Rivian executive acknowledges R1S AC noise problem

[MidnightRivian]

I hate to add fuel to the fire here, but today is the first "hot" day of the summer here in Colorado, it's 90*. My Rivian was parked in the driveway under the hot sun and when I got in, the cabin was 133*F so needless to say the first thing I did was full blast the A/C. Not only did it struggle to cool, but I also got this noise from the A/C compressor and my accelerator pedal was shaking, etc. I tried my best to avoid these threads, but seems this problem might be more widespread than people think. It's certainly not an acceptable noise in the slightest.

I should mention 2023 R1T, 18xxx VIN.

LMFAO. I am sorry but I have to laugh out loud. The fact that Denver just started experiencing this is hilarious to me. I feel like every week for the next 2 months we will get more and more folks from further and further north mention the same issue.


This is not happening just to one or two people in one or two locations.

This needs to be addressed and honestly the best way is simply drop it off in 7 days.

Enough returns happen and corporate will either change the policy or actually address the issues / concerns.

Sponsored

 

[Jason]

Recirc had no difference on my noise overall - feels like this happens when the A/C compressor is working harder than normal whether it's recirc or fresh.

Interesting. In the videos I see recirc is off, which is why I mentioned it. I didn't see any mention of testing that in this thread. Figured it was worth a shot. It does take about 15 seconds for the compressor to recognize its pulling in cooler and and slow down, fwiw.

 

[SlaterGS]

This is not happening just to one or two people in one or two locations.

This needs to be addressed and honestly the best way is simply drop it off in 7 days.

Enough returns happen and corporate will either change the policy or actually address the issues / concerns.

As I am one of those that is experiencing this I'd say that is a bit extreme.

Is it a problem? Yes and I can understand those that feel the need to return but no need to create a panic.
Do I think they will get it resolved? Absolutely.
Is it a bad look for Rivian if they don't fix it? Of course. I can't imagine Rivian isn't looking at the problem and trying to come up with a fix asap.
Do I know when it'll get fixed? No idea.

As a manufacturer we recently had an issue with a new electric power unit we launched.
We did not know what was creating the problem until we got some units back. Running protos and pilots for 2 years without issue and the problem that came up was because a seemingly minor and unknown change to us from a supplier at production that passed inspection and testing during the assembly process but when it came to the actual season the problem popped up.
Changes were made, product out in the field and in the shop were fixed and life goes on. Fortunately for us we are only talking hundreds and not tens of thousands of units and from the looks of it we have much more gracious customers.

 

[MidnightRivian]

As I am one of those that is experiencing this I'd say that is a bit extreme.

Is it a problem? Yes and I can understand those that feel the need to return but no need to create a panic.
Do I think they will get it resolved? Absolutely.
Is it a bad look for Rivian if they don't fix it? Of course. I can't imagine Rivian isn't looking at the problem and trying to come up with a fix asap.
Do I know when it'll get fixed? No idea.

As a manufacturer we recently had an issue with a new electric power unit we launched.
We did not know what was creating the problem until we got some units back. Running protos and pilots for 2 years without issue and the problem that came up was because a seemingly minor and unknown change to us from a supplier at production that passed inspection and testing during the assembly process but when it came to the actual season the problem popped up.
Changes were made, product out in the field and in the shop were fixed and life goes on. Fortunately for us we are only talking hundreds and not tens of thousands of units and from the looks of it we have much more gracious customers.

I don't like to make $90,000 gambles in life. I can hope and pray they fix it but there is no guarantee. They could just say what they have been saying. This is normal behavior for the vehicle.

We haven't even hit triple digits yet. I don't care to take that sort of risk with it getting worse and continuing for longer durations once the temps rise.

Right now you have Denver, Ohio and Texas all reporting the same issue.

 

[SlaterGS]

I don't like to make $90,000 gambles in life. I can hope and pray they fix it but there is no guarantee. They could just say what they have been saying. This is normal behavior for the vehicle.

We haven't even hit triple digits yet. I don't care to take that sort of risk with it getting worse and continuing for longer durations once the temps rise.

Right now you have Denver, Ohio and Texas all reporting the same issue.

Well, you did make the gamble as an early adopter.

Yes, those states you've mentioned, MN and others. So tell me again why Rivian would ignore it as it's becoming a bigger issue?
That makes me feel confident that they will be looking at a fix asap considering it "hasn't even hit triple digits yet".

All I'm saying is it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of patience and grace (that does not mean we don't hold their feet to the fire) and less bitching on forums to try and stir up an angry mob.

 

[MidnightRivian]

Well, you did make the gamble as an early adopter.

Yes, those states you've mentioned, MN and others. So tell me again why Rivian would ignore it as it's becoming a bigger issue?
That makes me feel confident that they will be looking at a fix asap considering it "hasn't even hit triple digits yet".

All I'm saying is it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of patience and grace (that does not mean we don't hold their feet to the fire) and less bitching on forums to try and stir up an angry mob.

I took the leap because they had a 7 day policy. I plan to use that 7 days to make a decision where I am not stuck with a lemon.

 

[Dskidz]

Honestly our Model X does the exact same. You should hear it when we are towing up a hill…but in that case the fans are so loud you can’t hear the pumps/compressor anymore. EV’s have to cool the pack, the motors and the cabin…and those glass roofs add a lot of heat gain to the cabin. They should be able to dampen it somewhat but it probably is what it is to some extent. I guess also luck of the draw as to which compressor you get, potentially.

 

[daeHelkcunK]

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.

That may be the solution. I'm in Southwest FL (100+ degrees)and leave mine on AUTO and have only heard the compressor running hard a couple of times and usually just briefly. The fan on my Cayenne is louder. I was wondering if it was a battery conditioning system.

 

[DTown3011]

Well, you did make the gamble as an early adopter.

Yes, those states you've mentioned, MN and others. So tell me again why Rivian would ignore it as it's becoming a bigger issue?
That makes me feel confident that they will be looking at a fix asap considering it "hasn't even hit triple digits yet".

All I'm saying is it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of patience and grace (that does not mean we don't hold their feet to the fire) and less bitching on forums to try and stir up an angry mob.

Ya, I agree with this which is why I hesitated even posting but do think it's a widespread enough problem that it warrants a discussion, so I posted. But I don't love the "mob mentality" or how OP is going about it. Lets see how Rivian responds as they've made everything right for me previously so no reason to think they won't continue to do just that going forward.

 

[DTown3011]

Looks like there is a new software update coming soon that may address some of these issues:

Rivian Update 2023.22.00 - RivnTrackr

Additional Improvements

• Heating and cooling:
  • Quickened response to hot ambient conditions and stabilized operation at low-mid ambient conditions.
  • Stabilized blower airflow when the vehicle transitions in and out of varying sun and shade conditions.
  • Removed the “on approach” touchscreen overheat protection since the cooling system is unable to cool the screen in the short approach period.
  • Disabled touchscreen safety requirements to improve range loss when the vehicle is parked in hot, direct sunlight.

 

[DallasBBQ]

Right now you have Denver, Ohio and Texas all reporting the same issue.

We have roughly 31 owners reporting issues in the various threads on this topic. Either noise or vibration issues.

Kansas City, Austin, Dallas, Dublin CA, Houston, Miami, Oregon, Corrales NM, Long Island, Florida, Atlanta, Central IL, DC, Los Angeles, Fremont CA, Superior CO, Arizona, and Denver

 

[Zoidz]

I took the leap because they had a 7 day policy. I plan to use that 7 days to make a decision where I am not stuck with a lemon.

Wow, such drama. This issue is not even close to a lemon situation. Sounds like you should not even wait 7 days, just return it now.

 

[TXR1SMD]

Noted.
And all have submitted service tickets? And all of those tickets have been closed saying it’s normal operation?

There’s a lot of anecdotal “mine makes that noise too” but I’ve searched the topics just like you and only a tiny fraction have reported it to Rivian via a service request. If you want action, encourage more reports to the actual service departments.

I have an actual non-working piece of hardware, my truck has physically been in service twice without a full fix, and I have a mobile service appt in about 36 hours. My problem spans 3-4 months at this point and I feel like I’m pursuing this in an infinitely more rational way than you have which seems to just be fanning flames and accusing the company of inaction.

As I said in my first response, the Dallas SC sucks and I’ve roasted them over and over a again in emails to customer service, my guide, and in conversations I’ve since had with engineering in Normal regarding my twice-failed and still inoperable issue (that I have a third appt for in about 36 hours). Said issue is actual hardware malfunction/inoperability, not a NVH issue yet I am infinitely more rational about how I’m handling the company than some of the people you’ve incited here. Going forward maybe instead of just preaching to the choir, send an email to your guide detailing your problems. Be specific. Include videos. Include any poor customer service responses you got from the SC. In that email, cc Rivian customer service. Sent a DM to the Rivian social media accounts. I did all this and finally got a direct line to an engineer who I’ve talked to about what the next steps for resolving my issue. It was a much better use of my time and got me more promising results than posting over and over again on the forum (I have 1 post about my issue, just to inform others and get feedback, then left it alone while the company worked to sort it out).

I am not saying your issue doesn’t matter. I had a friend send me a video of his R1S, also in Dallas, making the same noise as yours today. He also said he doesn’t hear it unless he’s standing outside the vehicle or has the door or window open. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it doesn’t seem to be impacting any R1Ts. Logic would say there must be a different component cooling the larger cabin of the R1S, maybe narrowing down where the focus should be on identifying the root cause of issue.

Be methodical and rational about your expectations and communication if you want to make progress.

Also FWIW I just listened to the compressor on my G63 and it is loud AF when cranked up to high, so to everyone implying that a $90k vehicle should be whisper quiet with the AC on full blast, dare to dream.

We have roughly 31 owners reporting issues in the various threads on this topic. Either noise or vibration issues.

Kansas City, Austin, Dallas, Dublin CA, Houston, Miami, Oregon, Corrales NM, Long Island, Florida, Atlanta, Central IL, DC, Los Angeles, Fremont CA, Superior CO, Arizona, and Denver

 

[TXR1SMD]

And sorry for the double stating some of the words/points in my last message. I’m on the verge of a heat stroke at a fairly expensive Dallas gym that just so happens to - ironically - have no working AC today

 

[andisimose]

Also FWIW I just listened to the compressor on my G63 and it is loud AF when cranked up to high

Yeah my x545e when cranked is LOUD. my r1s makes the noise seen in these videos and my x5 is louder haha. My bigger concern is the pedal vibration in the r1s when it’s cranked. It basically numbs my foot.

Sponsored