R1S stuck on road in 3 months

[Count Orlok]

if you spend this much money, you dont expect it to break this soon, I drove audi and tesla for long, n never had to face such issues. I would be more than happy to give away this car, considering a low quality work. its not just outside body that makes the car a good car, hope we all know it.

I'm sorry you;re experiencing this terrible situation. I'm sure it is stressful and I hope Rivian makes you whole soon. As far as rental cars... well there is not much Rivian can do about the exact make/model you get. Not that you want to hear this but getting it serviced on within a week isn't bad compared to some. In the meantime, I would keep asking Rivian for a loaner even if it is a hassle to return the rental and pick up the loaner.

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[COdogman]

Where you could coast into the local auto parts store and fix it in the parking lot with off-the-shelf parts and tools. Did this myself with an idler pulley on the serpentine belt of my '91 GMC Sierra. The 3-piece crescent wrench and plier set I bought still lives in my R1T. I suspect they won't be of much help should I encounter these motor fault and driving disabled errors.

So true! There are quite a few tools I used to keep in my Tacoma I realized would be useless when I was setting up my T.

 

[jkahlon]

I know Vishv personally, issues with H/W can happen where Rivian let him down is in terms of showing professionalism. Having your vehicle with family break down in the middle of the road is a terrifying experience. Taking a casual approach is not what we expect from a company dealing with early adopters who are trusting their engineering.

I have a R1S and have not had this problem and hope I never do however this really makes you think about taking long trips. You really need to feel the company has your back sadly this is not what he experienced. I got mine before him and feel bad about whole heartedly recommending the company to him.

Hoping some Rivian employees read this and take care of his vehicle and root cause it immediately rather than make him wait weeks.

 

[dleepnw]

if you spend this much money, you dont expect it to break this soon, I drove audi and tesla for long, n never had to face such issues. I would be more than happy to give away this car, considering a low quality work. its not just outside body that makes the car a good car, hope we all know it.

bor, youre overreacting. sorry this happened to you, of course it sucks but to make blanket statements isn't fair. you got unlucky. there's plenty of people with very few quality issues.

if this is a deal breaker for you, then you should move on to a different vehicle. imo, Rivian is not perfect but tries its best to do the best for its customers when there are issues or not.

 

[sd250]

Wow. What's with all the Rivian apologists on this forum? They're so quick to dismiss users with serious issues with their vehicle.

I have an R1T and it's been reliable, but I want to hear if others are having problems with theirs. It's good to air this stuff out so that it gets fixed.

 

[R.I.P.]

Wow. What's with all the Rivian apologists on this forum? They're so quick to dismiss users with serious issues with their vehicle.

I have an R1T and it's been reliable, but I want to hear if others are having problems with theirs. It's good to air this stuff out so that it gets fixed.

For some it is a religion. Criticism of the vehicle is perceived as criticism aimed at them for buying one. Jeeps, Yodas, Teslas... Rivian too.... all have devout followings that identify with their vehicle at a level that may not be totally healthy....

But hey... I worship at the church of Mescal.... so what do I know....
?

 

[Skippy]

if you spend this much money, you dont expect it to break this soon, I drove audi and tesla for long, n never had to face such issues. I would be more than happy to give away this car, considering a low quality work. its not just outside body that makes the car a good car, hope we all know it.

Maybe it’s an IQ test and someone failed?

 

[COdogman]

No one here has said Rivian doesn’t need to improve. They would likely be near the bottom of this list as well. But these posts seem to come in 2 flavors:

1. Comparing Rivian to Toyota/ Lexus. Toyota is falling behind in the EV game, but they know how to make extremely reliable vehicles. Of course Rivian isn’t Toyota.
2. I drove Audi/ Tesla or (_____) premium brand and because I spent $__k it means it should not ever break down. Audi and Tesla and most other “premium” brands are also near the bottom of this list. So the truth is the exact opposite. Pointing this out is not being an “apologist” for Rivian - it’s common sense. Unless you are buying a Lexus or Genesis, the amount you spend does not get you a More reliable vehicle.

 

[Oxbow78]

It sounds like it isn't a good fit for you. I recommend getting another Audi so you can experience a breakdown with that brand like most Audi owners have.

Also glad to hear you will be giving it away for $0. How do I sign up to take it off your hands?

I think the point is being overlooked in this post. It is fair to say that buying a brand new concept like a Rivian comes with an accepted element of surprises and unexpected repairs. That being said when buying a “luxury vehicle “ for nearly 100k you expect a level service that comes with what I would call a premium car/ company. You car should not be left stranded for long period of time and adequate Loaner should be available. My vehicle was at the shop for 4 weeks, and although the service team was fantastic the loaner program was a nightmare, I was also referred to enterprise and was given a little VW suv, finally after a week, and after setting a deadline with Rivian. I Received a R1S loaner until my vehicle was repaired. I believe this is point of pain at Rivian and should be addressed. Service centers are great and the entire team are very friendly but with the cost of a Rivian a proper loaner should be available, your car should not be stranded anywhere for a long period of time.
Do not post negative comments unless you have been placed in this situation, I guarantee your view would change quickly if it happens to you…

 

[COdogman]

I think the point is being overlooked in this post. It is fair to say that buying a brand new concept like a Rivian comes with an accepted element of surprises and unexpected repairs. That being said when buying a “luxury vehicle “ for nearly 100k you expect a level service that comes with what I would call a premium car/ company. You car should not be left stranded for long period of time and adequate Loaner should be available. My vehicle was at the shop for 4 weeks, and although the service team was fantastic the loaner program was a nightmare, I was also referred to enterprise and was given a little VW suv, finally after a week, and after setting a deadline with Rivian. I Received a R1S loaner until my vehicle was repaired. I believe this is point of pain at Rivian and should be addressed. Service centers are great and the entire team are very friendly but with the cost of a Rivian a proper loaner should be available, your car should not be stranded anywhere for a long period of time.
Do not post negative comments unless you have been placed in this situation, I guarantee your view would change quickly if it happens to you…

Ok, but saying that a person’s overreaction cannot be challenged because I haven’t “been in the same situation” is also irrational. I have been stranded by vehicles many times in my life. I didn’t expect the car dealer to immediately save me from that situation and I wouldn’t expect Rivian to either. OP is the one who said Tesla/ Audi are more reliable. I simply pointed out they are not and that spending X amount is no guarantee it will not leave you stranded. Is Tesla going to rescue you from the roadside where your Model X broke down? Of course not.

Also, where were all those loaners supposed to come from in the last 2 years while Rivian was just trying to deliver the orders to people who have been waiting? They are limited to relying on rental companies until there is a surplus of Rivians that can be offered as loaners. And they obviously are not in control of what happens at every local Enterprise office. I’m sorry your loaner/ rental situation was not good, but some of what you are complaining about is an Enterprise problem, not a Rivian problem. Rivian service locations are getting more loaners now that production is catching up. This also seems like common sense to me…

 

[Donald Stanfield]

It takes me 30 days' notice to schedule an oil change with the local Audi dealer. Now, IDK how long service outside of that would take, but if their backlog is that long for an oil change, I'd imagine I would be sitting a good while. Rivian service has been reasonably responsive, and I've had mobile service handle any issue. The assertion that Rivian service is uniquely bad isn't true, and the massive shortage of qualified auto techs will be a growing industry problem.

Every tradesperson these days is hard to find. Especially in the land of inflation we are currently in, the trades aren't paying enough to entice people based on what you have to put into it. Most trades these days require the same level of technical schooling as an engineering program, yet you still have terrible working conditions compared to just going to be an engineer. Auto techs are increasingly becoming the same with increased computer domination in cars.

We will have to find a way to compensate tradespeople, which will likely require a shift in how we think about these people. No one will put that much effort into a job with mediocre pay and poor working conditions. Gone are the days of showing up to a jobsite and being handed a hammer to start an apprenticeship. Many of those people cannot handle the requisite schooling these days. These days, An automotive tech is part mechanic, electrical engineer and part coder.

Rivian would end their backlog today if qualified techs were just waiting for a job. There aren't, and I expect this problem to continue and worsen in the coming years.

 

[Supratachophobia]

I think the point is being overlooked in this post. It is fair to say that buying a brand new concept like a Rivian comes with an accepted element of surprises and unexpected repairs. That being said when buying a “luxury vehicle “ for nearly 100k you expect a level service that comes with what I would call a premium car/ company. You car should not be left stranded for long period of time and adequate Loaner should be available. My vehicle was at the shop for 4 weeks, and although the service team was fantastic the loaner program was a nightmare, I was also referred to enterprise and was given a little VW suv, finally after a week, and after setting a deadline with Rivian. I Received a R1S loaner until my vehicle was repaired. I believe this is point of pain at Rivian and should be addressed. Service centers are great and the entire team are very friendly but with the cost of a Rivian a proper loaner should be available, your car should not be stranded anywhere for a long period of time.
Do not post negative comments unless you have been placed in this situation, I guarantee your view would change quickly if it happens to you…

I think you have to look at where the failure lies as well. Is it a design flaw? If so, I'd imagine it would be more widespread, like PTC.

Is it a failure in parts quality? Well, then you get into revisions and batches, so you can see if there is commonality between incidents. Girl your supplier and address.

Or, is it in the assembly process where QC took a dump. The last one is what will kill Rivian like it almost killed Tesla early on.

You cannot spend customer goodwill on getting a few more units out the door for the quarter. Case in point, the large number of vehicles that don't seem to have proper alignment.

 

[RivianDad2]

I’m new here and expecting to take delivery by the end of the year on an R1S. As a general matter, I think the Rivian Kool Aid folks actually do a bit of disservice to the brand.

The OP had a legitimately bad experience. I think acknowledging that it is bad and that Rivian needs to improve is the appropriate response. Telling the OP that they are overreacting makes it sound like many Rivian customers think the OP’s experience is reasonable and will be an acceptable norm moving forward. Why would potential owners want to buy product in which poor QC and customer service is expected?

It’s important that Rivian understand that it needs to improve its customer service to maintain its standing as a luxury car brand.

 

[COdogman]

I’m new here and expecting to take delivery by the end of the year on an R1S. As a general matter, I think the Rivian Kool Aid folks actually do a bit of disservice to the brand.

The OP had a legitimately bad experience. I think acknowledging that it is bad and that Rivian needs to improve is the appropriate response. Telling the OP that they are overreacting makes it sound like many Rivian customers think the OP’s experience is reasonable and will be an acceptable norm moving forward. Why would potential owners want to buy product in which poor QC and customer service is expected?

It’s important that Rivian understand that it needs to improve its customer service to maintain its standing as a luxury car brand.

Why can’t both be true? Most of the people who hold the opinion OP is overreacting also said Rivian can improve. Some of us said it multiple times. So where is the “disservice” being done?

OP is free to react however he wants to the situation. And if part of that includes posting his feelings on an Internet forum, then others are free to have their own opinions about what he says and how he says it. It doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. It doesn’t mean Rivian can’t improve. His stated reasoning and comparison of other brands that would be less likely to leave him stranded was not accurate. If he doesn’t like hearing that, then don’t say it.

 

[superfly_snook]

I agree with the sentiment here that there is a mafia of folks in this forum that find a way to pile on anyone who shares their bad experience. The stupid “reliability” chart or whatever someone keeps posting is like a sad joke at this point.

It is not “normal” for a car to suddenly shut down in the middle of the road. I have read about it happening now multiple times on this forum which is a concern. Many of us have also had horrible Rivian service experiences and they need to do better.

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