Only took 180 miles to end up in shop

[NadayM3]

Don’t know where to start, after waiting 18 months I finally take delivery of my R1S Dual Motor Large Battery (the car is amazing). 4 days later and under 180 miles it ends up getting towed to the Atlanta Service Center for a suspension and hydraulic oil leak. I’ve not been informed of what the issue is yet.


Is this what I should expect moving forward when it comes to build quality / reliability?

The vehicle has been in the shop a week now, how long do y’all normally wait when your trucks in the shop?

Rivian did provide a Toyota rental, and the communication has been great on their side.

I’m already debating on trading it in for a Toyota or Lexus, where I never had quality issues. I have a young family, I can’t deal with breakdowns while towing around a 2 and 4 year old.

Anyone else have issues so quickly? How did the vehicle hold up after being in the shop?

Any other suggestions or advice?

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[COdogman]

Rivian certainly is not seeing Toyota/ Lexus levels of reliability, but IMHO it's unrealistic to expect them to be that good from day 1. Toyota has been building vehicles for 86 years. You also aren't going to find an EV adventure vehicle on Toyota's roster anytime soon, given their resistance to full electric vehicles.

Some have had early issues like you describe, but the majority seem to be either having no issues or very minor issues along the way. Rivian will take care of you, although I definitely understand why you would be frustrated. My T is my only vehicle, so when it does finally need a service visit it will be inconvenient. Luckily, so far I am at just over 3k miles and 0 issues ?

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

I’d suggest searching the forum and/or Reddit. Tons of issues of varying degrees (of course most owners haven’t had them); some improving; some not. I love mine, but I am under no illusions this is going to be a problem free ownership. If you thought you were buying Lexus-like reliability, you likely will be very very disappointed.

As to how long in the shop . . . that varies too, but here again, lower your expectations. Lots of people have had their car at the shop for a week (or more) before it is even looked at.

 

[iansriv]

Sorry to hear. I'd see how it goes and it might be a once and done. If you get a second issue-dump it and move on. I have had mine for almost a month and only issue are a few smudges on the trim. Rivian insisted on replacing the trim. All the best.

 

[SANZC02]

Don’t know where to start, after waiting 18 months I finally take delivery of my R1S Dual Motor Large Battery (the car is amazing). 4 days later and under 180 miles it ends up getting towed to the Atlanta Service Center for a suspension and hydraulic oil leak. I’ve not been informed of what the issue is yet.


Is this what I should expect moving forward when it comes to build quality / reliability?

The vehicle has been in the shop a week now, how long do y’all normally wait when your trucks in the shop?

Rivian did provide a Toyota rental, and the communication has been great on their side.

I’m already debating on trading it in for a Toyota or Lexus, where I never had quality issues. I have a young family, I can’t deal with breakdowns while towing around a 2 and 4 year old.

Anyone else have issues so quickly? How did the vehicle hold up after being in the shop?

Any other suggestions or advice?

I can only give you my experience. Picked the R1S up in Normal, took a 5100 mile road trip in 17 days with no issues.

First OTA it tried to apply had a failure, took it in and they found a bad module that they replaced, that was February, no OTA issues since.

Had the right side drooping over night about an inch, took it in and they found a damper that was leaking and replaced it. No issues since and that was beginning of July.

Not the first vehicle I purchased that needed warrenty work. I have 10k miles on it now, neither of the issues caused any problem driving and I expect to keep mine long term. The vehicle this replaced was a 2014 Jeep GC I purchased new, less than 500 miles on it a transmission coolant line broke leaving a 2 mile line of transmission fluid on the road. I had to have it towed to the dealer to be fixed, so things do happen even with established manufacturers.

 

[R1Tom]

It's hard to say....many are great...some have issues. Mine has been great. But....I too came from Lexus and Acura ownership for a few decades...and seeing how Rivian is handling service is disappointing. If I get to point it irritates me personally...I might jump on a new Lexus GX...or even an LX.

But I love my R1T...and hope by the time mine has issues.....they have greatly improved the service situation. I would love to go all Rivian forever...

 

[NadayM3]

Thanks for all y’all’s feedback, I’m just shocked quality control is this poor so early on. If I get another issue I’ll just dump it for the new GX, really disappointed as I’ve been looking and rooting for this brand for 4-5 years now. It also drivers amazing,

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I've had vehicles of many makes have issues. My Rivian had a few problems early on but it's been a year of trouble free ownership since. It's certainly no Lexus but it doesn't make me feel like I'm 80 years old when I'm driving it either like a Lexus will. For me having a car I like driving is more important than one that's going to be perfect all the time.

I can't think of anything that fits my needs which I would like to drive as much as I do my R1T. I don't fault you for choosing reliability though, some people simply don't have room in their schedule to deal with vehicle problems. With that said I'd give your Rivian another chance. They will probably get it all ironed out and you'll be able to put a lot of miles under your belt worry free.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

First, im sorry to hear about your experience. Ill try to address your questions.

1) I think Rivian does pretty good for being a new car company. This vehicle does have a lot of tech (e.. g air bags and kinetic ride control).

2) Rivian service is backed up right now. Depending on your location it can take months to get an appointment. They appear to be prioritizing vehicles that are out of service. Contact Rivian service and ask for an ETC.

3) Toyota uses older tech. My FIL bought a 2022 4Runner and that thing is using an ICE that's at least 15 years old. Toyota us a boring a to b car IMO... And just can't be compared to a Rivian. The Toyota Lexus will be more reliable but it will be boring. I'd rather drive my Rivians... But understand not everyone has my level of patience.

We have about 14,000 collective miles on our Rivians and no issues with the bags or kinetic ride control. Just minor fit/finish issues. The worst was my T which needed an alignment (steering wheel off to right a bit).

 

[kozak79]

I had a brand new Mercedes that had the dual-clutch transmission fail within a few months of having it. Ended up being in the shop for 2 months while they took out the engine to replace the transmission. I got another Mercedes after my lease ended. I also had a Lexus that had no issues whatsoever, but I never got another Lexus. My point is, things happen... Sorry to hear you have to deal with this and that you get back soon.

 

[BigE]

Don’t know where to start, after waiting 18 months I finally take delivery of my R1S Dual Motor Large Battery (the car is amazing). 4 days later and under 180 miles it ends up getting towed to the Atlanta Service Center for a suspension and hydraulic oil leak. I’ve not been informed of what the issue is yet.


Is this what I should expect moving forward when it comes to build quality / reliability?

The vehicle has been in the shop a week now, how long do y’all normally wait when your trucks in the shop?

Rivian did provide a Toyota rental, and the communication has been great on their side.

I’m already debating on trading it in for a Toyota or Lexus, where I never had quality issues. I have a young family, I can’t deal with breakdowns while towing around a 2 and 4 year old.

Anyone else have issues so quickly? How did the vehicle hold up after being in the shop?

Any other suggestions or advice?

I’ve had similar debates about if I should have purchased a new Tundra until I compared my short list of problems with my 2022 R1T with my neighbor who has a 2023 Tundra. His list is extensive including replacement of the engine due to the turbo waste gate issue some had. He said he’s a lifelong Toyota guy and this one is bad. He still has the drivers window rattles and Toyota has no resolution for it.

I hope Rivian gets your issues resolved..16k miles in and loving ours.

 

[Timothykf]

It’s a brand new generation vehicle without time to fix all the little issues that engineering couldn’t know until it’s on the road in real world. Get a Toyota Siena … amazing family car that wont let you down and will last for ur kid to drive.

 

[mtberman]

These things happen and it is not great when it's yours.

2003, November, I finally got the new 2004 Prius I had ordered months earlier. This was the Gen 2 Prius, the car that started the hybrid revolution, and I could not wait to get it.

It was awful. The list of defects and replacements would fill a page, and it was in the shop for 90 days in the first 24 months of ownership. I wanted so badly to love it, but it hated me. So I traded it for a Jetta TDI wagon (!) at the 25 month mark. By then, people were waiting in line to buy a Prius and I made money on the trade after factoring in the tax credits.

After that car, hopefully I can live with anything the Rivian can throw at me.

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