polycrystalline Pt rotating disk electrode (RDE) and demonstrate that this Pt-RDE gets trapped at high potentials even when the H₂-supply is re-establishing. Our results could have significant implications for the durability of Pt-based anode catalysts, and highlight the urgency of verifying the occurrence of this “trapped state” in a fuel cell configuration.