Rivian Says Running Boards Negate Battery Warranty

[ridgetopview]

Yesterday there was a forum discussion about kneeling mode and the challenges of stepping in/out of the R1 and that running boards could be a solution to improve the experience. I mentioned that my delivery guide had emphasized that installing 3rd party running boards would negate the battery warranty. A couple people mentioned what I’d heard can’t be true, that it doesn’t make sense, so this morning I asked Rivian service and attached are screenshots of my conversation.

EDIT 12/22: This is a quick follow-up to my original inquiry. There were several wonderful anecdotes throughout this thread but EV Sportline's reply caught my attention. I pulled their response to the front in the event you might not have time to trek through all the comments.

guys, the chances of an OEM successfully denying an adjacent warranty (ie battery failed due to installation of running boards) due to the installation of aftermarket parts is practically zero. Rivian is 'new', but the automotive industry is not...federal law protects consumers and legacy OEM's have learned

I had a major battery / electrical failure on my R1T about 6 months ago. Truck obviously had our sliders on it, along with every other part we make. Rivian service was great, they towed the truck back to Altanta service station from out of state, over a holiday, and gave me a rental car. When I got home they swapped me to an R1S loaner, while they worked on my truck. They had my truck for 2 weeks, had to fly in engineers from Rivian HQ to diagnose the issue. Ended up a battery out exercise, and replaced high voltage fuses as well.

Never a peep about my various mods and sliders. AND they even had corporate Rivian design engineers in on the truck battery issue.

That said, different associates at different locations may say or act differently. Honesty, this is not just a Rivian thing, nor is it a new thing - I've been dealing with situations like this for 25 years in the automotive aftermarket. All OEMs / dealers can have unique cases. Cowboy service folks exist, across all brands.

Federal law exists to protect consumers against unjust warranty denials. Sometimes it takes some escalating with the OEM to get over any threats to deny.

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[GogglesPisano]

Take that with a grain of salt. No manufacturer is allowed to void the warranty on an aftermarket part unless it can be shown that the part is directly responsible for whatever item ends up needing warranty work.

Service centers in general can be very disconnected from official corporate policy. Unless someone from the corporate office states that running boards void warranties, I'm not buying their argument.

 

[jjswan33]

For the record they can say anything they want but if the modification (ie running board) didn’t cause any damage to the battery then they can not void your warranty.

As with any accessory if it causes damage then Rivian is well within their rights not to cover those repairs.

Also I would add that not all running boards/sliders on the market use the battery fasteners.

Edit: I should add that I talked to the SC about my rock sliders before I installed them. The only thing they told me is to make sure I use a TP55 and not a regular Torx. Apparently they had a few folks strip out the fasteners.

 

[Zoidz]

Never trust a guide to understand the legal nuances of warranty. They only know what they are told, or can lookup.

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975 states that a dealership must prove that aftermarket equipment caused the need for repairs before it can deny warranty coverage.

 

[teddyang]

Take that with a grain of salt. No manufacturer is allowed to void the warranty on an aftermarket part unless it can be shown that the part is directly responsible for whatever item ends up needing warranty work.

Service centers in general can be very disconnected from official corporate policy. Unless someone from the corporate office states that running boards void warranties, I'm not buying their argument.

The specific law to cite if this comes up at a service center is the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act

"Warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with the product in order to retain the warranty. This is commonly referred to as the "tie-in sales" provisions"

 

[Polar]

 

[COdogman]

Unless your guide is a contract lawyer I would not believe that. Even if they were I would question it.... They have to prove the modification caused damage to the battery. Automakers have been trying this for decades.

 

[usofrob]

not all running boards/sliders on the market use the battery fasteners

Does that mean that some do?
I can see how Rivian would at least be concerned about that. How heavy of proof do they need to have to demonstrate that the modification caused the issue? I mean if you put holes in the frame somewhere and it allowed moisture into places that wouldn't normally have it... "the battery cells failed due to environmental conditions". Aka, your running boards may have caused this problem...?

 

[moosehead]

 

[jjswan33]

Does that mean that some do?

Yes my understanding is most of the major offerings do but I don’t have a list.

 

[Dark-Fx]

If your modification directly causes damage to the component, then the warranty is going to end up voided. This is not a hard thing to understand.

 

[vista1984]

i guess whichever running boards can be removed before service, will be the best (are there any?).
battery is so expensive, I don't want to give rivian any excuses to void the battery warranty.

 

[cohall]

 

[JerseyGreens]

Does that mean that some do?
I can see how Rivian would at least be concerned about that. How heavy of proof do they need to have to demonstrate that the modification caused the issue? I mean if you put holes in the frame somewhere and it allowed moisture into places that wouldn't normally have it... "the battery cells failed due to environmental conditions". Aka, your running boards may have caused this problem...?

That battery pack is enclosed. It's not open to the elements after installing running boards. Simple answer is just to tape the holes shut before service.

@EV Sportline - please enter the chat...

 

[SSteveEV]

Added drag -> more battery cycles for fewer miles. Next post we will see is "Guide Says Driving with Windows Down Voids Battery Warranty"

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