YET ANOTHER 12V battery fail thread

[Steve A.]

I think we’ve had this discussion before, but what booster packs have enough capacity to get the truck fully started up, as opposed to just enough to unlock the doors?

Well, may take 2 booster packs. One for each battery. There are booster packs with lots of CCAs for diesel trucks et al.

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[NY_Rob]

R1S w/12xxx VIN 25,291 miles and 174 miles to empty delivered 6/16/2923. SMH


Explain to me again why I got ZERO warnings beforehand ...

Because there are two kinds of Rivian batteries my friend..
Ones that have failed!
Ones that have not failed yet!

 

[bhopkins]

You never noticed it taking longer than usual when trying to start it? If the battery is the root cause, then you can tell 100% of the time beforehand if you start it on a daily basis; i.e. if it hasn't been sitting for weeks.

I disagree. I’ve had two 12v battery failures in ICE vehicles where there was. O warning. It can and does happen. Not saying Rivian can’t do better, but sudden failures of 12v batteries can and does happen.

 

[R1 EVY]

Explain to me again why I got ZERO warnings beforehand and why the battery pack can't charge the 12V battery?

I just think it would be such an easy fix to engineer a monitoring solution for the battery with an indicator when the battery reached a certain threshold.

I'm not an engineer, but my younger brother won a mortal combat trophy when he was 10.

 

[Autolycus]

Well, may take 2 booster packs. One for each battery. There are booster packs with lots of CCAs for diesel trucks et al.

I haven’t made absolutely sure, but I believe I have a build from after they switched to a single battery plus capacitor. Although I’m not sure it matters anyway. It doesn’t need to fill the battery, right? It just needs to have enough charge to get the system up and charging the 12V off the HV batteries.

 

[Steve A.]

I disagree. I’ve had two 12v battery failures in ICE vehicles where there was. O warning. It can and does happen. Not saying Rivian can’t do better, but sudden failures of 12v batteries can and does happen.

Note the key disclaimer to my assertion. "if you start it on a daily basis." Sure. If it isn't started for a month there may not be any warning, or if some other electrical issue causes one or more cells to short out, but 99 times out of a 100 a normal observant ICE driver who starts it 5+ times per week will notice it taking longer than usual before it goes bad.

 

[bhopkins]

Note the key disclaimer to my assertion. "if you start it on a daily basis." Sure. If it isn't started for a month there may not be any warning, or if some other electrical issue causes one or more cells to short out, but 99 times out of a 100 a normal observant ICE driver who starts it 5+ times per week will notice it taking longer than usual before it goes bad.

Both time it happened, cars (two different cars, two totally different time frames) were being used as a daily driver. Both times, I had driven to a store, went in, and came back out to a dead battery. My point is, batteries can and do suddenly die due to internal shorts. Yes, Rivian can and should do better on monitoring 12v battery health, but sometimes, things fail without warning.

 

[simpsonhomer]

What ends up being the root cause of all these 12V problems? Is it really just bad batteries? Is it the DC-DC charging system? A short somewhere? Something else? I see more and more of these problems occurring, but I can't find many follow-ups.

My Rivian also suddenly died several days ago—with zero prior warning, only a message in the app afterwards telling me to replace the 12V battery. It completely lost power and had to be towed to the SC. They haven't gotten around to looking at it yet, but I'm curious to know if simply replacing the 12V batter(ies) is the long-term solution.

This whole process is ridiculously expensive for Rivian (and a terrible inconvenience for customers). 12V error occurs and bricks the car, Rivian pays for flatbed tow truck, Rivian pays for rental, car sits in SC lot for days/weeks before it's checked, battery is replaced, car is returned to customer. And that assumes the problem was solely in the 12V battery, and that the customer's vehicle and property weren't damaged in the process.

 

[Steve A.]

What ends up being the root cause of all these 12V problems? Is it really just bad batteries? Is it the DC-DC charging system? A short somewhere? Something else? I see more and more of these problems occurring, but I can't find many follow-ups.

My Rivian also suddenly died several days ago—with zero prior warning, only a message in the app afterwards telling me to replace the 12V battery. It completely lost power and had to be towed to the SC. They haven't gotten around to looking at it yet, but I'm curious to know if simply replacing the 12V batter(ies) is the long-term solution.

This whole process is ridiculously expensive for Rivian (and a terrible inconvenience for customers). 12V error occurs and bricks the car, Rivian pays for flatbed tow truck, Rivian pays for rental, car sits in SC lot for days/weeks before it's checked, battery is replaced, car is returned to customer. And that assumes the problem was solely in the 12V battery, and that the customer's vehicle and property weren't damaged in the process.

Only speculation, but who knows how long these batteries were sitting on the shelf when the supplier sold them to Rivian who's been looking to cut costs? If this was the case that they went for cheapest supplier then it's just another case of *penny-wise, pound-foolish*.

From what I understand though, same 12V issues w/ other EV makers incl. Tesla who I hear switched to lithium 14V or something.

 

[IGR]

There is another way to open front trunk if battery is dead:

I am pretty sure this will sound the alarm if someone tries this maliciously, but I don't keeps anything valuable in there because of this anyways.

 

[GatorRiv]

What ends up being the root cause of all these 12V problems? Is it really just bad batteries? Is it the DC-DC charging system? A short somewhere? Something else? I see more and more of these problems occurring, but I can't find many follow-ups.

My Rivian also suddenly died several days ago—with zero prior warning, only a message in the app afterwards telling me to replace the 12V battery. It completely lost power and had to be towed to the SC. They haven't gotten around to looking at it yet, but I'm curious to know if simply replacing the 12V batter(ies) is the long-term solution.

This whole process is ridiculously expensive for Rivian (and a terrible inconvenience for customers). 12V error occurs and bricks the car, Rivian pays for flatbed tow truck, Rivian pays for rental, car sits in SC lot for days/weeks before it's checked, battery is replaced, car is returned to customer. And that assumes the problem was solely in the 12V battery, and that the customer's vehicle and property weren't damaged in the process.

I am one of the brickees who started one of the threads.

In my case the Miami service center was very responsive and courteous. Extraction from parking garage via tow truck was the main drama. They swapped battery in a couple hours and I was on my way.

I asked many questions and they just insisted it was the battery.

Then 5 days later (and just after latest OTA update) I got the 12v warning (which I was grateful for because I didn't get that the first time). Anyhow, back it went and they just said bad battery again. That second time they held onto it for 4 days and "monitored it".

I tried to say that was implausible that I had back to back bad batteries but that is what they said. They said they looked at the inverter thingamajig and it was fine.

But.....do I trust it fully now? No. I'm fine to drive it but wouldn't bring on a road trip currently or send my wife out in it. At same time, I irrationally still love the truck and preach about it all the time.

 

[dradam]

While I have had no issues with the battery in my four months of ownership. I’ve been monitoring these threads and trying to come up with a back up plan just in case.

At present, I keep a small tool kit in the trailer hitch. A torx 20 and 25. That could get me into the frunk If I could not charge the battery or open the door/frunk from the rear emergency connectors.

I have an inexpensive ratchet set in the frunk So that I could either jump or Replace my single 12 V as described on the Ohmmu website If needed. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet to purchase two of those batteries, they’re expensive, one to keep in the frunk and one in my garage. If the OEM battery fails, I would then swap in in the Ommhu. This battery does not need venting and is sealed and I’ve spoken with the company. It could stay on its side so it would fit under the floor of the lower frunk.

I would probably top off this battery with a small charger about every six months.

It is my understanding that Rivian is now through their software, giving more warnings about 12 V prior to failure. I don’t know why they don’t put a continuous monitor on the vehicle screen. You can see the 12 V status in the RIDE menu, but that is a pain to get into.

Appreciate any comments, but that’s my plan for the moment. I hope I will never need it.

 

[TTedP]

TBF, 12V drain was also an issue on the Alfa I owned. It was all over the forums but I didn't experience it in my 3yrs of ownership.

But... reading stuff like this and the hassles that come with sparse service centers + long waits, has me thinking it might just be better to put the Ohmmu LFP replacement in? I have a newer build and would only need one. Question is do it proactively or wait.

https://www.ohmmu.com/product-page/12v-lithium-battery-for-r1t-r1s

 

[IGR]

I would advise against LiFePO4 (LFP) chemistry if you live in area where temperature drops frequently below freezing. It will severely shorten its lifespan, and may actually fail sooner than regular SLA battery.
A better choice would be LiFeYPO4 which good down to -45 degrees.

I had a supplemental LFP battery in my previous car to run dashcam 24/7, and it's capacity dropped by 20% after 2 winter seasons in NJ.

 

[majorfriend]

While I have had no issues with the battery in my four months of ownership. I’ve been monitoring these threads and trying to come up with a back up plan just in case.

At present, I keep a small tool kit in the trailer hitch. A torx 20 and 25. That could get me into the frunk If I could not charge the battery or open the door/frunk from the rear emergency connectors.

I have an inexpensive ratchet set in the frunk So that I could either jump or Replace my single 12 V as described on the Ohmmu website If needed. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet to purchase two of those batteries, they’re expensive, one to keep in the frunk and one in my garage. If the OEM battery fails, I would then swap in in the Ommhu. This battery does not need venting and is sealed and I’ve spoken with the company. It could stay on its side so it would fit under the floor of the lower frunk.

I would probably top off this battery with a small charger about every six months.

It is my understanding that Rivian is now through their software, giving more warnings about 12 V prior to failure. I don’t know why they don’t put a continuous monitor on the vehicle screen. You can see the 12 V status in the RIDE menu, but that is a pain to get into.

Appreciate any comments, but that’s my plan for the moment. I hope I will never need it.

I'm considering the same thing, but in my case the contactors in the HV battery were stuck open and drawing down the 12v batteries. Even if I could replace the 12v I wouldn't have been back on the road because the truck was throwing a critical battery issue error for the high voltage battery and wouldn't go into drive.

You can get into the truck with jumper cables and any vehicle.

I suppose this would work if it truly is just a 12v battery issue, but I wonder how frequently these 12v failures occur without warning because a 12v battery dies vs how frequently this is occurring because of the contactor issue. If it is the latter then you're going to need a tow truck either way....

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