12v battery created $100k brick

[BUFFinHI]

On outer island and 12v battery died so dead vehicle. Have a replacement in hand but was told if I replacement it the warranty is void. Read a lot about people replacing these with aftermarket as the life of them is poor at best on OEM version. So far best I have got for replacement date is my already scheduled 7500mile maintenance appointment of March 27. That will be 24 days from the issue happening.
Might be time to cancel R2 reservation and sell R1S if service in hawaiian outer islands will be this poor

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[CANCERDOC]

Can they tow you to the service center if you have one on your island?

 

[Riviot]

How about changing battery to make it work, then day before your appointment, change with the dead one?

 

[BUFFinHI]

Can they tow you to the service center if you have one on your island?

On the big island so on mobile techs from Oahu.

 

[BUFFinHI]

How about changing battery to make it work, then day before your appointment, change with the dead one?

I did think of that but found out the vehicle somehow knows if you change it. I did the 12v Jumpstart procedure to get into the vehicle and they saw that on the error codes uploaded under the temporary power. After they do the change, if no other issues, I'm changing to a LiPo battery. Just need to make sure there isn't more wrong.

 

[mikehmb]

I did think of that but found out the vehicle somehow knows if you change it. I did the 12v Jumpstart procedure to get into the vehicle and they saw that on the error codes uploaded under the temporary power. After they do the change, if no other issues, I'm changing to a LiPo battery. Just need to make sure there isn't more wrong.

Did the jump allow you to operate it?

Apparently you'll need considerable (and sustained) juice to get the truck to turn itself back on, but if the 12V isn't actually toast (just flat) then the HV should bring it back to life once it's awake.

 

[BUFFinHI]

Did the jump allow you to operate it?

Apparently you'll need considerable (and sustained) juice to get the truck to turn itself back on, but if the 12V isn't actually toast (just flat) then the HV should bring it back to life once it's awake.

I totally drained one boost pack then hooked to my Tundra with a deep cell optima battery with vehicle running and let sit for 20 minutes. Still wouldn't start computers fully. Could open doors and charge port but that's about it. Immediately when I removed power everything died again.

 

[mikehmb]

I totally drained one boost pack then hooked to my Tundra with a deep cell optima battery with vehicle running and let sit for 20 minutes. Still wouldn't start computers fully. Could open doors and charge port but that's about it. Immediately when I removed power everything died again.

There's a thread here somewhere that covers off a reasonable procedure to bring it back to life, but it definitely requires a higher boost than a standard jump. I'll try to located it and re-post here. You may have better luck searching than I do.

 

[Miketz]

On outer island and 12v battery died so dead vehicle. Have a replacement in hand but was told if I replacement it the warranty is void. Read a lot about people replacing these with aftermarket as the life of them is poor at best on OEM version. So far best I have got for replacement date is my already scheduled 7500mile maintenance appointment of March 27. That will be 24 days from the issue happening.
Might be time to cancel R2 reservation and sell R1S if service in hawaiian outer islands will be this poor

I have had the same experience with my R1S. It happened within the second month of ownership and has been the one and only issue during my 2 years of ownership. I parked the car in the garage the night before with everything working. The next morning the car was dead as a doornail. I managed to open one side of the car and the frunk by connecting a 12V power to the 12V connection wires next to the tow hitch. After getting the frunk open, I tried charging the 12V directly but it would not hold a charge. In my case, I was lucky. Rivian sent someone over the same day to the house who replaced the battery and everything has been perfect ever since. Not sure on what basis Rivian can void a warranty if an owner replaces an item that is considered to be consumable. Had Rivian not replaced my battery so fast I would have done it myself.

 

[therealcmj]

They can’t (and won’t) void a warranty for replacing a 12V battery. That’s just FUD.

 

[Antonio]

I love my rivians, but I do think that this is a huge issue. How is it possible that a dead 12v battery would leave you stranded without a car for more than 20 days, unless you are willing to void your warranty. I’ve had dead batteries in several cars in the past (never on a car that would be less than 3 years old), and I’ve been able to get back on the road with a brand new battery within a couple of hours each time. So far my two rivians have been perfect, but I can’t imagine how frustrating this situation must be.

 

[BUFFinHI]

They said if I change it and when the car comes back to life, if there are any other issues, computer or something bad, it wouldn't be covered because they would assume it was from my action of changing the battery

 

[Danny Pink]

Assuming US, the Magnussen-Moss act would require Rivian to prove the aftermarket battery caused any issues. The burden of proof is on them.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Assuming US, the Magnussen-Moss act would require Rivian to prove the aftermarket battery caused any issues. The burden of proof is on them.

"Replacing the battery in the Rivian isn't as simple as swapping one out in an ICE vehicle. There's a precise procedure that, as far as I know, isn't widely published but has been pieced together by the community. If that process isn't followed correctly, you could find yourself in a situation where your warranty is at risk of being voided for damage to ancillary components."

 

[Zoidz]

"Replacing the battery in the Rivian isn't as simple as swapping one out in an ICE vehicle. There's a precise procedure that, as far as I know, isn't widely published but has been pieced together by the community. If that process isn't followed correctly, you could find yourself in a situation where your warranty is at risk of being voided for damage to ancillary components."

I watched the tech replace mine. He put the vehicle in service mode, unbolted the battery power connections, replaced battery, and reconnected. It was that “precise”.

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