My R1S both damaged @ inside door panel -- Design flaw?

[Zoidz]

Yeah dude sorry, talk to the service center nicely refer to my pictures, this is poor design and as more R1S’s come out its gonna happen a lot. I also noticed the retracting gets stuck a lot on the seat. I’m sure by the Winter we will see lots more of these indents and eventual tearing.

For something like this, I kinda doubt they will offer a fix, hopefully I am wrong. Perhaps an opportunity for an aftermarket “shield”, sorta like getting PPF but stronger….?

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[Ric G]

Here's a picture of my rear passenger door panel, the tear/indent is in the same place as others are reporting.

 

[Jay565]

Here's a picture of my rear passenger door panel, the tear/indent is in the same place as others are reporting.

Sorry, this is really not great for Rivian, the retractor is just way too weak and the belt constantly gets stuck in the same spot and the vinyl is weak

 

[Dark-Fx]

Sorry, this is really not great for Rivian, the retractor is just way too weak and the belt constantly gets stuck in the same spot and the vinyl is weak

You need fatter rear seat passengers so the belt buckle gets flung further down and puts a crease into the metal door sill instead. Or maybe teach them to be more careful about it since it is an issue?

 

[Jay565]

You need fatter rear seat passengers so the belt buckle gets flung further down and puts a crease into the metal door sill instead. Or maybe teach them to be more careful about it since it is an issue?

Well I have no choice but to hope they do that, but if Rivian wants to be an elite brand these things matter. To expect a 4 year old to remember to check a seatbelt when no other car I’ve owned has had this problem, is annoying to say the least and almost for sure not reasonable to expect 100% compliance. And believe me busy moms will be most annoyed by this issue. We will see in 6 months how big an isssue this becomes as more R1S’s are sold.

 

[Ric G]

Thinking back... I remember one time (passengers whom shall remain nameless) were trying to slam the door shut and it wouldn't close. After they kept slamming the door to no avail I worriedly went around to the passenger side to see what was going on and the seat was left in the forward most position to get to the third row. I thought it was odd, but maybe the seat had to be upright and pushed back to close the door? (yeah that would be dumb engineering) I slid the seat back and the door closed fine. I wonder now if the person in the third row got hung up on the belt getting out and shut the door on the buckle, and then after smashing into the door a few times it retracted.

 

[waitingonanr1s]

Yup - day 3 and someone shut the seatbelt in the door. Now have indentations on the inside vinyl of the door. Going to invest in some seat belt clips.

 

[Jay565]

Yup - day 3 and someone shut the seatbelt in the door. Now have indentations on the inside vinyl of the door. Going to invest in some seat belt clips.

Yeah really poor design, the retractor is so weak, can’t blame the passenger.

 

[HaveBlue]

So it contacts the arm rest which sticks in closer? Either have to pin it higher which may not work depending on slack, or make the latch slide easier on the strap so it falls down to the stop more reliably. Maybe the plastic trim slows it?

 

[Jay565]

So it contacts the arm rest which sticks in closer? Either have to pin it higher which may not work depending on slack, or make the latch slide easier on the strap so it falls down to the stop more reliably. Maybe the plastic trim slows it?

Yeah it doesn’t retract fully and so it’s close to the door. The latch does slide fully down. I agree I’m not sure putting it higher will work. If anyone finds a solution, please post!

 

[HaveBlue]

 

[Jay565]

Too complicated for me but let me know if it works

 

[RivianPilot]

I have an R1S two months old. I saw same issue, seat belt got slammed a couple of times due to not retracting normally. Made a dent each time it happened.

Disappointing dents, need that seat belt to retract better.

I think its a bit exacerbated because the doors are also a bit heavy/stiff and they have to be closed pretty hard. A light touch and they don't fully seal. So basically people get used to kinda slamming the door to make sure it seals, but watch out if the seat belt did not retract....

 

[timgradywy]

I think one of my dogs tore up the bottom of one of my door panels. That's really not a great place for a relatively weak vinyl... I'm used to touch surfaces being nice, but scuff surfaces being durable.

The door sills are similar. Mine were scratched and touched up before I even took delivery...

 

[Amsfighter]

Same story for us too. Two panels damaged by slow retracting seat belts. We had one of our door panels “repaired” to see how big of a difference it would make, but you can definitely tell where the damage was. Having 3 kids, I figure this car will accumulate a lot more “patina” through the next couple of years but hurts to see this happen with less than 2000 miles on the odometer. Our model x looked like a bear had lived in it by the time we traded it in ?

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