What Actually Fails First in Real-World Rivian Ownership

[mkhuffman]

No please! Every vehicle I have been in with a camera instead of an analog mirror (Toyota being the worst) induces vertigo in me and LESS confidence in using it as the FOV is unnatural. Glad to hear RJ reiterate in a video I watched this week that it is the one thing he adamantly pushes back against with his designers.

My wife's Grand Cherokee has a mirror that is also a display for the rear camera. I only flip it to camera mode when I have something blocking the view out the back. I greatly prefer the mirror.

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[mkhuffman]

Probably my biggest annoyance is the volume control on the display.

It is a huge PIA to use. Of course I use the wheel on the steering wheel, but my wife frequently wants to turn down my music, or adjust the volume, and it is hard for her to get the volume level she wants.

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

No please! Every vehicle I have been in with a camera instead of an analog mirror (Toyota being the worst) induces vertigo in me and LESS confidence in using it as the FOV is unnatural. Glad to hear RJ reiterate in a video I watched this week that it is the one thing he adamantly pushes back against with his designers.

It’s true. Not only does it cause vertigo in some people you don’t have the same awareness of depth vs. a physical mirror. Digital rear view mirrors/rear cameras also seem to take a wider more zoomed out approach, which makes you think the vehicles are further back when they’re not. Sort of like the opposite of physical side view mirrors where objects appear closer. ‍

 

[DuoRivians]

I’ve had lots of mini failures. But the biggest one was the front suspension sagging, no longer lifting properly.

 

[CrazyOne]

Keyfob/PAAK is just stupid and unnecessary. If they could not get PAAK to work, they should go back to what legacy manufacturers are doing. My wife would rage about it for the first 2 years.

 

[shamoo]

I only have two minor complaints, if i can even call them that.

1. Edge case range anxiety. If I want to do some off roading, all the trails are 2+ hours away which means I have to drive there, use up valuable range, and charge up again before the trail which is usually far from chargers. Lots of areas in the SoCal/Nevada desert to play in, but limited for EVs since you have charging on the main highway ~100 miles apart in some areas.

2. Small quirks such as casting not working, Spotify screen showing blank, GPS randomly losing satellite view, weird ticking noise coming from speakers, charge door sometimes closing super fast, having to "wake" up the car to open the trunk (hit button twice), suspension adjustments randomly, lower plastic trim tough to clean without expensive cleaning products (vs. water and soap), terrible camp speaker that I had "fixed" twice and has NEVER once worked since I bought it, etc.

#2 bugs me, but not to the point I'm a complainer (yet).

I had my fun in the Rivian but if the Scout turns out to be good, I'll get that. Otherwise I might move to something else (4Runner TRD Pro/Trailhunter, GX550 Overtrail+, LX700h Overtrail, maybe even GWagon or Defender Octa), we'll see.

 

[Southern R1S]

Biggest (and main) annoyance to me is the dash rattle. Going in for service soon and hope they can do something to fix (or at least minimize) that.

Otherwise, by 3 years & 38k miles of ownership have been trouble and service free.

 

[Jeff B.]

Had a rear drive unit failure on my quad early in my ownership. Fixed under warranty, but had to limp back to my house and the truck was virtually undriveable after that, so it had to be towed to the service center. That was an eye opener and my first how expensive is that to fix when out of warranty.

 

[CANCERDOC]

Post seems written by AI to be honest.

Common R1 failure points
1) 12V battery
2) Air suspension
3) Half shafts
4) Trim pieces, weatherstripping (esp rear hatch)
5) Bad alignment from the factory > premature tire wear
6) HVAC drain leading to "don't drive through deep water" bricking
7) Immediate drive off the lot issues like motor failures, battery failures, unable to charge

Common new owner issues
1) Not understanding how to charge, understand charge rates, how to optimize charging
2) Not buying their own pucks
3) Adapting to a screen only (no buttons!) interface

I love my R1S but if Riviancare were offered in California, I would be their first customer.

 

[MoreTrout]

The first thing to fail for me when I got it 3 years ago was the desire to own a future vehicle from any other manufacturer. Still feel that way.

 

[AllInev]

There’s a lot of talk about range and performance.

From what we see, the first “pain points” aren’t mechanical. They’re practical.

• Small cosmetic wear that adds up
• Lifting equipment confidence
• Tire pressure inconsistencies after rotations
• Minor annoyances that turn into daily friction

One customer told us the first thing that bothered him wasn’t range. It was realizing he didn’t have a proper roadside setup if he needed it.

Ownership comfort isn’t about big mods.

It’s about removing small stress points.

Curious what your first “this is annoying” moment was.

— Team Electruck

Let’s see. Where to begin?

* 12v battery dying and bricking the vehicle.
* HV heater failing and bricking the vehicle.
* Needing to replace the entire front drive unit.
* Rain water filling the front passenger door
* Needing to replace a cracked front sub frame.
* Tonneau cover jamming open
* Front passenger window refusing to close
* Replacing a dead Camp Speaker, twice.
* $16k body repair for a large dent in the rear fender panel.

A few other minor issues, overall no problems. In short, the most expensive and least reliable new vehicle I ever purchased.

 

[Rade]

This is my second winter with my R1T, and at almost at 11k miles. The truck has not offered up much more than nits; things that a soft or hard reboot could not correct. I officially have several scratches in the paint (it's a TRUCK, it gets used as a TRUCK), but I bought the paint stick kit from the gear shop and have touched up those when discovered.

The fit and finish are good. Paint still looks great when I have the opportunity to put a coating of wax on it.

I REALLY wish it had a better, larger clock and larger font, or the ability to move the clock closer to the drivers side of the center console. Somewhere I can see it from the drivers seat.

 

[narmstrong79]

I at the Rivian service center now, Battery recall. The other guy here is being told he needs brakes at 55k miles. Seems odd. He's being quoted a Brake replacement @$1400 ..YIKES

 

[Space Cowboy]

I've only had it a short time but the first annoying thing was how loud the heat pump is while parked inside my garage and I am not in the truck. Fortunately from inside the truck, it's not that noticeable.

Once or twice the truck did not automatically unlock when I walked up to it. Had to pull my phone out to use the app to unlock it.

My god I wish mine wouldn't unlock. Mine unlocks from in the living room, if I'm walking anywhere in the house adjacent to the garage which is pretty much everywhere. May need to turn off remote entry. First world problem indeed.

 

[Space Cowboy]

I at the Rivian service center now, Battery recall. The other guy here is being told he needs brakes at 55k miles. Seems odd. He's being quoted a Brake replacement @$1400 ..YIKES

For four rotors/pads? seems market to me unless using a small local shop.

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