Poor reliability – R1S

[jsully19]

I just scheduled my 3rd service appointment for our R1S at the Rivian service center. After waiting 3 1/2 years for the truck, we finally took delivery just 7 months ago. The drama we’ve had with the vehicle since delivery has been time consuming, unexpected and disappointing to say the very least.

We love the styling and performance of the vehicle but now we wonder if and when it will break down again?!

Here’s a summary of the problems we’ve had.

When we picked up the R1S 7 months ago, we were so excited to see the new truck and the beauty of its styling, that honestly both of us overlooked the poor attention to detail in the fit and finish of the doors and rear hatch. The driver door wouldn’t close without slamming, the molding pieces on both sides of the vehicle were either too short or too long, and the rear hatch stuck out from the body almost a half an inch on the left side and was caved-in on the right side. Most rear hatches, fit flush against the side body. Rivian service center could not do much to fix the body and molding issues, and the front driver door still needs to be slammed. This was our 1st visit for service.

I scheduled our 2nd visit to the service center when I noticed a pool of fluid underneath the truck. At first I thought it might be air-conditioning fluid/condensation but when I received a notification on the driver display about coolant, I checked the liquid a second time, and it was not water but battery coolant fluid. It leaked in a large pool under the truck and it was not drivable. Rivian hired a flat-bed tow truck to pick it up and it was taken for service to repair the leak. The repair took them a week in part because they cut the air-suspension hoses while making the repairs.

I just scheduled our 3rd appointment for service today. I received notification yesterday of the 12V battery requiring maintenance. I worked with Rivian remotely to soft reset and hard reset the vehicle but the issue has NOT been resolved. The truck is scheduled to be serviced in 10 days. We hope the truck doesn’t BRICK before the appointment.

I never expected I’d have these types of problems with a brand new truck. We owned a Tesla prior to this purchase, and it gave us zero problems. I’m very disappointed in the maintenance needed and the reliability of the R1S. I’m tired of scheduling service appointments and I wonder how many other Rivian owners out there have had similar problems…

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[kyunam]

I left mine at the service center last week - 6th visit.
Mostly panels, doors, rear hatch alignments, different weather stripping between left & right, etc.
4th, 5th, 6th visits were the results of misaligning other areas (which were good) while addressing the requested items.

I asked them not to hurry and to look at the area worked on holistically to make sure all looks good, so I don't have to find more problems when I pick up and repeat coming in again.

 

[sfvR1S]

I think I saw on another post Rivian's repair labor was ~$400/hr. You'd think at that rate, they'd be able to make necessary repairs without causing additional damage.

I can't recall the exact repair, but several years ago my 4R TRD Pro needed some warranty work. While the Toyota techs were removing the parts, they broke the shift knob and they put on a knob from another Toyota while they waited for a replacement.

And also many years ago, I noticed small drops of oil under my 335i and took it to BMW to repair under warranty. They "fixed" it about 3 times, but I kept seeing oil underneath. Finally I took it to a garage that specialized in BMWs and the mechanic found the cause in about 10 minutes and told me exactly what to say to the dealership techs so they could repair it.

Poop happens.

 

[WPRogersR1S]

I just scheduled my 3rd service appointment for our R1S at the Rivian service center. After waiting 3 1/2 years for the truck, we finally took delivery just 7 months ago. The drama we’ve had with the vehicle since delivery has been time consuming, unexpected and disappointing to say the very least.

We love the styling and performance of the vehicle but now we wonder if and when it will break down again?!

Here’s a summary of the problems we’ve had.

When we picked up the R1S 7 months ago, we were so excited to see the new truck and the beauty of its styling, that honestly both of us overlooked the poor attention to detail in the fit and finish of the doors and rear hatch. The driver door wouldn’t close without slamming, the molding pieces on both sides of the vehicle were either too short or too long, and the rear hatch stuck out from the body almost a half an inch on the left side and was caved-in on the right side. Most rear hatches, fit flush against the side body. Rivian service center could not do much to fix the body and molding issues, and the front driver door still needs to be slammed. This was our 1st visit for service.

I scheduled our 2nd visit to the service center when I noticed a pool of fluid underneath the truck. At first I thought it might be air-conditioning fluid/condensation but when I received a notification on the driver display about coolant, I checked the liquid a second time, and it was not water but battery coolant fluid. It leaked in a large pool under the truck and it was not drivable. Rivian hired a flat-bed tow truck to pick it up and it was taken for service to repair the leak. The repair took them a week in part because they cut the air-suspension hoses while making the repairs.

I just scheduled our 3rd appointment for service today. I received notification yesterday of the 12V battery requiring maintenance. I worked with Rivian remotely to soft reset and hard reset the vehicle but the issue has NOT been resolved. The truck is scheduled to be serviced in 10 days. We hope the truck doesn’t BRICK before the appointment.

I never expected I’d have these types of problems with a brand new truck. We owned a Tesla prior to this purchase, and it gave us zero problems. I’m very disappointed in the maintenance needed and the reliability of the R1S. I’m tired of scheduling service appointments and I wonder how many other Rivian owners out there have had similar problems…

Wow!! Your story sounds very similar to mine. I even have the same color. My R1S had a wheel sensor fail which left the vehicle in operable. It spent 10 days at the service center before I got it back. A 100 miles later 12 volt system fails and once again it gets towed. Love the vehicle but I can’t depend on it. My Tesla, like your’s, was flawless. Might be time to think about something else…unfortunately.

 

[SPITmadFIRE]

Wow!! Your story sounds very similar to mine. I even have the same color. My R1S had a wheel sensor fail which left the vehicle in operable. It spent 10 days at the service center before I got it back. A 100 miles later 12 volt system fails and once again it gets towed. Love the vehicle but I can’t depend on it. My Tesla, like your’s, was flawless. Might be time to think about something else…unfortunately.

To be fair, wheel speed sensors being DOA is pretty common in most new cars today. Tons of traction control and stability monitoring functionality requires accurate wheel speed information. I'd be surprised if Tesla didn't encounter the same wheel speed sensor issues as most other manufacturers with single-digit failure rates.

The 12V system failures are absolutely an issue it seems like, but it doesn't seem like anyone's been able to account for whether that's coming from battery management system issues, or bad batteries themselves. There's a possibility a non-zero portion of vampire drain issues occur because the HV battery is successfully (and expensively) maintaining a failing 12V battery.

 

[electruck]

As with any make/model, some will have problems but many won't. My liftgate had alignment issues at delivery but the Dallas service center took care of that, except along the top edge which I believe would require replacement of the liftgate - something I haven't pushed for. Otherwise, I've had zero issues in 10 months.

 

[TigerWuxia]

Other than the battery coolant leak, the rest are relatively minor items. I am also taking my R1S in for 2nd SC appointment for interior rattling and suspension squeaking. The quality of Rivian could be better and that is something I hope they will continue to improve.

 

[brancky3]

I needed to slam doors also at first but after the weather stripping broke in it’s normal. Leave a rear door open and see if it’s easier to close the drivers door. If so, I wouldn’t sweat it right now.

 

[Count Orlok]

If The Count took his 911, F-150h, subie, etc. in for service for every squeak and rattle he would be undead by now.

 

[tate16t]

I just scheduled my 3rd service appointment for our R1S at the Rivian service center. After waiting 3 1/2 years for the truck, we finally took delivery just 7 months ago. The drama we’ve had with the vehicle since delivery has been time consuming, unexpected and disappointing to say the very least.

We love the styling and performance of the vehicle but now we wonder if and when it will break down again?!

Here’s a summary of the problems we’ve had.

When we picked up the R1S 7 months ago, we were so excited to see the new truck and the beauty of its styling, that honestly both of us overlooked the poor attention to detail in the fit and finish of the doors and rear hatch. The driver door wouldn’t close without slamming, the molding pieces on both sides of the vehicle were either too short or too long, and the rear hatch stuck out from the body almost a half an inch on the left side and was caved-in on the right side. Most rear hatches, fit flush against the side body. Rivian service center could not do much to fix the body and molding issues, and the front driver door still needs to be slammed. This was our 1st visit for service.

I scheduled our 2nd visit to the service center when I noticed a pool of fluid underneath the truck. At first I thought it might be air-conditioning fluid/condensation but when I received a notification on the driver display about coolant, I checked the liquid a second time, and it was not water but battery coolant fluid. It leaked in a large pool under the truck and it was not drivable. Rivian hired a flat-bed tow truck to pick it up and it was taken for service to repair the leak. The repair took them a week in part because they cut the air-suspension hoses while making the repairs.

I just scheduled our 3rd appointment for service today. I received notification yesterday of the 12V battery requiring maintenance. I worked with Rivian remotely to soft reset and hard reset the vehicle but the issue has NOT been resolved. The truck is scheduled to be serviced in 10 days. We hope the truck doesn’t BRICK before the appointment.

I never expected I’d have these types of problems with a brand new truck. We owned a Tesla prior to this purchase, and it gave us zero problems. I’m very disappointed in the maintenance needed and the reliability of the R1S. I’m tired of scheduling service appointments and I wonder how many other Rivian owners out there have had similar problems…

Sorry to hear this. Just curious, what is the build date of your vehicle?

Tesla’s had equal or worse problems at this stage, and some still do. I still visit the Tesla forums and see issues reported. My Tesla Model Y Performance is a 22’ and I only had one issue, I stress crack in the glass roof, replaced under warranty.

 

[jsully19]

Wow!! Your story sounds very similar to mine. I even have the same color. My R1S had a wheel sensor fail which left the vehicle in operable. It spent 10 days at the service center before I got it back. A 100 miles later 12 volt system fails and once again it gets towed. Love the vehicle but I can’t depend on it. My Tesla, like your’s, was flawless. Might be time to think about something else…unfortunately.

Thanks for sharing your story. I feel a little better knowing I’m not the only R1S owner that has recurring problems. My wife is driving around with this 12V warning and I’m worried the truck will stop functioning. Did your 12V battery last for a week or more before you were stuck?

 

[jsully19]

It’s shame R1S quality is a “crap-shoot” with Rivian. If I wasn’t a stock holder I’d sell the truck. Let’s hope they improve soon. Rivian is wasting a lot of money and throwing away customer satisfaction with all these mistakes.

 

[jsully19]

Yeah I wonder if Rivian got a bad batch of 12V batteries… vampire drain makes sense too. I would be good to know if there’s a way we can avoid the problem by making a change in “normal operation”

 

[R1Sky Business]

I just scheduled my 3rd service appointment for our R1S at the Rivian service center. After waiting 3 1/2 years for the truck, we finally took delivery just 7 months ago. The drama we’ve had with the vehicle since delivery has been time consuming, unexpected and disappointing to say the very least.

We love the styling and performance of the vehicle but now we wonder if and when it will break down again?!

Here’s a summary of the problems we’ve had.

When we picked up the R1S 7 months ago, we were so excited to see the new truck and the beauty of its styling, that honestly both of us overlooked the poor attention to detail in the fit and finish of the doors and rear hatch. The driver door wouldn’t close without slamming, the molding pieces on both sides of the vehicle were either too short or too long, and the rear hatch stuck out from the body almost a half an inch on the left side and was caved-in on the right side. Most rear hatches, fit flush against the side body. Rivian service center could not do much to fix the body and molding issues, and the front driver door still needs to be slammed. This was our 1st visit for service.

I scheduled our 2nd visit to the service center when I noticed a pool of fluid underneath the truck. At first I thought it might be air-conditioning fluid/condensation but when I received a notification on the driver display about coolant, I checked the liquid a second time, and it was not water but battery coolant fluid. It leaked in a large pool under the truck and it was not drivable. Rivian hired a flat-bed tow truck to pick it up and it was taken for service to repair the leak. The repair took them a week in part because they cut the air-suspension hoses while making the repairs.

I just scheduled our 3rd appointment for service today. I received notification yesterday of the 12V battery requiring maintenance. I worked with Rivian remotely to soft reset and hard reset the vehicle but the issue has NOT been resolved. The truck is scheduled to be serviced in 10 days. We hope the truck doesn’t BRICK before the appointment.

I never expected I’d have these types of problems with a brand new truck. We owned a Tesla prior to this purchase, and it gave us zero problems. I’m very disappointed in the maintenance needed and the reliability of the R1S. I’m tired of scheduling service appointments and I wonder how many other Rivian owners out there have had similar problems…

Early adopter

 

[TancapTrisha]

My experience has been pretty much the opposite (Tesla vs Rivian), but I've only had my R1S a few months. My R1S has only had one issue so far, some fasteners were loose in the hood.

My early production Model 3 was a mess at delivery. The delivery had to be delayed a few months due to having serious assembly issues that weren't discovered until it was being prepared for delivery. Even after that it had numerous rattle and squeak issues from day 1 that were never completely resolved, panel alignment was mediocre, driver's side window wouldn't stay calibrated, turn stalk issues, steering wheel squeaks, early on the center console would either automatically reset or periodically require a manual reset and it went through 12V batteries at least once every 2 years I owned it. Except for the battery and some squeaks and rattles that only occurred in a particular temperature range the other issues were solved, but it was one of the reasons I was more than willing to wait for my R1S. At the end of the day, I still feel my Model 3 was the best overall vehicle I had owned up until my R1S despite the rough start. Maybe I'm more forgiving because the Jeeps I owned previously generally had poor build quality and terrible reliability?

Early production vehicles from new car companies seem to be plagued with inconsistent quality issues even if they are well engineered and designed. Mass production of something as complex as an automobile is hard. It is one of the reasons legacy auto manufacturers should have a huge advantage in their transition to electric.

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