Rivian executive acknowledges R1S AC noise problem

[Friscorays]

IMO, this is just a bit of an inconvenient noise. Does not hurt anything or anyone. It'll get resolved with an OTA in next few weeks. It is like the smelly feet AC issue in the Tesla Model 3 in 2018. (Way worse, it smelled like old shoes!) Got resolved in a few weeks with OTA.

In my opinion, you have not been reading particularly carefully. People are reporting significant pedal and dashboard vibration as well as difficulty carrying on normal conversation; not to mention all the nearby people snickering and wondering what the hell is wrong with the noisy thing. If it proves to be a fairly widespread issue and Rivian does not address it quickly, it is going to be very bad for them. It does not matter how good the rest of the vehicle is, there is a reason so much is invested into noise and vibration abatement.

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[DallasBBQ]

IMO, this is just a bit of an inconvenient noise. Does not hurt anything or anyone. It'll get resolved with an OTA in next few weeks. It is like the smelly feet AC issue in the Tesla Model 3 in 2018. (Way worse, it smelled like old shoes!) Got resolved in a few weeks with OTA.

"bit of an inconvenient noise" is debatable but we all would be happy with a quick resolution. I'll keep everyone posted if I hear anything

 

[R1Tom]

Rivian still isn't taking things post sale seriously enough.

This type of thing along with grossly inadequate service structure is going to undo the positives of all the hubs they want to build. It's like they don't know the internet and forums are a key place many would come before executing a $90-$100k purchase.

 

[JeanRalphio91]

"bit of an inconvenient noise" is debatable but we all would be happy with a quick resolution. I'll keep everyone posted if I hear anything

Please do. Can't imagine how overun the Texas SCs will be in august if this is a widespread issue.

 

[gregtay]

I have the same question. Rivian acknowledged the issue, but did they say anything about what they're doing about it? Though they said it poses no safety issue and offers cooling as designed, I wouldn't infer that they'll do nothing about it from that statement. Perhaps engineering is looking into solutions and a fix will be made available at some point. Were paths to a solution discussed in your conversation?

Have you ever worked in customer support and support engineering? These things take time... ALWAYS. Rivian needs to figure out what is wrong, what VIN numbers might be impacted, and find a solution, test a solution, then deploy a plan to fix the solution (documentation, order needed parts, etc). It's likely a situation where Rivian got a bad batch of AC compressors. This is a new issue... otherwise we would have heard about it a long time ago with the R1T started shipping.

If they think it is a compressor problem.. they can't just toss in a new compressor, what if the "new" part is still impacted by the flaw?. Then the issue happens again and the customer gets more upset.

I know everyone wants a solution and answers RIGHT NOW, but that is not how it works in the real world of complex machines. Give Rivian a chance to figure this out and deploy a solution.

 

[dleepnw]

I think in most cases Rivian will do what it takes to make it right. Keep persisting with the SC and higher up.

 

[r1v1an]

It seems to me that the main problem is that you live in Dallas.

 

[DallasBBQ]

It seems to me that the main problem is that you live in Dallas.

I started two other threads on this topic...which was poor etiquette. I acknowledge

This issue is getting reported all over hot weather states. I'm assuming it will get worse as summer gets hotter.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Last night, just before 7:00, I received a call from the Rivian Southwest territory manager. During our conversation, she acknowledged the widespread issue with AC motor noise in the R1S that occurs in hot weather. I expressed my frustration, explaining that our vehicle has become so loud that we avoid driving it unless absolutely necessary. To me, this clearly indicates a defective design, but she quickly refuted my claim.

Her response seemed rehearsed, as if carefully crafted by their legal team. She assured me that the vehicle is operating as designed, providing cooling and posing no safety risk. I shared my experience of driving two other R1S vehicles in Dallas, both of which did not have this noise issue. She stated they are among the "lucky ones."

Interestingly, it seems that my persistence in reaching out to various executives within the company, including RJ himself, has finally prompted a response. I had already taken the vehicle to the Dallas service center twice for repairs, only to be told repeatedly that nothing was wrong with it.

It's incredibly frustrating to own an $80K vehicle that sounds like it's about to explode. I wish good luck to everyone in hot climates this summer, as this problem has escalated from being intermittent to nearly constant. The noise is unbelievably loud, both inside and outside the vehicle. I have attached videos to highlight the severity of the issue.

Yikes, that is really bad and Rivian has to know that anything which sounds abnormally loud / broken outside the car can cause people who have never encountered a Rivian to think, “I can’t live with that so I wouldn’t consider that brand.”

The fact that they acknowledged this is a problem is excellent news, in my opinion. Since they don’t have a good solution yet, I wouldn’t push for them to replace anything until they do. I say that because I generally think that tearing into a vehicle is something I want done only when necessary and only once, whenever possible. Based on my experience with service departments at traditional car dealers, sometimes a different issue is caused in the process and the likelihood of something else going awry goes up with each subsequent attempted repair.

If my Rivian did this, and maybe I’ll have the same issue as the temps rise or we spend time in the desert, I’ll wait until they have a certain fix and then ask them to repair mine.

 

[invernite]

Have you ever worked in customer support and support engineering? These things take time... ALWAYS. Rivian needs to figure out what is wrong, what VIN numbers might be impacted, and find a solution, test a solution, then deploy a plan to fix the solution (documentation, order needed parts, etc). It's likely a situation where Rivian got a bad batch of AC compressors. This is a new issue... otherwise we would have heard about it a long time ago with the R1T started shipping.

If they think it is a compressor problem.. they can't just toss in a new compressor, what if the "new" part is still impacted by the flaw?. Then the issue happens again and the customer gets more upset.

I know everyone wants a solution and answers RIGHT NOW, but that is not how it works in the real world of complex machines. Give Rivian a chance to figure this out and deploy a solution.

I think you're saying the same thing I was - that they've acknowledged the issue and that it'll take time to get it fixed (fix, test, deploy). It's best to find the root cause and solve that, not just throw replacement parts at it trying to solve the symptom. I expect there'll be some sort of campaign in the future, it's just too early to tell when that may be.

 

[Jayhawkeye]

Our sound and vibration is so bad, I printed off a sticker for the pedal that named it "Dildo Baggins"

 

[DallasBBQ]

Our sound and vibration is so bad, I printed off a sticker for the pedal that named it "Dildo Baggins"

Have you reached out to Rivian regarding the issue? I'm curious to know if they have acknowledged it or if they have claimed that nothing is wrong. I've had a similar experience where I took my vehicle to them twice, and both times they told me there was nothing wrong. It wasn't until I began sending emails to various corporate executives that I finally received acknowledgment of the problem. It's unfortunate that I had to be persistent to get their attention. Dealing with this issue has consumed a significant amount of my time, leaving me feeling quite frustrated.

 

[deadparadise]

I took my R1T to the Austin SC and they gave me a R1S loaner, which is super nice but unfortunately it has the same AC noise/vibration issue as OP. I had mentioned this to them the other day and they told me that they were just made aware of a possible issue affecting AC systems, and that putting it in "auto" seems to fix it. Lo and behold, I switched to "auto" and it made a huge difference. Not sure why a manual setting would make a huge difference, but it seems like it could be a possible software issue and hopefully they fix it soon. We're expecting a brutal summer this year in Texas, so I'm hoping my R1T stays strong during it.

 

[Tahoe Man]

Her response seemed rehearsed, as if carefully crafted by their legal team. She assured me that the vehicle is operating as designed, providing cooling and posing no safety risk. I shared my experience of driving two other R1S vehicles in Dallas, both of which did not have this noise issue. She stated they are among the "lucky ones."

This is similar to when Tesla nerfed the batteries for certain X and S owners years ago. The Tesla service center managers were very very tight lipped about it and the only thing coming out of their mouths were rehearsed scripts.

 

[Dave711]

Just sent an email to our guide telling him that we would find this unacceptable should the R1S we take delivery of next week have this issue or develop this issue. I asked for reassurance that eventual solution would be retroactively implemented for those in need of it.

I fully expect to recieve a response that will not offer any assurance but think it is important to do my part in making it clear to Rivian that this is really in no way acceptable. Rivians are supposed to be quiet. I would find the noise (and reported associated vibrations) very embarrassing and annoying and can absolutely understand how this issue would ruin the experience of owning an otherwise awesome vehicle. Real shame how things stand as of now.

I just read this, thanks to it being a new issue to me. I am picking up my new R1S on June 19. I have composed an email on this to my guide and will send it to now. I don't like heat or noise.

I would like to know if there is any way to hook up an active noise cancelling system.

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