Rivian executive acknowledges R1S AC noise problem

[DallasBBQ]

Last night, just before 7:00, I received a call from the Rivian Southwest territory manager. During our conversation, she acknowledged the widespread issue with AC motor noise in the R1S that occurs in hot weather. I expressed my frustration, explaining that our vehicle has become so loud that we avoid driving it unless absolutely necessary. To me, this clearly indicates a defective design, but she quickly refuted my claim.

Her response seemed rehearsed, as if carefully crafted by their legal team. She assured me that the vehicle is operating as designed, providing cooling and posing no safety risk. I shared my experience of driving two other R1S vehicles in Dallas, both of which did not have this noise issue. She stated they are among the "lucky ones."

Interestingly, it seems that my persistence in reaching out to various executives within the company, including RJ himself, has finally prompted a response. I had already taken the vehicle to the Dallas service center twice for repairs, only to be told repeatedly that nothing was wrong with it.

It's incredibly frustrating to own an $80K vehicle that sounds like it's about to explode. I wish good luck to everyone in hot climates this summer, as this problem has escalated from being intermittent to nearly constant. The noise is unbelievably loud, both inside and outside the vehicle. I have attached videos to highlight the severity of the issue.

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[mini2nut]

Sorry to hear.

Me? I would have returned the vehicle within the 7-day purchase window for a full refund. That annoying sound is simply unacceptable.

 

[DallasBBQ]

The weather in Dallas was cool for my first 7 days. Now I'm screwed!

 

[goldburger]

The person who called you is not a Rivian “executive” they are middle management. But that sound is truly terrible you should def sell it if you can’t live with it.

 

[LL75]

Wow. I'm sorry to hear this. So they won't do anything about it?

 

[240vPlug]

I understand your frustrated. This noise is affecting R1T as well. Mine only does it when it's preconditioning and in motion.

If it's ruining your experience may be time to consider returning/lemon the car?

This would appear to be the 3rd thread you have on this issue. May be easier to track if it's all in one thread.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Always have options.

 

[SciGuy]

I drove a 2019 Tesla Model X which made very similar noises when the AC was running and it was loud. Can’t say if it was as loud as your R1S but it was certainly an annoyance. Have you asked them to change out the AC unit?

 

[jjswan33]

This would appear to be the 3rd thread you have on this issue. May be easier to track if it's all in one thread.

I was just about to make the same comment but by my count 4th thread and 3rd this week. I felt some sympathy for his issues at first but now just starting to… well maybe a 5th or 6th thread here will solve his issue.

 

[DallasBBQ]

The person who called you is not a Rivian “executive” they are middle management. But that sound is truly terrible you should def sell it if you can’t live with it.

Adding to the frustration, we recently sold my wife's 2023 Range Rover Sport when the Rivian arrived. It's the other vehicle she likes, and we waited 8 months for delivery. The new Sport is selling for a premium and the dealership repurchased above my initial invoice. Only good part of my Rivian experience!

I’m considering selling but couldn't consciously sell without disclosing the issue. I'm certain that a vehicle with a known problem that cannot be fixed wouldn't fetch a premium price. It's unfortunate that Rivian doesn't share the same ethical perspective. They just announced that the R1S constitutes a majority of their sales. The Dallas service center has a row of R1S’s lined up for deliveries. Once the Texas heat hits 100 degrees, they'll likely have a long list of dissatisfied customers.

 

[DallasBBQ]

I understand your frustrated. This noise is affecting R1T as well. Mine only does it when it's preconditioning and in motion.

If it's ruining your experience may be time to consider returning/lemon the car?

This would appear to be the 3rd thread you have on this issue. May be easier to track if it's all in one thread.

I'm done w/ new threads. I posted new today because I felt the call w/ Rivian last night was new news since they finally admit the issue exists. Sorry if that was not the correct protocol. Just frustrated. I'm a fairly new forum poster.

 

[invernite]

Wow. I'm sorry to hear this. So they won't do anything about it?

I have the same question. Rivian acknowledged the issue, but did they say anything about what they're doing about it? Though they said it poses no safety issue and offers cooling as designed, I wouldn't infer that they'll do nothing about it from that statement. Perhaps engineering is looking into solutions and a fix will be made available at some point. Were paths to a solution discussed in your conversation?

 

[DallasBBQ]

I have the same question. Rivian acknowledged the issue, but did they say anything about what they're doing about it? Though they said it poses no safety issue and offers cooling as designed, I wouldn't infer that they'll do nothing about it from that statement. Perhaps engineering is looking into solutions and a fix will be made available at some point. Were paths to a solution discussed in your conversation?

They refuse to make any repairs because the vehicle is operating as designed. She said they are looking into the issue but would not provide specifics. It felt like she was very careful with her words.

 

[invernite]

They refuse to make any repairs because the vehicle is operating as designed. She said they are looking into the issue but would not provide specifics. It felt like she was very careful with her words.

Sounds to me like they don't know what the fix is and don't want to randomly keep replacing parts hoping it addresses the symptoms. That's not unreasonable in my opinion - I'd rather they identify the problem and fix it than try random things to fix the symptom, which may resurface later if the underlying problem isn't solved.

I'm thinking that once they've found the solution there'll be some sort of campaign to address this. Of course we don't know how long that'll take (if it happens at all).

 

[SlaterGS]

If my R1S was in Texas I bet it would sound the exact same.
It has sounded like that only a few times and mainly when cooling the cabin prior to departure after it has sat in the sun for an hour or two. Annoying but not a huge deal if it stops when we go.

The one time however it continued while we started driving and it was so bad I almost started to feel sick. I turned the climate control off and back on and it was much more reasonable/acceptable.

Love my R1S and have had zero issues with it really but I can see how a hotter climate with the current way the climate control works could cause issues. I'm going to add ceramic on the windows to hopefully help with how much heat is absorbed.

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