Jounce Lines Replacement (Fixed Squeaky Suspension) + Other Service Notes

[godfodder0901]

OP is the Seattle SC where you got the work done? That would be awesome if I could go next month and say, “I know you’ve done this work here on a previous customers truck!” Haha

It was.

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[Schroederhc]

I’ve got an appointment at the new Seattle SC next month! I’m going to chat with service support and see if I can have them add this to my ticket. Im curious to see what the SC says!

Keep us posted on that

 

[ExhibHooligan]

It was.

Ok nice. I’ll get service chat on the app to add this to my appointment.
I’ll probably just have them add a ticket saying there’s low speed suspension squeaking/chirping that is a known common occurrence in most Rivians including mine. I’ll make sure they add the “jounce line” wording specifically.

 

[ac21]

Confirming from Utah Service that this "fix" was added to official Rivian documentation 3 weeks ago. "Chirping suspension" which i believe is a noise issue present on all Gen 1 vehicles. Service notes say fix is "joust line box replacement" IF customer complains of noise. Hope this helps folks.

 

[dinimobile]

Mine is currently at the Seattle SC for various items, including the suspension noise. Replacement of the jounce lines was the proposed solution to the squeaky suspension noise (which I was surprised to hear, as others had reported no known solution previously). Will report back once I get the car back.

 

[Zoidz]

So this squeaking sound that all the early R1Ts seem to have, you think Rivian has a known fix with replacing the jounce lines, but they are keeping it on the down-low because literally everyone is going to demand this fix?

I know the sound doesn't pose any safety risk. It's not something failing, but man its annoying and very much due to poor engineering.

This is very common across the automotive industry. They know of a non-safety related deficiency that affects more than just a few vehicles, but they keep it fairly quiet and perform the work only if a customer complains. Here's a typical GM Technical Service Bulletin:

"Some customers may comment about engine oil consumption of vehicles with higher mileage (approximately 48,000 to 64,000 km (30,000 to 40,000 mi) and a service engine soon light being on and/or rough running engine. Verify that the PCV system is functioning properly. If the customer understands that some oil consumption is normal and still feels the consumption level is excessive, more than 1 quart per 2000 to 3000 miles of driving, perform the service indicated in this bulletin. It is no longer necessary to have the customer return multiple times to have the usage verified"

The rest of the bulletin describes a minor top end rebuild of the engine to solve a known engineering deficiency. They clearly want to minimize the amount of work they do.

 

[kyledmb]

This is very common across the automotive industry. They know of a non-safety related deficiency that affects more than just a few vehicles, but they keep it fairly quiet and perform the work only if a customer complains. Here's a typical GM Technical Service Bulletin:

"Some customers may comment about engine oil consumption of vehicles with higher mileage (approximately 48,000 to 64,000 km (30,000 to 40,000 mi) and a service engine soon light being on and/or rough running engine. Verify that the PCV system is functioning properly. If the customer understands that some oil consumption is normal and still feels the consumption level is excessive, more than 1 quart per 2000 to 3000 miles of driving, perform the service indicated in this bulletin. It is no longer necessary to have the customer return multiple times to have the usage verified"

The rest of the bulletin describes a minor top end rebuild of the engine to solve a known engineering deficiency. They clearly want to minimize the amount of work they do.

Interesting! Thanks for that insight. It almost reads like a sales-person script, like "if they say they already have enough tupperware, show them that our product can withstand an impact from a car."

 

[Jonger1150]

As requested.

I don't see the damper replacement... that's probably the cause of the clunk.

 

[electruck]

Hmm, I may put in a ticket for this..unsure if it'd be under warranty but my tailgate also catches (on the top) when opening and it bends it until it releases and makes a god awful snapping sound. It doesn't break, but the alignment is clearly not accurate..

I just had mobile service out last week to fix the tailgate catching/snapping. 3 days later it started again.

Are you referring to a tailgate (lower half) or liftgate (upper half) snapping/popping sound? HeyEllwood mentions catching on the top which sounds more like the liftgate. I had an issue when lowering the tailgate that turned out to be the torsion rod catching and then popping free. We can start a new thread if this is a common problem.

 

[s00n]

Are you referring to a tailgate (lower half) or liftgate (upper half) snapping/popping sound? HeyEllwood mentions catching on the top which sounds more like the liftgate. I had an issue when lowering the tailgate that turned out to be the torsion rod catching and then popping free. We can start a new thread if this is a common problem.

Ah, sorry - to clarify, lift gate top plastic edge catches and makes a cracking/popping sound. Worse on really hot days, assume the heat expands the plastic.

 

[dmc94]

@godfodder0901 @Riviot @kyledmb @Schroederhc @ExhibHooligan @dinimobile - Hey everyone. David C. here from Emerald City Rivian Club. Love all the jounce line talk haha.

I'll chime in and say if you think they're squeaky or having any issues, submit a ticket and get them looked at ASAP - front & rear.

Story time: I was on a forest road July 28th and somehow busted the left rear jounce on the last mile of the smooth gravel road. I was there with a buddy who had this same damage before, but decided to drive on his, which ended up causing more damage which I'll share below. I decided to wait in Cle Elum for a tow truck. -- Well because it was a Sunday night, Rivian Roadside said I was a "long-haul tow" being 88-miles from the Seattle SC and a long haul tow would take 2-3 DAYS to schedule. What??? They told me I would have to leave the truck, get a ride home 85 miles away, then come back with the keys to give to the tow truck, where they'd then tow it to my house, to then later schedule an appointment, and schedule a second tow to the service center.

I said screw all that and went through my insurance instead and told them to drop it off directly at the Seattle SC. I left it in the customer service parking out of the way so I wasn't blocking anyone. It was still drivable, I just didn't want to drive that far and risk further damage. Luckily the Seattle team got me in, but it's still there waiting for parts.

Apparently "with repetitive suspension extension the lines risk internal stretch leading to leakage". Because this was deemed my fault, I had to cover the cost of $730. They found that my dampers were leaky, but they were kind enough to covered those under warranty. I'm waiting on the dampers which are very hard to get nationwide at the moment.

I was with three other Rivian's and ALL THREE other folks had their rear hydraulic lines replaced at some point. Two were covered, but one guy had the same issue where one rear side failed, but he decided to drive one it. Because the left and right side are connected, it caused damage to both jounce hydraulic lines, and because the lines are connected to the dampers he needed to get all of that replaced for a whopping $4,200....

My point is - get it checked out if you have any doubts! If you get a notification of a suspension fault, stop immediately and look under the truck for any leaks. My error went away after half a second so I thought it was just a sensor. Then it came back a few minutes later and again disappeared after half a second. I only knew it was a problem because we stopped to grab a bite and I came back to a puddle.

 

[dmc94]

I did reach out to @MountainPassPerformance about a potential replacement part for the rear jounce hydraulic lines for something more robust and durable.

 

[Riviot]

repetitive suspension extension

AKA off-roading, camp leveling, and all the other "features" they rave about? That's wild they charged you anything! Aren't you still within warranty? Is the off-roading warranty period different?

Mine goes into the Seattle SC in early September for the random service suspension issue (most likely sensor connectors as it only happens after a car wash or rainy drive like today). I'm going to mention jounce issues and see how far the eyes roll.

 

[ExhibHooligan]

AKA off-roading, camp leveling, and all the other "features" they rave about? That's wild they charged you anything! Aren't you still within warranty? Is the off-roading warranty period different?

Mine goes into the Seattle SC in early September for the random service suspension issue (most likely sensor connectors as it only happens after a car was or rainy drive like today). I'm going to mention jounce issues and see how far the eyes roll.

We’re both going to the Seattle SC in September. I’m going to mention the jounce lines too ?. Seattle SC better stock up on these parts because they are about to get at least 2-3 people asking in the next month.

 

[chryses]

Is a “squeaky” suspension the same as a “chirpy” suspension? Is it the noise that you hear on rough pavements at lower speeds that sounds like jiggling a toilet handle? The noise that SC employees have been saying is the sound of hydraulic fluid flowing through the dampers? Because a fix for that would be truly wonderful.

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