Don’t buy a Rivian and why?

[rivianfun]

I want to feel involved in this conversation. That's it, let me know if I succeeded.

Well just complain about me and you have succeeded, I feel special that people are so hinged for a simple post. I was in know way thinking I was going to unhinge peeps. I literally almost peed my pants laughing so hard because they were unhinged. I have been accused of posting something horrible . Dish yourself up some pie!

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[SASSquatch]

I think many owners agree Service is the most frustrating aspect of owning a Rivian currently. Even Tesla lets you speak directly with the SC Service Writer (or whatever they refer to them as) and it definitely makes getting to the actual issue a lot easier and the two-way back and forth between two humans is faster and can convey much more then one person typing to an AI host.

I don't see Rivian changing their mode of operation any time soon, but who knows? Once the R2 floodgates open and repairs are needed, if the SC experience/frustration starts to boil over and draws lots of attention, things may possibly change?

Change or things reach a tipping point where Rivian collapses. I have always worried about service. It is the achilles heel of Rivian and I don't think they have done even close to enough to deal with it before scaling up volume production of R2 vehicles. The existing problems, if not addressed, will be exacerbated with R2 and spell doom for Rivian.

 

[DrBluey]

Best car ever. Best service centers ever for in my opinion. You don’t like the car, move on. Plenty more cars in this world. Not every car is made for every person.

 

[Riviot]

Did this one come first?

 

[picasso]

FWIW my experience with our Lyriq has been dismal and complete opposite than that with Rivian.

About three months now into our ownership, the Lyriq stopped connecting to Onstar or the phone app, radio stopped working, no longer recognized home charger, etc. The issues could not be addressed remotely and Caddy's guide told us had to be taken in for service. My wife took it to a dealer which is conveniently close to her work place. Was given a Lyft to go to work (not too far away, about 30m walk, but on a busy hwy with no sidewalk) was told they would have the car done by end of the day, and scheduled a Lyft to take her back at the end of her workday. Driver never showed up, calls to dealer (since she was told scheduling had to go through them) never got picked up, so she walked to the place only to be told that the car was not done yet. Lyft to home would mean a wait of more than an hour, so she called me and I went to pick her up, about 15miles one way. Next morning same deal, she was supposed to be picked up by a Lyft to go to work but driver never showed up, I could not give her a ride but a friend luckily stepped in , she arrived late, and fuming, at work. End of that day, no Lyft again, walked to the dealer and was given the car back. They did not fix the problem, she was told they had to order a part, all they did was a hard reset (which the guide advised not to do on my own, after I searched the Lyriq forum for troubleshooting) and that they would give us call to reschedule. Never heard back from them since three weeks ago. We've been using the car as is, scheduled an appointment with the dealer we bought the car from, about 30miles from our place, the first time I can take time off work to take the car there, ie. next week. Overall experience so far? Like I said, dismal. Compared to Rivian? We were always given a loaner/rental and always with prompt communication.

So yeah, not all SC are created equal and neither are dealers, even for the so-called "luxury" cars (heck, with our previous Honda Odyssey we were promptly given an Accord loaner when they had to keep the van overnight).

 

[nyckkr]

First off the car is not a lot of car for the value but most brands can have this issue. The number one reason is communication or lack of any sort of communication at any level. Service centers have no way to call them same with the sales department. There is only one way to communicate with them and that is the main number. This is from sales to services issues. They know nothing, the excuse that this is better for everyone and what everyone wants. I can’t wait to get rid of this car. It has lots of bugs that need constant fixing. A lot of people ask me how I like the Rivian and I tell them to stay away. Communication is the most cheapest service any company or someone can provide and it costs you nothing!!!!
If you want frustration and a headache buy one, if you don’t want that don’t buy one.

Our 2025 TRI R1S has been into service for a motor failure, on-road sudden shutdown 6 times since Sep 2025, the last time was last week. 12V battery replaced 4 times, HV battery replaced, part of the wiring rack replaced etc etc. Iselin NJ Service has been the redeeming feature - responsive and considerate. Contacting them via app messaging has been seamless and they call you back directly - recommended way vs calling service number and them trying to connect you. They have facilitated after hours pickups and drop offs of the loaners. .

The Gen 2 Tri and the Quad are not great (not bad, but not great) values, but the dual is the best in its class - Ice or EV. We got to drive the Gen 2 Dual as a loaner several times over the last several months, so now have experienced the entire range.

This is our third Rivian (the other two were / are Gen 1 Quads) and did not have any issues. Sometimes, you just get the short straw...

Our previous vehicles were LR4 and Range Rover, so we have experience with these kind of vehicles.
We perhaps should have stayed away from the first year of a new model as we did with all our vehicles before, but we wouldn't hesitate to buy a Rivian again - Service center experience is one of the reasons.

 

[SwampNut]

6 times since Sep 2025

Lemon, make them replace it.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but at the time of purchase, did you not know that you were buying a first or second-generation vehicle from a new automaker, that they were selling online instead of through local dealerships, and that SCs were limited and still figuring things out? I have been through my local SC several times, and while I'd love the experience of a legacy automaker with a local dealership, I still feel my R1 is the most ridiculously sick thing that I've ever owned.
Life is too short to let a vehicle cause you so much angst; just sell it and get something with the service experience you're expecting and would be happy with. Maybe a Volvo EX90? Of course, all EVs depreciate too much, but the Rivians are better than most EVs, and anyone who can afford an R1 can afford to take a small resale/transfer hit to get into something that actually brings them joy. Best of luck on your journey to find another vehicle that you enjoy!

While I think you need to go in eyes wide open, the difference is that Rivian told people it would be OK. Eg, Rivian would be able to do a lot with remote service, but that ended up being oversold.

So, while I agree that you have to expect hiccups, it’s another thing when you are told things would happen, when they did not for some folks.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

So yeah, not all SC are created equal and neither are dealers, even for the so-called "luxury" cars (heck, with our previous Honda Odyssey we were promptly given an Accord loaner when they had to keep the van overnight).

Absolutely true. Sometimes, it’s the luck of the draw. My local Ford dealer does everything white glove. My car is picked up for service. It’s dropped off afterwards. They communicate by text very proactively. But I can’t imagine that is the case for many people with Fords lol

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