R2 Owner's Manual Guide posted!

[Yamazaki]

Who said they don’t have knee airbags? Everything I’ve researched says they do. Standard equipment these days.

https://www.kbb.com/rivian/r2/

The owner's manual that was posted in this thread...

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[Jeremy3292]

The owner's manual that was posted in this thread...

I’m in a wait and see mode on this still. Third-party automotive research sites (like Car and Driver and Kelley Blue Book) confirm that the Rivian R2 has 8 airbags, which explicitly includes driver and front passenger knee airbags. I’m pretty sure they need them to pass the federal side impact and rollover standards, as well as the unbelted seatbelt test which Europe doesn’t have. Likely this manual is the bare minimum and not everything.

If I’m wrong on this so be it, but this doesn’t pass the smell test up front.

 

[Mos Eisley]

I’m in a wait and see mode on this still. Third-party automotive research sites (like Car and Driver and Kelley Blue Book) confirm that the Rivian R2 has 8 airbags, which explicitly includes driver and front passenger knee airbags. I’m pretty sure they need them to pass the federal side impact and rollover standards, as well as the unbelted seatbelt test which Europe doesn’t have. Likely this manual is the bare minimum and not everything.

If I’m wrong on this so be it, but this doesn’t pass the smell test up front.

Got this from Rivian support. It's interesting that they have to defer/delay on such answer. Guessing this is outsourced to a third party.
--

"My name is Peter and I am a customer support agent at Rivian.
Thank you for reaching out and for taking the time to carefully review the R2 Owner’s Guide.

We understand your question regarding knee airbags, especially since they are not shown in the current airbag diagrams or listed in the supplemental restraint system section of the guide.

At this time, we are still awaiting official confirmation from the appropriate team regarding this specific feature. Based on the information currently available in the published documentation, we are unable to confirm that the R2 is equipped with knee airbags, and we would lean toward the likelihood that they are not included.

That said, we’ve shared your question with the relevant team for clarification, and we will update you if any additional confirmed information becomes available.

We appreciate you taking the time to look closely at the safety details and thank you for your patience. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions."

 

[Jeremy3292]

Got this from Rivian support. It's interesting that they have to defer/delay on such answer. Guessing this is outsourced to a third party.
--

"My name is Peter and I am a customer support agent at Rivian.
Thank you for reaching out and for taking the time to carefully review the R2 Owner’s Guide.

We understand your question regarding knee airbags, especially since they are not shown in the current airbag diagrams or listed in the supplemental restraint system section of the guide.

At this time, we are still awaiting official confirmation from the appropriate team regarding this specific feature. Based on the information currently available in the published documentation, we are unable to confirm that the R2 is equipped with knee airbags, and we would lean toward the likelihood that they are not included.

That said, we’ve shared your question with the relevant team for clarification, and we will update you if any additional confirmed information becomes available.

We appreciate you taking the time to look closely at the safety details and thank you for your patience. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions."

I'm doing a demo drive tomorrow. I'll see if there are any markings indicating airbags under the steering wheel area. It looks like they have to have something to pass the unbelted safety test. From Gemini:

Why do some cars have them and others don't?
Because the law regulates the injury score of the dummy, not the specific parts used to solve it, automakers have choices:

• Larger SUVs and Trucks sometimes have enough physical space under the dash to use energy-absorbing steel or thick plastic structures to satisfy the unbelted test without needing a knee airbag.
• Smaller or Sleeker Vehicles (where designers want to maximize legroom and pull the dashboard as far forward away from your knees as possible) almost always opt for knee airbags because it's the most space-efficient way to pass the test.

So while the law doesn't say "You must install a knee airbag," it creates a safety hurdle so specific that, for a vehicle like the Rivian R2, installing them is the smartest engineering route to legally sell the car in the United States.

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