Help Identifying the Suspension Clunk?

[dwhaite]

I'm reading lots of stuff about suspension noises and jounce lines/cv joints/dampers/etc. Wondering if anyone knows the likely cause of this clunk when going over humps at lowish speeds? Seems to be a little louder when my foot isn't on the accelerator. Thank you!

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[patriot0331]

I have a ‘25 Dune and took it in to the SC for the same exact noise. I was advised that everything was torqued correctly and that Rivian is aware of the noise. At the time, they don’t know the cause of it and are considering it normal, however are still looking into it.

 

[2kwik4u]

My '24 R1T does that too. Has since the day I bought it. It was built in Feb of '24 and delivered in Sept of '24. Has a welded subframe (which I've heard cures a lot of this crap rattle stuff when replaced with the newer cast unit)

Rivian continues to say "That's normal" and "All of these trucks rattle like that". Mines bad enough I've had people in shopping centers come up and ask me if I knew my truck was making "that clunking noise" before. It's awful and embarrassing, and one of the few things that will likely keep me from being a repeat customer.

 

[DaveA]

Yep. I get told it’s normal. Mine is worse on slow turns on uneven surfaces.

 

[Jonger1150]

If 100 cars on the road, 98 of them have a fixed single length half-shaft. 2 of the 100 would be Rivians, TRXs, Raptors or ZR2s. They use ball-spline half-shafts. They are noisier than fixed length half-shafts.

Also, air suspension in these long travel suspension vehicles results in more movement on the air-bags in the shock assembly.

I think you're hearing the air-bag honestly. I have the exact same noise.

 

[2kwik4u]

I think you're hearing the air-bag honestly. I have the exact same noise.

I've had air adjustable suspension on multiple vehicles. This is the first one with 7in of travel, but the one before this had 4in of travel and was dead quiet. Beyond that, I've had all 4 airsprings on my truck replaced with "updated versions" and it still sounds like a busted haywagon.

It's not the airbags.

It might be the half-shafts, to which I say, if it's "supposed to sound like this" then it's a shit design. For all the talent Rivian engineers employed elsewhere in the truck, I refuse to believe these things are "supposed to sound like this"

 

[gultin]

The suspension clunkiness at low speeds and surface streets is the only thing build-wise that makes this otherwise fantastic product feel unfinished. They've absolutely got to figure out a way to solve this on new vehicles, and hopefully even figure out a retroactive solution for those already on the road.

 

[Ecupip]

I have an early Gen1 build with no suspension work other than a recently replaced rear damper that was leaking, and I don’t experience any noises like that. The only issue I notice is a very slight “rocks in a can” rattle from the front left wheel when driving over broken pavement at lower speeds.

 

[Singletracker]

My ’23 R1T has almost always made a clunking sound from the rear when making right angle turns on bumpy surfaces. Sounds like something is not connected back there. I half expect to look in my rear view mirror and see Rivian parts lying in the road Well, maybe it’s not quite that bad. I’ve had both dampeners replaced for leakage. Prior to replacing them, it had gotten really bad and sounded like something flailing around in the suspension. The new dampeners did help, but it still makes an uncomfortable racket on those turning situations. It’s pretty quiet, otherwise, and a joy to drive. It definitely seems like it ought to be something correctable, especially if there are those that are not experiencing this. What is different about their rigs?

 

[SadHill]

I just had my front dampers and jounce lines replaced under warranty
It was making a similar noise but more pronounced at slow speeds, going around corners, where there are bumps. But when I brought it in for the noise to the SC the advisor who drove with me in the truck heard it and said he thinks he knows just what it is. They diagnosed it the next day.
if you have this noise and it is annoying you I would try a different SC and see what they say.
good luck

 

[tate16t]

Sounds like the popular Halfshaft issue. Search the forum, its been discussed many times.

 

[DaveA]

Sounds like the popular Halfshaft issue. Search the forum, its been discussed many times.

No, that’s a whole nother issue of the early R1s.

 

[tate16t]

Sounds exactly like what I heard and my halfshafts were replaced to resolve it.

 

[DaveA]

I’m on my third set of half shafts and replacement hubs. It’s never resolved the clunks.

 

[rogersmj]

I’m on my third set of half shafts and replacement hubs. It’s never resolved the clunks.

Oh no, don't tell me that I'm due to get my halfshafts replaced in six weeks (ugh service timelines are so long).

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