3 day-old R1S died on freeway.

[Chris Reis]

My wife was driving at night on the freeway with three of our kids, and our 3 day-old R1S with < 500 miles flashed a bunch of warnings ("System fault detected", "Critical battery issue", "Electrical hazard possible") and rapidly slowed itself to a stop before shutting off. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but this was certainly a dangerous situation for all involved, as she was barely able to move out of the fast lane and was stopped with no lights in the middle of the night while waiting for help to arrive.

Thankfully Rivian SOS was responsive and helpful, stayed with my wife on the phone until towing arrived, arranged Uber credits, rental car, etc., but this obviously does not instill confidence in the car, and we're trying to decide if we should return it under the 7 day warranty.

Very sad, as we were so excited to take delivery after a 2 year wait.

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[Chris Reis]

Ours had the same issue. Rivian called immediately and all we had to do was restart the software and it worked. No towing necessary. It has been running g smoothly for 6 months.

Sorry that happened though

 

[Mathme]

This sucks and is alarming for sure but this is also why every new car has a warranty. The best thing to do in this case is call Rivian Roadside assistance and start the troubleshooting process with them. In some cases it can be reset over the phone while in others it requires a tow into a service center. If that's the case, Rivian is good with loaners/rentals while yours is being fixed.

 

[KCFGFE]

A question… from a guy still waiting for delivery of his Rivian. Does this mean when/if my Rivian dies with, let’s say, similar errors to these or the myriad of similar issues reported here in the Forum, that I will likely not even be able to run my flashing hazard lights on my disabled vehicle!? That had never occurred to me, and the possibility REALLY bothers me, and as the OP said…it could be incredibly dangerous! Say it ain’t so!

Wow that is a serious issue. I'm thinking you could at least place the flashlight on top of your vehicle so it can be visible at night. If only the flashlight had a blinking mode that would be even better in case of emergencies.

 

[defcon888]

We had a headlight system issue back in June (R1T was less that 3 weeks old). It took them about 3 weeks to fix it and have had ZERO issues.

The one thing that Rivian does well is fix the issues as fast as they can. People complain that speakers rattle, a littel wind noise etc. and expect it to be fixed the next day. Rivian will prioritize a dead battery, electrical issue ertc. over rattling speakers or wind.
Our speakers rattle when there is a lot of talking on the radio.....but wer can still drive the R1T.

We made an appointment back in September and the soonest appointment was Jan. 9th.....and we are OK with that.

 

[oskeei]

Only you can make the decision, BUT my S (late April 2023 build) has been in the shop for the critical battery error and for loose panel. After it was serviced, she has been great (knock on wood) for the last couple of months.

Quality consistency is still an issue and if you got it pre-hike price, it is (IMHO) a great deal for what you get.

 

[Tahoe Man]

I doubt asking this question on a Rivian forum is going to get you non biased replies. If it were me I'd grant whatever the wife wants to do.

 

[mkhuffman]

I doubt asking this question on a Rivian forum is going to get you non biased replies. If it were me I'd grant whatever the wife wants to do.

100%

 

[BluAussie]

We picked up my wife's dual motor max R1S last Friday and today (<3 days old) woke up with it dead. Service suspects it is the 12v but can't get anyone out till Wednesday.

To add, when we picked it up they pointed out a dent in the passenger quarter panel that they won't be able to repair till end of Jan.

I have been happy with my R1T for the past year but this recent experience has really put a wet blanket on my wife's excitement for her new car.

 

[Quick]

Curious - do they extend your 7-day return window if it spends half of it in the shop?

 

[EVsinROC]

There is a known defect with my Mustang Mach-e that can leave you stranded on the side of the road. It has been known for about two years, and just a few weeks ago Ford finally did a recall for it. Many, many MME owners have been stranded or experienced a less severe version of the failure that just reduces power. (I have not had the failure yet.)

The point is, even the established manufacturers can have similar issues. Personally I would make the decision based on how Rivian responds to the failure. If they work to get your problem resolved, I would keep it. I would probably keep it anyway just because your experience is rare, and once it is fixed you will probably never have another issue like that.

Do what is best for your family, of course! Good luck!

Would not classify for as an “established EV manufacturer.” Do these issues happen to Tesla’s, or are they an “established manufacturer” of EVs? Can’t wait for my R1S pre price hike and day 1 CT order. Let’s go EVs!

 

[user1234]

Number one question for every car companies. You will see this type of problems reported in every car forum of everry brand including Tesla.

Nope. Teslas aside this doesn’t happen as frequently as it is happening with Rivian.
Furthermore, there are few Rivians on the road today that Audis, Toyotas etc. Therefore such major issues among low vehicle population is concerning.

 

[LL75]

Nope. Teslas aside this doesn’t happen as frequently as it is happening with Rivian.
Furthermore, there are few Rivians on the road today that Audis, Toyotas etc. Therefore such major issues among low vehicle population is concerning.

How do you know that it doesn't happen frequently to other manufacturers? I see complaints on every forums that I am a member of l, including tesla.. My family is early tesla adopters and there are shit load of problems back then.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Nope. Teslas aside this doesn’t happen as frequently as it is happening with Rivian.
Furthermore, there are few Rivians on the road today that Audis, Toyotas etc. Therefore such major issues among low vehicle population is concerning.

Do people forget things like the Ford Pinto? Ford knew they exploded and burst into flames and left them anyways because of the cost of the recall. When people piss and moan about panel gaps and their trucks breaking acting like Rivian is some uniquely bad case it gets annoying.

Ford, an established manufacturer, let people burn to death to save money. Not to mention Ford, not Rivian, had the most recalls of any manufacturer last year. Rivian's quality is not unique and I've had lemons of many different manufacturers. So many production cars were seen to have "quirks" over the years yet so many people treat Rivian as if they are somehow unique in having known vehicle issues.

 

[LL75]

Do people forget things like the Ford Pinto? Ford knew they exploded and burst into flames and left them anyways because of the cost of the recall. When people piss and moan about panel gaps and their trucks breaking acting like Rivian is some uniquely bad case it gets annoying.

Ford, an established manufacturer, let people burn to death to save money. Not to mention Ford, not Rivian, had the most recalls of any manufacturer last year. Rivian's quality is not unique and I've had lemons of many different manufacturers. So many production cars were seen to have "quirks" over the years yet so many people treat Rivian as if they are somehow unique in having known vehicle issues.

forgive him. that is his first post in the forum !!!

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