Rear door closing issue explained! (2025 R1S)

[Formosan]

I know that this issue has been raised before where the R1S rear door passenger doors are much more difficult to close, and that re-alignment can be done (but this comes with a caveat!).

First of all, I had this issue and requested service. The tech asked me to test closing the rear door with the windows door. Skeptical at first, but the doors close properly why the windows are down. So this is simply due to cabin pressure and the fact that the rear doors are much lighter than the front ( I didn’t know this!). The tech said they could fine-tune it but it would create a bigger gap between the seams. As a result, I decided to leave it as is.

I have not experienced this with other vehicles in the past. Is this a common phenomenon with large vehicles like the R1S??

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[csharp]

I know that this issue has been raised before where the R1S rear door passenger doors are much more difficult to close, and that re-alignment can be done (but this comes with a caveat!).

I have not experienced this with other vehicles in the past. Is this a common phenomenon with large vehicles like the R1S??

It has to do with how well sealed the cabin is. Remember, our vehicles can ford a large depth of water and the doors need to be fully sealed for this. Has less to do with the size of the vehicle and more to do with how well sealed it is. My wife's tahoe (larger than R1S) is easier to shut the doors because it isnt as well sealed.

 

[VSG]

So this is simply due to cabin pressure and the fact that the rear doors are much lighter than the front ( I didn’t know this!)

Also, the rear doors are not as wide (front to back) as the front doors, at least with my R1T where they're about 15% narrower, so there is less leverage => more force needs to be applied at the edge to close the rear doors.

Once you know these things, it becomes second nature to compensate for them. My only problem comes from the occasional rear-seat passenger who doesn't realize they didn't close the door all the way.

 

[Jumpjack]

I wasn't aware that this was a known issue and discussed before.
I have the same issue and have asked a mobile tech (who was installing a spare wheel) about it. He said that it felt normal enough to him and anyway might ease with use.
I get the cabin pressure due to good seals etc. but don't then understand why this might only be a issue with (I think) Gen2 R1S? I would presume that both Gens and both R1S and R1T would have similar intended levels of sealing?
I can share that when you've got a kid in one arm and are not in the best position to put enough force into pushing the door closed with the other arm that it can be a real pain.
It doesn't help that the on screen graphic that warns you in the truck shows the door fully open, which I at first thought was a sensor issue.

 

[usulio]

Not easy to close in Gen 1, but I haven't tried Gen 2 to compare.

 

[Jumpjack]

It must vary from vehicle to vehicle to a degree but for us pretty much anybody who does it for the first time will fail to close the back doors fully (and usually not notice).
I still fail at least 1 in 10 times, if I don't remember to slam.

 

[Killer95Stang]

This is pretty common across the automotive industry. My F150 has an aluminum body. With windows up and closing one door at a time, it is nice gental closing, but does take a little effort. When a window is down, or another door is open, using the same pressure, it feels like I'm slamming the hell out of the door.

I don't sit in the back of our R1S that much, but it's the same deal. If you are used to luxury cars like Mercedes, BMW, {some with double glass) etc, the doors are so heavy, this isn't an issue.

 

[sherold]

It gets a little easier as things get broken in and worn but its still a well sealed vehicle that takes some umpf to overcome that pressure buildup when closing a single door with windows up. I've gotten in the habit of cracking a window when my kiddos are closing the doors to help them out.

I'm sure if you really wanted, you could find the cabin pressure vents (R1T is behind the rear seat) and "modify" them to relive pressure a little easier. Would likely have some other unintended consequences from that though.

 

[ndmiller]

Nonsense, It's an engineering issue with assembly they haven't solved plain and simple. All my doors including gear tunnel and truck bed had to adjusted at least once with a few needing more. It was about tolerances and manufacturing error.

Porsches are bank vault tight and include a notch in the door seal for battery tenders as the cords would be crushed without it. Easy to open and close and never had one adjusted.

Lexus LX570 and GX460 same thing, tight enough to feel it in your ears when closing multiple doors but never had a misaligned door.

Honda Accord, Camry, Subaru, every other vehicle I've owned big and small, never had a door adjusted.

I've never even heard about getting a vehicles door adjusted until I bought the Rivian. Has anyone else?

 

[cevans]

Porsches are bank vault tight and include a notch in the door seal for battery tenders as the cords would be crushed without it. Easy to open and close and never had one adjusted.

...

I've never even heard about getting a vehicles door adjusted until I bought the Rivian. Has anyone else?

I don't think you've owned a Porsche, or an Audi, or really any VW Group product. On these cars you can absolutely tell the difference between closing a door with the windows open or closed. They have a cabin vent to assist with this - maybe the Rivian doesn't have this - but even with the vent the difference is noticeable.

The other thing about the rear doors is that they are lighter and smaller, meaning less momentum than the front doors due to pure weight and the distance from the door hinge, meaning you need to swing them faster.

 

[Haynstyln]

Thanks for sharing. A few thousand rear windows will be rolled down and doors opened and shut in the next 24hrs

 

[VSG]

They have a cabin vent to assist with this - maybe the Rivian doesn't have this - but even with the vent the difference is noticeable.

This.

Honestly, I don't know what the big surprise is. This is an effect you will see to some degree in ANY car (I have a couple of 25 year old vehicles, for example, where it is much easier to shut the doors with the windows down...).

Likewise, I see this in every *house* I've ever lived in. If you are accustomed to use a certain amount of force to shut the door of a small room, you will end up slamming that same door when the window in that room is open.

 

[hammick]

Reminds me of the older Beemers that would automatically crack the window to assist with closing the doors. No idea if the new one's still have that feature. Rivian could probably make that happen with a software update.

 

[Shaqdeez]

They should've done soft closing doors to resolve this. It's premium enough to have it.

 

[VSG]

If Rivian had tried to do everything everyone thinks they "should have done" before shipping their first vehicle, then they would never have shipped anything and would have failed like so many other new car companies.

Rivian made their MVP decisions years ago. If you weren't happy with their choices, you didn't have to buy a Rivian. That is, assuming you really own a Rivian. I personally am extremely happy with my Launch Edition R1T, which is a better vehicle for the price than any other I've ever owned. It was a flat-out steal.

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