Rivian executive acknowledges R1S AC noise problem

[BigE]

So some people are going to need:
1) New A/C compressor & condenser
2) New heavier steering wheel
3) New tonneau cover
4) New half-shafts or drive units
5) New single 12V battery system that uses a capacitor in place if the second 12V battery

Geeze... anything else? Good thing Rivian has deep pockets

I would think much of that cost is going back to their Tier 1 suppliers

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[R1Tom]

So some people are going to need:
1) New A/C compressor & condenser
2) New heavier steering wheel
3) New tonneau cover
4) New half-shafts or drive units
5) New single 12V battery system that uses a capacitor in place if the second 12V battery

Geeze... anything else? Good thing Rivian has deep pockets

Why do you think that almost everything in that list has you to actually come to reality? It may not ever, in my opinion.

 

[bucweet]

I just picked up a 2023 R1S, used that has 7500 miles on it.. I'm experiencing this terrible noise, and vibrations here in FL even in December..

Is there any fix that's resulted out of this?

 

[user1234]

They refuse to make any repairs because the vehicle is operating as designed.

I am not liking how they get lawyerlike saying this. This is very very bad of Rivian. I am very upset. I just got my vehicle. It is winter here. I am not sure if I will have the same problem.

 

[shap]

I know it is an old thread, but does anybody know if this issue was improved at the end?
Mine R1T has the same noise/vibration (that I got used to), but now I also hear some "hiss" inside the cabin when the compressor engages or disengages.

Does anybody know what temperature should the exhaust valve of the compressor (on the left side of it) and the compressor itself reach when operating? Mine is burning hot, untouchable even for a sub-second. And the car is just in the garage, working for 5 min after I open the car door. The ambient is 70 degrees.

 

[Zoidz]

I don’t hear a hiss in my R1 but I have heard this in my other cars. It is probably normal. When the compressor shuts off, pressure in the system needs to equalize. Compressed refrigerant will return to vapor state as the pressure drops until the system pressure equalizes on both sides of the compressor.

Regarding the compressor discharge line (what you refer to as the exhaust valve) , the purpose of an AC compressor is to move heat. The compressor discharge contains high heat refrigerant vapor - the heat that was removed from your cabin. It should be hot, and can be too hot to touch. That’s normal. That hot refrigerant goes to the condenser which blows air through it to remove that heat - just like the outdoor unit on your home. If this line and compressor was not hot, your AC is not working.

 

[shap]

Thank you - I expected it to be hot, was just not sure how much hot .

As for the hissing sound, which is new to me in R1T, I started to notice it about a couple of weeks and sometimes it is very pronounced, even during driving.

I opened a service request, let see what SC will say. I really do not like the current noise from the compressor, it is badly designed to be so loud.

Some people reported the new VIN's are better - not sure if it is the case. I will report back after SC will look at the problem. Mine is 22XXX

 

[Friscorays]

Reported the issue way back when and told Rivian would like for it to be addressed if a fix becomes available. Rivian called out of the blue a few weeks back to schedule service for AC on April 10 but don't know specifically what they plan on looking at or doing....

 

[shap]

Reported the issue way back when and told Rivian would like for it to be addressed if a fix becomes available. Rivian called out of the blue a few weeks back to schedule service for AC on April 10 but don't know specifically what they plan on looking at or doing....

Thank you for the heads up - I have an open SC request scheduled for Apr 16th. 2 main issues: hissing when the AC is cooling (I guess it is low on gas somehow), and extensive noise (that is claimed as "normal" before, but it is embarrassing.)

Now I hope to push harder on them to find a solution for the noise and vibrations. Will report back after the visit.

 

[rkalbiar]

Do recent builds still have this issue?

 

[240vPlug]

There is a field service campaign for R1T which were overcharged from factory. Mine was making a washing machine spin cycle sound but only when temps were above 90 and the truck sat outside. Will find out this summer if the evac and recharge fix it.

The loud sounds I think most are talking about is compared to a jet engine or weed whacker. That sounds, while annoying, is normal as it's present on every R1T and R1S I have seen. Especially when weather starts to get warm.

Compressor is right up near the cab so I think Rivian needs to do some sound deadening and also use some washers to prevent some vibration.

 

[Forrester]

We have had issues with the AC on our R1S pretty much since the day we bought the car in late December. We live in South Florida and the amount of noise and vibration that comes from the AC running is ridiculous. We brought it to the service center in Miami and they had it for a week and I drove there to pick it up. Upon arrival the AC was still making the same noise after they said they fixed a loose wire. After much discussion and them telling me this is normal for EV's ( which isn't true, I owned an Audi EV for a year with no noise) the service manager agreed the noise was not normal and they said they would replace the AC unit. The truck was dropped off to us last week and the AC is still very loud and makes all sorts of noises and vibrations, even when it's on a low fan speed. This is completely unacceptable and Rivian needs to do something about this issue, especially for those who live in warmer climates.

 

[PappaBolt]

This is a long standing issue that started with the June 2023 OTA. I thought it was bad (it is) but it got even worse with 2024.07.03.

Now the AC compressor quickly ramps to max (buzzing and vibration), runs for 23 seconds and instantly drops to zero. Wait 2 minutes and it ramps again to max for 23 seconds and drops to zero. Over and over and over. It doesn’t matter what the ambient temperature is inside or out or what the battery temperature is. It’s just on a wicked repeat cycle. The only way to get it to stop (other than turning off the HVAC) is to turn on recycle.

It goes in to the SC this Friday for the third time to “troubleshoot”. Hint: it’s software induced.

 

[shap]

This is a long standing issue that started with the June 2023 OTA. I thought it was bad (it is) but it got even worse with 2024.07.03.

Now the AC compressor quickly ramps to max (buzzing and vibration), runs for 23 seconds and instantly drops to zero. Wait 2 minutes and it ramps again to max for 23 seconds and drops to zero. Over and over and over. It doesn’t matter what the ambient temperature is inside or out or what the battery temperature is. It’s just on a wicked repeat cycle. The only way to get it to stop (other than turning off the HVAC) is to turn on recycle.

It goes in to the SC this Friday for the third time to “troubleshoot”. Hint: it’s software induced.

Mine stoped working a few day's after the update and similar problem you described. It is in the SC right now as the compressor is not turning on. Said that I got the loaner that is also on the same software version and does not have this problem.

As a side note - I am glad I got the loaner, as I can see that the steering is way better than mine (not pulling right, steering wheel dead straight). Meaning - they can find the way to make it right

 

[240vPlug]

This is not a software issue. It's an NVH issue. Tesla had a similar issue on Model Y during 2020 and 2021. It was especially bad in winter when in heat pump operation. Later iterations of Model Y had foam wrapping on the compressor and almost completely eliminated the noise. Both on the Tesla and on the Rivian it's exacerbated by the fact the compressor it right in front of the cabin.

Foam wrapping and mounting hardware should be able to resolve this issue.

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