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Do I Have a Real R1T? Rattles, cracks, creaks and vibrations

r1v1an

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I took delivery of a GW/BM R1T with 22s in August. Overall, it's an 11/10. Accelerates more violently than my neighbor's BMW M8 Competition. Smooth as butter on long drives. Interior quality on par with a Range Rover. Banging sound system. Flawless tech - I don't even miss Carplay. The gear tunnel is a game changer for storage. And on top of that, it looks fantastic.

But do I have a real R1T? I'm not sure. Every time I watch a Rivian story with an R1T or R1S climbing over rocks or drifting in dirt, I think - my truck would crack in half if I did that. That's what it sounds like it's doing every time I hit a speedbump in my neighborhood. It rattles, creaks and the whole car kind of vibrates. It sounds like my suspension is made out of crinkle paper. This week, my truck went into Turtle Mode because I was reversing, turned the car and let off the gas at the same time. I've done that move a million times in other cars without a problem. But my truck let out a couple of loud cracks. Turtle mode cleared with a restart but now the car is making a popping and grinding noise when I start and stop. A couple of months ago, my truck had to be shipped 4 hours to an SC because a hose came out of the air suspension and it couldn't refill the bags, so the truck sank down the the blocks.

I don't get it. This suspension is supposed to be an engineering marvel. Why is mine so terrible? I'm worried about speedbumps and pulling out of my driveway. The idea of taking this thing off road and trying to drift is...unimaginable. Did I get the city-slicker version of this truck while the Motor Trend guys got the real thing?

Help me out here.
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madgrey

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What you are describing very much fits into the realm of "real" R1Ts. Maybe not that common, but sounds like some known problems. My suspension had issues...
 

Dark-Fx

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I took delivery of a GW/BM R1T with 22s in August. Overall, it's an 11/10. Accelerates more violently than my neighbor's BMW M8 Competition. Smooth as butter on long drives. Interior quality on par with a Range Rover. Banging sound system. Flawless tech - I don't even miss Carplay. The gear tunnel is a game changer for storage. And on top of that, it looks fantastic.

But do I have a real R1T? I'm not sure. Every time I watch a Rivian story with an R1T or R1S climbing over rocks or drifting in dirt, I think - my truck would crack in half if I did that. That's what it sounds like it's doing every time I hit a speedbump in my neighborhood. It rattles, creaks and the whole car kind of vibrates. It sounds like my suspension is made out of crinkle paper. This week, my truck went into Turtle Mode because I was reversing, turned the car and let off the gas at the same time. I've done that move a million times in other cars without a problem. But my truck let out a couple of loud cracks. Turtle mode cleared with a restart but now the car is making a popping and grinding noise when I start and stop. A couple of months ago, my truck had to be shipped 4 hours to an SC because a hose came out of the air suspension and it couldn't refill the bags, so the truck sank down the the blocks.

I don't get it. This suspension is supposed to be an engineering marvel. Why is mine so terrible? I'm worried about speedbumps and pulling out of my driveway. The idea of taking this thing off road and trying to drift is...unimaginable. Did I get the city-slicker version of this truck while the Motor Trend guys got the real thing?

Help me out here.
Popping is not normal. My truck was doing that and Rivian replaced a damper. Having light clunking and clicking is "normal" when switching from regen to acceleration. Rivian can temporarily sort that out though. Road feel issues could stem from a bad damper, but it's also highly dependent on what suspension mode you are using. All-Purpose+Standard height+soft should be the mode you're in to determine if you have any concerns related to comfort.
 

jpal

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Submit a service ticket. They may not be able to completely eliminate everything, but they can most definitely get it better than what you describe.
 

DaveA

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I took delivery of a GW/BM R1T with 22s in August. Overall, it's an 11/10. Accelerates more violently than my neighbor's BMW M8 Competition. Smooth as butter on long drives. Interior quality on par with a Range Rover. Banging sound system. Flawless tech - I don't even miss Carplay. The gear tunnel is a game changer for storage. And on top of that, it looks fantastic.

But do I have a real R1T? I'm not sure. Every time I watch a Rivian story with an R1T or R1S climbing over rocks or drifting in dirt, I think - my truck would crack in half if I did that. That's what it sounds like it's doing every time I hit a speedbump in my neighborhood. It rattles, creaks and the whole car kind of vibrates. It sounds like my suspension is made out of crinkle paper. This week, my truck went into Turtle Mode because I was reversing, turned the car and let off the gas at the same time. I've done that move a million times in other cars without a problem. But my truck let out a couple of loud cracks. Turtle mode cleared with a restart but now the car is making a popping and grinding noise when I start and stop. A couple of months ago, my truck had to be shipped 4 hours to an SC because a hose came out of the air suspension and it couldn't refill the bags, so the truck sank down the the blocks.

I don't get it. This suspension is supposed to be an engineering marvel. Why is mine so terrible? I'm worried about speedbumps and pulling out of my driveway. The idea of taking this thing off road and trying to drift is...unimaginable. Did I get the city-slicker version of this truck while the Motor Trend guys got the real thing?

Help me out here.
I agree with your experience…mine is going in next week to fix/assess everything you mentioned. If they says it all “normal” I may have to reassess my long term ownership.
 

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r1v1an

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I appreciate the comments. I had a feeling I wasn't alone based on reading other forums. When the truck went down to Atlanta to get the hose fixed, I had a punchlist of things, including my problems with the suspension. Response - "normal."

Rivian Service just called me to tell me that they're not exactly sure what's now making the noises out of my truck but that Turtle Mode was triggered because I went more than 15mph in reverse (which I did before slowing back down) and that automatically triggers Turtle Mode. Reset will clear it.

Recommendation was to ship it to Atlanta to which I said "no thanks, I'll keep my $5,000 in shipping costs." Mobile tech coming next week but that's not going to solve the bigger issues with the suspension.

Also, I drive almost all the time in AP + soft + normal. I've tried different heights and drive modes and get the same shaking, rattling and creaking sounds over speedbumps and any other road imperfection at low speeds.
 

WSea

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What you are describing very much fits into the realm of "real" R1Ts. Maybe not that common, but sounds like some known problems. My suspension had issues...
"Had"? The Bellevue SC fixed your noises?
 

madgrey

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dilmorecg

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I would make a service appt. Try to be specific on when the noises happen. I do notice speed bumps for me specifically are much noisier than my other cars. Especially coming down off of them in the rear. I just developed a front right side clunk when going around corners with bumps only on that side. Sounds like swaybar bushings but I know these cars dont have swaybars. Mine has been relatively noise free other than that. Also I think you can hear noises much easier because theres no engine noise to cover it up.

I read a post here early on about the frunk and other areas basically echoing/transferring small noises easily. They ended up putting double sided velcro to keep things in place in various spots on the front end plastics and it worked.
 

gd_r1t

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Definitely file a service ticket.

Mine has accumulated more and more noises over the 4-5 months of ownership.
  • Upon delivery, I noticed the bird chirp noises from the suspension, which I've heard and read are among the most common and normal/expected
  • I increasingly heard more mechanical cracking, creaking, etc. driving through city speed bumps and uneven roads
  • After 2-3 months I'd start hearing the overall frame slightly creak when going over a larger hump such that the R1T was partially slanted, almost sounding like it was being stretched
  • Then the clunk clunk / tock tock noise started when accelerating and decelerating at low speeds. This is when I was fed up and filed a service ticket.
  • The truck was brought into the SC and they tried lubricating the half shaft. I picked up the R1T and there was literally no difference whatsoever in the sounds.
  • I brought the truck back into the SC the next week and this time lo and behold they discovered some broader issue with the front drive unit that necessitated it being completely replaced (see the service recap notes from Rivian technicians below). I'm picking up the truck later today and will update this post if this fixes it.
Rivian R1T R1S Do I Have a Real R1T? Rattles, cracks, creaks and vibrations 1675269990975

  • In the meantime, they gave me an R1T loaner. It's a much more recent build in the past month or two. And yet it too has the early signs of these extra noises; it feels very much like how mine did in the first month or so.
Unfortunately, at this point I've personally concluded that the R1 platform is a loud, creaking, battering, mechanical-sounding and deteriorating platform overall. I'm hopeful the R2 platform will significantly improve on this!

-----
Update:
After getting the front drive unit replaced, the clock clock has completely gone away, which is awesome

While there, they did say that Rivian Engineering is working on a more permanent solution. I was left with the impression that this could very well happen again...

There is still a really disturbing wheezing noise in the acceleration/deceleration. It's honestly pretty concerning, and I am going to bring it back to the SC again.
 
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r1v1an

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Definitely file a service ticket.

Mine has accumulated more and more noises over the 4-5 months of ownership.
  • Upon delivery, I noticed the bird chirp noises from the suspension, which I've heard and read are among the most common and normal/expected
  • I increasingly heard more mechanical cracking, creaking, etc. driving through city speed bumps and uneven roads
  • After 2-3 months I'd start hearing the overall frame slightly creak when going over a larger hump such that the R1T was partially slanted, almost sounding like it was being stretched
  • Then the clunk clunk / tock tock noise started when accelerating and decelerating at low speeds. This is when I was fed up and filed a service ticket.
  • The truck was brought into the SC and they tried lubricating the half shaft. I picked up the R1T and there was literally no difference whatsoever in the sounds.
  • I brought the truck back into the SC the next week and this time lo and behold they discovered some broader issue with the front drive unit that necessitated it being completely replaced (see the service recap notes from Rivian technicians below). I'm picking up the truck later today and will update this post if this fixes it.
1675269990975.jpeg

  • In the meantime, they gave me an R1T loaner. It's a much more recent build in the past month or two. And yet it too has the early signs of these extra noises; it feels very much like how mine did in the first month or so.
Unfortunately, at this point I've personally concluded that the R1 platform is a loud, creaking, battering, mechanical-sounding and deteriorating platform overall. I'm hopeful the R2 platform will significantly improve on this!
So what's the update??
 

2025R1S

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you made me wonder how many other off-road vehicles are equipped with air suspension?

While comfortable , these systems haven’t ever been notoriously reliable even on Lincoln mallcruisers. And they’ve always been pretty expensive to service. We should really keep a close eye on the air suspension reliability and repair costs

I took delivery of a GW/BM R1T with 22s in August. Overall, it's an 11/10. Accelerates more violently than my neighbor's BMW M8 Competition. Smooth as butter on long drives. Interior quality on par with a Range Rover. Banging sound system. Flawless tech - I don't even miss Carplay. The gear tunnel is a game changer for storage. And on top of that, it looks fantastic.

But do I have a real R1T? I'm not sure. Every time I watch a Rivian story with an R1T or R1S climbing over rocks or drifting in dirt, I think - my truck would crack in half if I did that. That's what it sounds like it's doing every time I hit a speedbump in my neighborhood. It rattles, creaks and the whole car kind of vibrates. It sounds like my suspension is made out of crinkle paper. This week, my truck went into Turtle Mode because I was reversing, turned the car and let off the gas at the same time. I've done that move a million times in other cars without a problem. But my truck let out a couple of loud cracks. Turtle mode cleared with a restart but now the car is making a popping and grinding noise when I start and stop. A couple of months ago, my truck had to be shipped 4 hours to an SC because a hose came out of the air suspension and it couldn't refill the bags, so the truck sank down the the blocks.

I don't get it. This suspension is supposed to be an engineering marvel. Why is mine so terrible? I'm worried about speedbumps and pulling out of my driveway. The idea of taking this thing off road and trying to drift is...unimaginable. Did I get the city-slicker version of this truck while the Motor Trend guys got the real thing?

Help me out here.
 

gd_r1t

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Definitely file a service ticket.

Mine has accumulated more and more noises over the 4-5 months of ownership.
  • Upon delivery, I noticed the bird chirp noises from the suspension, which I've heard and read are among the most common and normal/expected
  • I increasingly heard more mechanical cracking, creaking, etc. driving through city speed bumps and uneven roads
  • After 2-3 months I'd start hearing the overall frame slightly creak when going over a larger hump such that the R1T was partially slanted, almost sounding like it was being stretched
  • Then the clunk clunk / tock tock noise started when accelerating and decelerating at low speeds. This is when I was fed up and filed a service ticket.
  • The truck was brought into the SC and they tried lubricating the half shaft. I picked up the R1T and there was literally no difference whatsoever in the sounds.
  • I brought the truck back into the SC the next week and this time lo and behold they discovered some broader issue with the front drive unit that necessitated it being completely replaced (see the service recap notes from Rivian technicians below). I'm picking up the truck later today and will update this post if this fixes it.
1675269990975.jpeg

  • In the meantime, they gave me an R1T loaner. It's a much more recent build in the past month or two. And yet it too has the early signs of these extra noises; it feels very much like how mine did in the first month or so.
Unfortunately, at this point I've personally concluded that the R1 platform is a loud, creaking, battering, mechanical-sounding and deteriorating platform overall. I'm hopeful the R2 platform will significantly improve on this!
Update:
After getting the front drive unit replaced, the clock clock has completely gone away, which is awesome

While there, they did say that Rivian Engineering is working on a more permanent solution. I was left with the impression that this could very well happen again...

There is still a really disturbing wheezing noise in the acceleration/deceleration. It's honestly pretty concerning, and I am going to bring it back to the SC again.
 

R1Tom

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My drivers front sounds like a bad sway bar bushing too. Drove over some ice pack rough road surface today and it sounds like a loose bushing with 1/2" of play. Like a marble in a dampened soup can.

Service appointment a few months ago deemed it "normal....they all do it".
 

gd_r1t

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Update:
After getting the front drive unit replaced, the clock clock has completely gone away, which is awesome

While there, they did say that Rivian Engineering is working on a more permanent solution. I was left with the impression that this could very well happen again...

There is still a really disturbing wheezing noise in the acceleration/deceleration. It's honestly pretty concerning, and I am going to bring it back to the SC again.
Update x2
Brought the R1T into the service center again on Monday as the disturbing wheezing noise persisted for the past month or two.

They confirmed an issue, this time with the rear drive unit, which they're now replacing.

It's crazy to me that they ended up replacing the entirety of the vehicle's drive units (both front and rear) for various sounds/mechanical issues.

The R1T has had such a slew of mechanical troubles they've been working through since delivery in August:
- Front drive unit needed to be replaced
- Rear drive unit needed to be replaced
- Significant misalignment of wheels
- Lack of adhesive material in the hood causing it to bounce/wiggle at highway speeds
- Cupping of the tires, they're still investigating the root cause, could be more misalignment issues
- Steering wheel wiggles at highway speed -- known issue they don't have a solution for right now

To be clear, I loooove the vehicle. And the service team has been amazing. Huge shout out to them.

But every Rivian owner I've met has had mechanical issues. I'm concerned Rivian has some serious problems that are going to swell in their faces as they scale (if it's not already overwhelming them).
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