Poor reliability – R1S

[Golfer04]

Rivian got a deal on surplus 12v batteries

If Rivian sinks it will be because they can't get a handle on build quality. I haven't asked lately (a couple of white collar employees live nearby), but I know they did have a 60 percent return within 30 days rate. Industry norm is single digits. I love my truck, but 9 trips to service center in 18 months (not including recalls). According to service reports 38 items addressed. 55,000 miles & almost scared to go past 60,000.

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[RivRyan]

Maybe that post did come off a little unsavory. Went ahead and deleted the comment. This thread was about issues OP was having (some major some minor) jumping on to say a vehicle is perfect seemed odd to me as a first time post. Been on this forum quite a long time and I just haven’t come across that large of a jump in comment variability. Zero issues and perfect vehicles are a little hard to believe in general from any manufacturer, having owned many of them from all over the world, but I very well may be wrong. No intention to argue or disrupt the thread.

I've owned 2 Tundras over the last 23 years, and had only 2 issues other than brakes/shocks, one occurring 4 years into owning the first, the other occurring 10 years into owning the second.

Having no issues a year or two into owning a vehicle seems completely normal to me. Is that just Toyota?

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

I have heard a lot of complaints coming out of CA for service. My experience with both my T and S which I just picked up today has been good.

 

[bigsky]

My R1S was delivered in late July. I've had zero issues so far. I'm sorry to hear about those that have. My car has been solid in all areas.

First of all, my apologies if posting to the wrong discussion; this one looked perhaps okay.
Took delivery of my R1S on 1/5. Built in 11/23. Waited 50 months, but who is counting anymore.
Congratulations on your delivery.
Just wondering what to expect or what others have found in terms of issues with initial delivery and perhaps what to expect or "look forward to" with common issues among owners.
It is a fantastic SUV. This is my third EV; own two Teslas also.

My first issues found seem minor:
1. Rear driver side door trim sticks out some.
2. Driver side door is not quite flush (starts sticking out toward the top). My Tesla had a similar issue and was fixed in a Mobile visit by adjusting the strike plate.
3. The main one: the rear driver side door binds with the driver door upon opening. Edges of both doors look ever so close together. It was fine the first day, but this popping noise started happening on the second day. Opening rear door I can see sort of pushing forward the edge of driver door ever so slightly and then the popping noise as it clears that door edge and goes in.

Nobody will ride in the back seat, and just have to learn to first open driver door before opening the rear door (no paint peeling yet because of this) until I can get it serviced. The bummer is that this apparently is no Mobile-repair worthy. Must take vehicle to my closest service center 400 miles away. Will just turn it into a long trip and enjoy.

Just wondering if other R1S owners have had these or similar issues. Everything else seems fine thus far.

Have not had any major issues with my two Teslas since day one. like my R1S a lot, but I do feel some uneasiness about what exactly might happen and of course the SC being so far away, but the latter I knew going in and would not have prevented me from purchasing it.

 

[zeezz]

So far on my end it's been similar to when we got the Model 3 in 2018. That one had tons of minor things (panel needed repainting, misalignments, handles getting stuck, and a charging board failure down the line at 52k out of warranty (replaced with an ebay part by myself). There was a large rash of 12v failures for teslas back in 2018-2020 that seems to have gotten way better thru detection and maybe other software tweaks.

In contrast, we also have a 2022 MYP that has been pretty much flawless - still some build quality issues.

I'm hopeful Rivian can make the same leaps.

 

[kayabusa]

I have endless problems with my R1S, From delivered date in July 2023, Up today I have 8 service visits...and 1 towing. (right now they are servicing the suspension/wheels squeaky sound which could be a major part replacement and 3 different interior rattles)
Rivian is fighting me the buy back option with all they have. they choose to loose more money on service, rentals and time..... They will loose eventually more, because this vehicle guarantee will keep breaking.

I have bad luck and I'm not the only one.

 

[White Shadow]

Maybe that post did come off a little unsavory. Went ahead and deleted the comment. This thread was about issues OP was having (some major some minor) jumping on to say a vehicle is perfect seemed odd to me as a first time post. Been on this forum quite a long time and I just haven’t come across that large of a jump in comment variability. Zero issues and perfect vehicles are a little hard to believe in general from any manufacturer, having owned many of them from all over the world, but I very well may be wrong. No intention to argue or disrupt the thread.

So you've never owned a new vehicle that didn't have any issues? Really? I mean, all vehicles will eventually have issues since they are machines and machines can't run forever. But at the same time, it's actually quite common to own a new vehicle that experiences zero issues for several years (certainly within the warranty period) from many manufacturers. Look at the two vehicles in my profile. Neither are known for stellar reliability. Both are now more than five years old. Zero issues with either of them in the 5+ years since I purchased them new. Neither has ever returned to the dealership for any reason. I don't think that's unusual at all. Vehicles today are pretty darn good and I'd expect to get a few good years out of any new vehicle without experiencing any issues at all, otherwise I'd be a little disappointed.

 

[jsully19]

Here’s an update to my 12 V battery issue. that started in early January.

2 weeks ago Rivian Mobile service tested the voltage of the 12V battery and said that battery was fine but the 12V distribution unit looked faulty. Mobile service replaced the distribution unit and told me that should fix the problem. Three days ago we got another “12V battery needs service” warning light on the display. The light has stayed on continuously for the last 3 days. Mobile services is coming back again in two weeks to evaluate. I’ll let you know what happens.

[/QUOTE]

 

[jsully19]

I have endless problems with my R1S, From delivered date in July 2023, Up today I have 8 service visits...and 1 towing. (right now they are servicing the suspension/wheels squeaky sound which could be a major part replacement and 3 different interior rattles)
Rivian is fighting me the buy back option with all they have. they choose to loose more money on service, rentals and time..... They will loose eventually more, because this vehicle guarantee will keep breaking.

I have bad luck and I'm not the only one.

We also took delivery in July 23 and are now on service #5 with one tow also. It’s not been the best experience

 

[A Land Rover Forever]

One issue when it was new with onboard charging, they swapped it out and everything has been perfect for 7 months!

 

[jsully19]

Update: Service 12V battery 2/2/24

After several more “Service 12 V battery” warnings, Rivian mobile service, came to evaluate the problem today. They spent about an hour reviewing the logs, and finally resetting the battery control module that sends the alarms. If the reset, does not correct the problem, we need to open a new ticket and bring the truck in for the service center to evaluate. We hope this corrects the problem, but time will tell.

 

[RivAW]

I just scheduled my 3rd service appointment for our R1S at the Rivian service center. After waiting 3 1/2 years for the truck, we finally took delivery just 7 months ago. The drama we’ve had with the vehicle since delivery has been time consuming, unexpected and disappointing to say the very least.

We love the styling and performance of the vehicle but now we wonder if and when it will break down again?!

Here’s a summary of the problems we’ve had.

When we picked up the R1S 7 months ago, we were so excited to see the new truck and the beauty of its styling, that honestly both of us overlooked the poor attention to detail in the fit and finish of the doors and rear hatch. The driver door wouldn’t close without slamming, the molding pieces on both sides of the vehicle were either too short or too long, and the rear hatch stuck out from the body almost a half an inch on the left side and was caved-in on the right side. Most rear hatches, fit flush against the side body. Rivian service center could not do much to fix the body and molding issues, and the front driver door still needs to be slammed. This was our 1st visit for service.

I scheduled our 2nd visit to the service center when I noticed a pool of fluid underneath the truck. At first I thought it might be air-conditioning fluid/condensation but when I received a notification on the driver display about coolant, I checked the liquid a second time, and it was not water but battery coolant fluid. It leaked in a large pool under the truck and it was not drivable. Rivian hired a flat-bed tow truck to pick it up and it was taken for service to repair the leak. The repair took them a week in part because they cut the air-suspension hoses while making the repairs.

I just scheduled our 3rd appointment for service today. I received notification yesterday of the 12V battery requiring maintenance. I worked with Rivian remotely to soft reset and hard reset the vehicle but the issue has NOT been resolved. The truck is scheduled to be serviced in 10 days. We hope the truck doesn’t BRICK before the appointment.

I never expected I’d have these types of problems with a brand new truck. We owned a Tesla prior to this purchase, and it gave us zero problems. I’m very disappointed in the maintenance needed and the reliability of the R1S. I’m tired of scheduling service appointments and I wonder how many other Rivian owners out there have had similar problems…

While I do sympathize and this sucks….you also need to own up to being an early adopter with a brand new EV company, and manage your reasonable expectations. Owning a previous vehicle (how long did it take Tesla to become reasonably reliable as a brand), hardly provides a reasonable expectation as far as your R1S.
Again; it does suck, but what’s more important is how the issues are handled and the level of customer service you get to make things right…

 

[jsully19]

While I do sympathize and this sucks….you also need to own up to being an early adopter with a brand new EV company, and manage your reasonable expectations. Owning a previous vehicle (how long did it take Tesla to become reasonably reliable as a brand), hardly provides a reasonable expectation as far as your R1S.
Again; it does suck, but what’s more important is how the issues are handled and the level of customer service you get to make things right…

Yes, all good points… thank you. How quickly we forget what it means to be an early adopter. That said, I feel like I have a duty to remind others what a pain in the butt an unreliable Rivian can be. Given the problems we’ve experienced we can not depend on the R1S. I’m grateful for Rivian support and they’ve been very kind. I do feel however that Rivian is at a loss regarding how to correct the 12V battery issue. Our local team has “done all they can do” and started a corporate Engineering escalation yesterday….

 

[R.I.P.]

When someone criticizes Rivian and then mentions Tesla as "zero issue" example, it is a good chance that this person some other intentions.

Bull.

I own a number of brands of different cars. They get compared to each other.

The best ones get kept.

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