Leaking (hydraulic?) fluid above rear control arm pivot point.

[Ric G]

Recently noticed the garage floor seemed to have something oily that was under the driver's rear corner. I raised the suspension to it's highest level and found quite a bit of oily fluid that's been leaking and collecting dirt on the underside. Seems to originate above and drip down into the control arm bushing area What's up there that could leak? Hydraulic suspension fluid? Driver's rear motor? Seems too thin to be grease from an inner CV boot.

Created a service request but it's not scheduled until early May.

Any ideas on what could be leaking and opinions on driving it for another month and a half like this?

Thanks!

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[Erikbecker]

I think it's a hydraulic suspension fluid leaking from above the rear control arm pivot point. Since it's thin and oily, it seems less likely to be grease from a CV boot.
Driving with a leak in the suspension system can be dangerous because it affects the vehicle's handling and stability and can also damage the suspension components.
So, for now, you can check the leak area and surrounding components periodically. Watch out for any signs of getting worse or if anything else seems messed up. Try not to drive too much on bumpy roads because that might worsen the leak or cause other issues.
And don't forget to check the fluid levels regularly. If they get too low, it could mess up the whole hydraulic system and cause even more problems down the road.

 

[Ric G]

I was able to get under the car and made a video. I sent that to Rivian and they believe it's the drivers side rear motor that's leaking oil. CV is nice and dry and from what I can see without removing the lower cover panel the leak is directly below the drive motor.

 

[Bmortloc]

We just had a similar issue. We have a leak near one of the rear wheels. A bunch of warning lights came on related to suspension. Car is in the San Diego Service Center now.

 

[Ric G]

We just had a similar issue. We have a leak near one of the rear wheels. A bunch of warning lights came on related to suspension. Car is in the San Diego Service Center now.

That's most definitely a hydraulic suspension leak. I don't have any warning lights or driveability issues. Hope yours is an easy fix!

Mine is more inboard and below the drivers side rear motor. After a chat with a tech in Illinois he pretty much isolated the issue to either a loose fill/drain plug on the Bosch drive motor or improperly torqued drive motor gear housing bolts. Supposedly there's a range of VINs that did have this problem and they are aware of it but mine wasn't within the production range in their notes. I'll know more after my service appointment next week. (5/7).

Shout out to Scott at Rivian! Super knowledgeable, very helpful and overall great guy!!

 

[PappaBolt]

I’ve had a rear halfshaft leak at the seal. It left a mess on the top side of the underbody shield. This was months after replacing the rear drive unit. Discovered when the shield was removed to do the safety recall on the bumper light replacement. Something else to watch out for.

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