Bad Drive Unit, 9th time for service. This makes EV's look bad.

[DD4ST]

I just double checked, and I'm now guessing you have a Bosch quad motor if it's a 2023...sorry either way, man. Understandable to be frustrated. It will be easy to forget once it is back in your hands, though.

In 2023 (I also have a 23 R1T Dual) the motors were in-house Enduro (oil-cooled) in the Duals. The Quads still had the Bosch (water-cooled) motors.

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[Luxus]

Not to discount your issues, but you've obviously never owned a Chevy.

GM used to be near and dear to my heart so I just want to bring up that a LOT of automakers had tons of recalls recently on some of their engines including Toyota. Without getting into the weeds it has to do with using too thin oil for fuel economy reasons.

To the OP, 9 service/warranty visits does suck. If every visit was on the drive motor, you should look into what your state's lemon laws are. If not, well at least they are fixing the issues under warranty. Vehicles with multiple issues in its early life unfortunately happens, even with the legacy automakers. You won (or maybe lost is the better term) the lottery.

 

[beatle]

Obviously you've never owned a Toyota. I have a 2017 Camry hybrid that I picked up used a year ago. Allowing for older technology, everything works great. I never have to stand by my car looking dumb for a minute while it decides to open the door. I only have to touch the handle and it unlocks. Incidentally, does your body or hand block the signal from the remote. Sometimes it acts like it's never going to unlock and then it works when I take my hand out of my pocket or turn so the remote faces the car. Also I can't get my keycard to work, I don't need it much. Little aggravations add up when you use a car everyday.

Not saying those issues aren't annoying, especially as I've had them myself as well, but they don't have anything to do with the powertrain which you mentioned in your first post.

Sounds like you have one EV-specific issue (motor) and 8 new technology issues.

 

[CharonPDX]

You'd think the Rivian "drive units" (motors) should last the life of the vehicle.

They should. There are multiple Rivians with over 100,000 miles with no major powertrain problems.

You happen to have a unit that has a problem. This happens with ICE vehicles, too. It's the reason "lemon laws" exist. In 33 years of vehicle ownership, 14 total vehicles, I have had two ICE vehicles with less than 100,000 miles have complete powertrain failures requiring towing to a shop. One was under warranty, the other was a short-warranty, and was out of warranty. That one required a full engine replacement. (The one still under warranty was a 2004 Toyota (which later had another major powertrain fault out of warranty at ~185,000 miles,) the out-of-warranty was an 1992 Subaru, that was four years old when it needed engine replacement.)

Yes, when you're the "one in a thousand" who has a problem, it sucks. It doesn't mean there are design flaws across all such vehicles.

 

[2kwik4u]

Not saying those issues aren't annoying, especially as I've had them myself as well, but they don't have anything to do with the powertrain which you mentioned in your first post.

Sounds like you have one EV-specific issue (motor) and 8 new technology issues.

Mine has been in 12 times in 16mo of ownership. It's 50% "new tech" issues, and 50% "new builder" issues.

I agree with @jwanderson88 that it's agitating as hell with a '17 model Camry has more predictable behavior than a '23 R1T. While I agree that it's not just an EV thing, I also agree that EV's tend to have much more "new tech" in them, and J average users conflate the the two issues. "These new EV's aren't reliable, look at all the service visits Rivians have".......It's not an EV thing, it's a Rivian thing, but most don't make the discernment.

 

[Time2Roll]

Not to discount your issues, but you've obviously never owned a Chevy.

I had an S10 in the family once. Three transmissions and engine replacement in less than 80,000 miles.
And no, the warranty did not cover but the first transmission.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Obviously you've never owned a Toyota. I have a 2017 Camry hybrid that I picked up used a year ago. Allowing for older technology, everything works great. I never have to stand by my car looking dumb for a minute while it decides to open the door. I only have to touch the handle and it unlocks. Incidentally, does your body or hand block the signal from the remote. Sometimes it acts like it's never going to unlock and then it works when I take my hand out of my pocket or turn so the remote faces the car. Also I can't get my keycard to work, I don't need it much. Little aggravations add up when you use a car everyday.

Hate to break it to you but new Tundras are blowing motors left and right.

 

[DaveA]

2022 Quad owner and getting my front motor replaced as well...but excited because I think the motor was behind all my clunking and half shaft issues.

 

[TexasCrane]

Obviously you've never owned a Toyota. I have a 2017 Camry hybrid that I picked up used a year ago. Allowing for older technology, everything works great. I never have to stand by my car looking dumb for a minute while it decides to open the door. I only have to touch the handle and it unlocks. Incidentally, does your body or hand block the signal from the remote. Sometimes it acts like it's never going to unlock and then it works when I take my hand out of my pocket or turn so the remote faces the car. Also I can't get my keycard to work, I don't need it much. Little aggravations add up when you use a car everyday.

Bwahahahahaha!!!

 

[shmivian]

Obviously you've never owned a Toyota. I have a 2017 Camry hybrid

Let's do apples to apples? I had a GX460 prior to my R1S, and had to do a mod to avoid the Secondary Air Injection system filter from eventually disintegrating and causing a giant PITA; had intermittent TRAC OFF light due to one of the (something like 4?) O2 sensors intermittently going out of spec. LOVED to do it in the worst of weather and driving conditions, because OF COURSE exhaust system/catalytic converter error code means the driver can suck on rocks driving in snow+sleet+icy rain conditions. Then what else... other folks got the famous KDSS lean on their GXs in my local fan group... O yeah, and those trucks RUST. Mine was a 2015, with first 4 years of life in Ontario (snow and salt on the roads) -- in Q1 2025 the fuel tank metal shield COMPLETELY RUSTED OFF the damn thing. A whole bunch of nooks and crannies on the frame I had to battle to clean up and stop/stabilize the rust, even living in BC where the truck barely saw any salt and snow.

So, pretty please, with a cherry on top -- let's compare at least vehicles of similar weight and size and a similarly complicated suspension system.

P.S. also, the transmission on that GX460 was so laggy you had to pretend you liked that "lexus driving feeling" and it always felt like you were driving a stick of butter.

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