I love this truck.

[Hombre De Agua]

Let me start off by saying that I love this truck and truly believe its one of the best vehicles on the market. With that out of the way, I'm at my wits end with issues I've been having. My truck has been at the service center now for a week due to a thermal system failure. This is the second time they are replacing a failed component that has left me without A/c on over 4 occasions. To add to the frustration, the level of communication with the SC has been less then desirable and getting any real info on repair timeframe and part availability is difficult. At a certain point the allure of such a great vehicle wears thin and you just want what you paid for. I'm worried that this issue will persist after this round of repairs. And as such i've begun the process of Lemonlaw/buyback/replacement. Am I wrong to go this route at this time? I feel like after 4 documented instances of having been left with no a/c it's the only thing left.

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[COdogman]

Only you know if that is the right path for your situation. I certainly don’t blame you for being frustrated. Rivian service still needs so much improvement and expansion. If you don’t trust the work they are doing, then a lemon law buyback might be a good thing, as much as I hate to say it.

 

[Tango45]

I can empathize with your frustration, especially since you love the truck. I would recommend reaching out to Rivian HQ for help. There've been some threads about lemon law and I've provided some more detailed advice. I've linked those below. In the end, starting the lemon law process isn't a fire-and-forget action and it doesn't force anyone into anything, so doing so might actually help draw some attention to your situation and get you resolution. I do think Rivian cares and wants to have happy owners, so I hope they're able to get you where you need to be.

Here's a post where I answered someone else in FL about lemon laws. It appears that FL's lemon law calls for everything to go to arbitration.

Here's some advice I gave to someone else who was going lemon law.

 

[Doug]

I am sorry you are having this issue. I want to reassure you not all of the Rivian's have issues. We have had our R1T for two years and no issues the only time we have been to service is for tire rotations which is good because it is a 150 miles. Sometimes reading these boards people start to think that they all have issues. I agree best vehicle I have owned and love it. I would buy another. I would just say look past this bad experience and if you get another keep an open mind. If you keep this one hopefully this is the only issue you have.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

It sounds like they don't really know what's wrong with it, and they are just throwing parts at it to see if they fix it. Only you can tell your tolerance for BS, and if you've hit it there's nothing wrong with using the lemon law. It seems like you have a pretty realistic attitude about the situation so if you feel getting a buyback is best then go for it.

What I can tell you for sure is the AC isn't a known or common issue with these vehicles so the chance of you getting another one with the same problem is remote. Whatever you choose I hope it's rectified soon and you have the same experience with your Rivian as I've had with mine.

 

[KBabione]

When my R1S went in for HVAC service they told me that it would take at least two weeks at the SC (it ended up being closer to 3 weeks). It really didn't bother me because they gave me an R1S loaner (even the same color!) to use while my ride was in the shop. It meant for three weeks all of the miles were put on Rivian's vehicle and it took a lot of the pain of having my car in the shop away. As an added bonus, my wife and I got really good at using the key card rather than our PAAK, but that (and the garage door opener) was really the only downside of the loaner.

I get the frustration of having constant issues (I only had the one and it was after a full year of ownership), but would it be better if they gave you a R1T to drive while yours is being fixed?

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

I would do what you need. I think that buying a rivian means you need to expect that you may need to leave it in the shop for many weeks. That’s well documented.

FWIW - it does seem that, if rivian can cure the initial issues, the trick becomes more reliable.

You can always wait a little and, if you get discouraged, lemon it.

 

[Hombre De Agua]

It doesn't help that I didn't get a Rivian loaner and am in a highlander.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

When my R1S went in for HVAC service they told me that it would take at least two weeks at the SC (it ended up being closer to 3 weeks). It really didn't bother me because they gave me an R1S loaner (even the same color!) to use while my ride was in the shop. It meant for three weeks all of the miles were put on Rivian's vehicle and it took a lot of the pain of having my car in the shop away. As an added bonus, my wife and I got really good at using the key card rather than our PAAK, but that (and the garage door opener) was really the only downside of the loaner.

I get the frustration of having constant issues (I only had the one and it was after a full year of ownership), but would it be better if they gave you a R1T to drive while yours is being fixed?

Similar situation, my R1T is in the shop for its routine service and asked to have the jounce lines and a compressor done while there. They gave me a loaner R1S but also let me know when I dropped it off it would likely be in for around a week or two.
"No problem, no rush" , I'll keep my mileage low on my purchased vehicle while I enjoy R1S life in the meantime. I will say, had it been a random gas loaner, probably a bit different of an attitude.

For OP, I totally feel for you and as others said, only you can decide your BS tolerance level. I would at minimum reach out and request a Rivian loaner during the work, and also let them know, if the vehicle returns to service for a similar issue, you'll be persuing the lemon/buy back process.

 

[Der]

I am sorry you are having this issue. I want to reassure you not all of the Rivian's have issues. We have had our R1T for two years and no issues the only time we have been to service is for tire rotations which is good because it is a 150 miles. Sometimes reading these boards people start to think that they all have issues. I agree best vehicle I have owned and love it. I would buy another. I would just say look past this bad experience and if you get another keep an open mind. If you keep this one hopefully this is the only issue you have.

Well said. I’ve had my R1T for 7 months with no issue except a blown Pirelli 21” that they replaced for free. The Atlanta SC seems to be a good one and it’s close by so fortune smiles on me in this case.

 

[SwampNut]

And as such i've begun the process of Lemonlaw/buyback/replacement. Am I wrong to go this route at this time?

Nope, it's good for both your sanity and to send a message to Rivian.

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

IMO this comes down to the SC's having poor service quality consistency. Some are top drawer and put owners above anything else, others are average at best and behave like your local dealership. If you can find a good SC, you'll end up with an amazing vehicle thats running perfect. A bad SC and you'll be back there several times before they get it right.

 

[SwampNut]

It's odd that SCs operate almost as dealerships, where each has its own culture, operations, and business model. You'd think they would be under one leader with one vision. I had the same with our Jeeps in the past; one fantastic dealer where everything was just easy, and a couple others where everything was full of friction and annoyance.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

It's odd that SCs operate almost as dealerships, where each has its own culture, operations, and business model. You'd think they would be under one leader with one vision. I had the same with our Jeeps in the past; one fantastic dealer where everything was just easy, and a couple others where everything was full of friction and annoyance.

It’s difficult to keep an eye on each employee for every location. Rivian needs to figure out some internal metrics for quality control and find out which service centers are working well and which techs need better training.

Add in all the extra effort of opening new centers all the time and it will be a while before the quality control catches up.

 

[txoutdoorsman]

I am sorry you are having this issue. I want to reassure you not all of the Rivian's have issues. We have had our R1T for two years and no issues the only time we have been to service is for tire rotations which is good because it is a 150 miles. Sometimes reading these boards people start to think that they all have issues. I agree best vehicle I have owned and love it. I would buy another. I would just say look past this bad experience and if you get another keep an open mind. If you keep this one hopefully this is the only issue you have.

I too have had mine for over 2 years with only a couple of issues that were satisfactorily corrected. Sorry you’re having such a hassle

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