So disappointed in Rivian to leave me stranded with a dead battery

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Can Rivian improve their Roadside Assitance

Was your Rivian actually dead on the side of the road, or was it parked safely somewhere? That changes the behavior, as it's not an emergency anymore if it's just dead in a parking lot. Roadside won't handle it.

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[portdirect]

See below.

R1T + R1S Tow Operator Guide - for gen2 jumping does power the doors Still will be fun to see the battery replacement process beyond there. It notes that the fronts seats can be moved when only the 12v is powered on gen2, so perhaps it can be done without seat removal?

 

[Riviot]

Ok... Trying to figure out your situation. You either have an older Gen 1 with 2 12v batteries, and when you say your main and aux battery died, those are the ones you're referring to??

Or are you saying you depleted your main HV battery, and as a result, your 12v battery died as well, now you can't access the vehicle to then put the vehicle on a level 2? charger???

If it's a 12v issue and you need to get into the vehicle, jump start it using the leads in the rear of the vehicle (in the manual) to gain access, and put your vehicle on a level 2 or better charger.

With regards to the service appointment, typically they need to confirm with your local service center if and when there is room for a high priority repair. Often the initial booking is a place holder until such time as the service center can find a slot, or shuffle appointments around to fit you in.

If their call/ticket was as vague as the OP, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't prioritize. Need more info, pics, etc.

 

[Yota2R1T]

Dubious post.
OP, there are some important details you need to clarify, as others have highlighted.

 

[risingphoenix]

I'm not even sure what "main and auxiliary battery" means. There is a HV battery. There is 1 (or 2 if you have an early Gen 1 vehicle) 12V battery that controls the computer/BMS. As others have pointed out, we need more detail to help here. There are plenty of guides on this forum with detailed instructions about accessing and charging/changing the 12V battery or batteries.

 

[NY_Rob]

IIRC, Rivian has recently "revised" their policy regarding 12V battery field replacements.

In the past they had mobile service perform the replacements where possible, but it seems they now prefer to have the vehicle serviced at a proper SC so they can run diagnostic tests to determine if there are vehicle issues that caused the 12v batt(s) to die.

We have seen quite a few posts in this forum where owners had their 12V batt(s) replaced by mobile service only to find the new 12v batt(s) dead a couple of days later.

 

[2kwik4u]

Still not simple and straightforward as an ICE vehicle. For e.g. when this happened to me I couldn't "pop the hood" like I could in an ICE vehicle. I know there is a manual release somewhere around the charging port....but agian my point is just that it is not as simpe as an ICE vehicle which is what most people are used to prior to switching to Rivian

my ICE was arguably more difficult than this. batteries were under the passenger footwell, and I had to use a screwdriver to gain access to the key hole, then use the key in the fob to gain access. Then had to manually open the passenger door.

 

[Megaman0025]

Do these cars use regular lead acid batteries or are they lithium ion batteries like my model 3 has or my boat is using?

 

[Doc]

Do these cars use regular lead acid batteries or are they lithium ion batteries like my model 3 has or my boat is using?

The OEM ones are lead acid.

 

[NY_Rob]

Do these cars use regular lead acid batteries or are they lithium ion batteries like my model 3 has or my boat is using?

They are tiny 16Ah sealed valve AGM lead acid batts.

 

[Seano]

Sorry the the original poster - hopefully vehicle is at home? I do think this points to a bigger issue of being able to check the 12v batt from time to time to catch it before it fails. Seems to me from reading the boards that by the time the car alerts (if at all) the 12v is almost done.

I don't love the battery location on the G2, but as @2kwik4u pointed out, plenty of ice cars put the batts in difficult to reach places: we've had them similar to the Gen1 (up near windshield), under the rear seats and in the trunk area.

We had a similar situation on our Gen1: a bad 12v battery notice (@ 9 months/~ 9k mi) , left for 3 week vacation and for some reason didn't plug it in. Super hot summer time with an afternoon cooling schedule running... ran the big batts to 0% and the 12v was dead too. Rivian did come out and replace with mobile service, but the tech could not get anything to open by jumping (leads near hitch). Tech had to dissemble the fender well to get to a manual frunk release (might be nice to just extend this into the cab!). Replaced the 12v and with the car on the charger... woke right up, charged right up and everything was fine.

 

[FrankieJ]

I was traveling and my Rivian R1S battery died, both the main and the auxiliary, died. I called Rivian for urgent assistance to help me replace the auxiliary battery so that I can get into the car and charge my car and get back on the road. I can't even unlock and get into the car right now. They gave me an appointment for 2/28, over 2 weeks away, with their mobile service to replace the aux battery. In the the meantime, I don't have a car! Their support tells me that they treat dead battery as a higher priority but they have not been able to give me an earlier appointment! This is really frustrating as a car owner! Rivian has to treat these situations urgently when a car battery dies. Can't just treat it as business as usual. Very disappointed in the Rivian service. Can Rivian improve their Roadside Assitance to help stranded car owners with a stronger sense of urgency when their car battery dies? Can you improve your response time for dead battery situations?

Did you ask for a rental car?

 

[lefkonj]

12V can be jumped from connectors by the trailer hitch. If that doesn't work then it drained the HV battery as well. Rivian service has always done right by customers but you haven't provided enough information other to complain things are down.

When my 12v died Rivian towed it to the service center and paid for my rental. Worked out great and my vehicle was back and rolling shortly there after.

 

[freshpow]

You should absolutely be able to get it serviced ASAP (within a few days) given that your vehicle is dead. If you’re having trouble getting with customer service, ask them to connect you directly with the staff at your local service center as they tend to be a lot more reasonable and capable in terms of resolving these types of issues. Alternatively, if you have AAA or covered towing through your insurance provider I’d recommend getting it towed right to the SC and then call them to tell them it’s there and you’d like your vehicle back on the road. I did this last year and they took care of it within a few hours of arriving at the SC. Goes without saying but it also helps to be kind to the customer service people that you speak with.

 

[defcon888]

We had a 12v battery issue. I called and they gave me an appointment for 2+ weeks out....that was the official. By then end of the day I called, they called me back and arranged for a mobile appointment for 2 days later. If you 12v is dead, that only takes less than an hour to replace.....if it is the BIG battery....well, that is another animal right there.

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