Rivian Quality - Two Genuine Questions

[eRacer]

Personally what I find with automotive forums is that they were made as a means for people to find solutions to problems or issues they have with their vehicles. So inherently the information you will find are mostly 'negative'. Most of the posts in automotive forums are pleas for help or assistance with problems. It's fairly rare that people will post about their positive experiences. Those that do are only responding to others who ask for positive experiences.

I use forums to gauge the ammount of 'maintenance/repair' I will expect to have to deal with and if it's acceptable to me. Before I purchase any vehicle, I usually find a forum and do some research there.

From your response it sounds as if you've done your homework and are convinced that the rivian 'problems' you have found outweigh the benefits of ownership. What I recommend is that you look at your other vehicle options and read though the forums there as well. Every vehicle will have their downfalls, you just have to determine which ones you can live with.

Best of luck!

My $.02, my Rivian ownership has been somewhat 'difficult' but ultimately rewarding. I can complain about all the issues I've had with the truck but, Rivian was able to provide support and repairs for the issues in a timely manner. At the end of the day, it's still a better option than the alternatives.

Sponsored

 

[Yossarian]

I am always amazed at people confusing anecdotes with data. All I've seen are anecdotes on this forum so far. It means nothing in regards to the overall quality of Rivians.

I have had zero problems with my R1T. Best vehicle I have ever owned. That doesn't necessarily mean that the quality of Rivians is excellent any more than the posts you cite mean that the quality is poor. It is still pretty early in Rivian's existence to have any good data. The only thing I've seen is a JD Power survey that had Rivian R1T owners as the most satisfied of any owner in the premium EV market. That's pretty small, but that's something a little better than just posts on a forum/

Yep this.

The actual [reasonably] verifiable data we presently have really supports only the conclusion that a minority of Rivian owners post on the two Rivian forums. We don't know how many of this minority have problems, and we certainly don't have any way to separate out major, minor and cosmetic issues.

Much of what I've seen posted reminds me of a remark a work colleague made years ago about why he'd never, ever buy a Subaru. He noted that on a long drive one day during the summer, there was a greater than normal number of cars apparently broken down along the route he took, and every "disabled" one he saw was a Subaru.

 

[OldGoat]

Here's the issue with asking this question. First, everyone's experience is so different. I read posts about how great BMW, Porsche and Audi are...we've owned all. Traded in a 2.5 year old Audi etron Sportback. Several issues and the worst dealer experience we've ever had (culminated with an offer to buy it that was thousands less than the next lowest offer)...we could not wait to be rid of it.

Same goes for one's experiences with the Rivian. Some are good, some bad. Add to that, perhaps the most important variable, the human! I read some threads articulating problems with the Rivian where I think 'wow, that's really bad, Rivian needs to take cars of it!' I read other threads and laugh at the thought that anyone would consider it to be an issue. Talk about OCD! Some people are easy-going, so nothing bothers them and others seem to be miserable wretches that are happiest when they are complaining.

Finally, you have the situation where people with issues will post far more frequently than those that don't. In some cases, they are posting to get verification, in others, they are looking for help and in others posting simply to vent. Regardless of the why, it does skew the numbers towards unhappy owners.

To be sure, the concern/question is valid. I live four hours from the closest SC, so I am acutely aware of and sensitive to issues. I'm just not sure that asking the question will help you arrive at a correct answer. Far more likely is that you already have a bias (whether known or subconscious) and will process the responses in a manner that supports that bias.

 

[Kanuk]

Thanks for the thread. Right there with you man. I’ve been purposely holding off delivery for about 6 months now. I want the quad T but have kept my reservation as max dual T to kick the delivery date down the road. I also think it’s odd when folks compare some of these issues to other past vehicle experiences. My Touareg is 13 years old now and I’ve never had one thing wrong with it-literally not one and I bought the thing for <$25k. Can’t imagine what form of anger might occur if I got into my $80k vehicle in the morning to jet off to clinic and get error messages telling me I can’t drive for some reason. I could also be wrong here; but as someone that doesn’t place much importance on vehicles, I also hesitate from a place of not wanting such high obligation and commitment to my vehicle-which overall seems necessary with the transition.

Different strokes for different folks I suppose. I owned a Touareg for a little over two years. In that two year period there was never a time where there wasn’t something that needed fixing. My dream was to call the local news station and then light it on fire in front of the VW dealership where I purchased it. ? Same goes for my wife’s Mini Cooper S.

Compared to those two vehicles my R1T is a dream come true.

 

[kayabusa]

You are asking a bunch of gamblers if you should gamble ?

My previous vehicle was a Rivian R1T, 9,000 miles in 10 months and just no problems.
Then I got the R1S and ..... is not going well. 40 days of ownership, 20 on the shop.

Nobody in the world knows if a Rivian truck would stand 8-10 years of usage and keep going and going, because is a new vehicle and a new company....... That data doesn't exist and if we don't have that data, we are assuming..... If we are assuming putting $100k down, then we are gambling.

Be careful with your decision, once you set a foot on that thing, is addictive. You will not want to drive a gas car or any other car.

PS. I'm extremally unhappy driving the rental wagonner .

 

[JayinNJ]

Year 1 of a new model and first trucks by a new company. That pretty much sums it up. It will have more problems than a Honda or Toyota that has been building those same cars for decades with refinements along the way.

 

[Deleted member 7086]

I have had my R1T for 15 months and around 10,000 miles. I place my R1T experiences in two categories, those of a minor inconvenience and those of serious concern. In the first category I would place the FM module frying, the driver’s door handle sensor needing replacement, several dents on the hood and rear quarter panel requiring repair and gear tunnel door adjustments. Also Rivian advertised the R1T as having a state of the art Meridian infotainment system and with no additional information being made available by Rivian this led me to believe it would have the usual industry standard bells and whistles. Unfortunately it does not and I only discovered this when the vehicle was actually delivered. No AUX in, no USB-c inputs, restricted Bluetooth connectivity (with the exception of cell phones virtually eliminates third party connectivity) and no Car Play or Android Auto. In the second category falls the infamous half shaft/spline problem (three repairs including the “washer” fix) still not fixed, an HVAC system with a mind of its own (while a guess on my part probably a software issue in trying to keep the main battery pack in the “sweet zone” and at the same time regulate the cabin temperature) and noisy damper on the driver’s side but does not seem to effect ride performance (Rivian’s position no evidence of oil leakage or physical damage not replacing). I am an individual who keeps his vehicles a long time and because of that reliability is a big issue for me. Notwithstanding the above, I truly enjoy driving my R1T (although I could do without its corresponding irritations) and with the time and effort invested would not consider selling it. However, when I bought it the R1T was the only game in town. Today I would wait and see what the competition comes up with.

 

[maddave12]

I’d say nearly all cars have their share of minor issues, even from legacy oems. Rivian (and Tesla) seem to get more attention about them because they own the whole stack. Whereas you can take a BMW or Toyota to a third party dealership for issues.

No, a Rivian will not match your Toyota RAV4 for reliability and build quality at this point. That’s a completely accurate assessment, and if it is your threshold for acceptability, then you will likely be disappointed.

My $.02, my Rivian ownership has been somewhat 'difficult' but ultimately rewarding. I can complain about all the issues I've had with the truck but, Rivian was able to provide support and repairs for the issues in a timely manner. At the end of the day, it's still a better option than the alternatives.

Here’s the question I think you should be asking people on the forum: If you had to do the whole thing over (same wait, same delivery experience, same service experience, same ownership experience) would you buy again?

The above capture my thoughts on this.

My R1T (8 months) has had more issues than our last 4 Subarus, 2 Hondas, 1 Kia, and 1 Volvo combined. AND, the current wait for service is awful. The only new vehicle I've had more trouble with in my 45 years of car ownership was a new Toyota Sienna. Add the fact that many, many of the issues posted in this forum are things that should never have left the factory, and I very much wonder why Rivian's not fixing their QC processes as a top priority. It's not rocket science (having done it), and it's cheaper than fixing them in the field.

I think the OP is perfectly reasonable in asking the question, should I make such a major purpose given the concerns with initial quality?

I also think Socal Rob's point above is dead-on... Would I buy it again? I would. Even with the growing pains, I love the truck.

I also want to encourage the occasional hostile fellow posters to remain respectful - just because someone's questioning whether they want to do something doesn't mean they're criticizing your choices.

[Edited to add an omitted car]

 

[stucker43]

I am 241 miles from a service center and people are warning me not to buy a Rivian because of the need for a service center appointment. This is like the old days when you would buy a ford or chevy and the dealer would tell you to make a list of problems and bring it back and they would fix them.I owned a model 3 Tesla for 4 years never had to visit a service center , same with the model Y that I owned for a year. Currently have an X and it had one minor problem fixed by mobile service. You should not need to go to a service center in a new car period: especially an EV which are supposed to be more reliable. For some strange reason I still want one.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

All I've seen are anecdotes on this forum so far.

You mean not everyone's Rivian flips itself over in a field? ?

 

[Trandall]

@rob_d why would you cancel unless you simply don't want the R1S, You still have 7 day 1000 mile return if you don't like it. If you have early pricing and don't like the R1S DM me and depending on your configuration I'll take it off your hands and make you whole. We love our R1T and my wife comments at least once a week that we should have bought one of each. I'm in central NY and serious about the offer.

 

[kayabusa]

@rob_d why would you cancel unless you simply don't want the R1S, You still have 7 day 1000 mile return if you don't like it. If you have early pricing and don't like the R1S DM me and depending on your configuration I'll take it off your hands and make you whole. We love our R1T and my wife comments at least once a week that we should have bought one of each. I'm in central NY and serious about the offer.

That's what I called, happily married !!!

 

[Rickman90]

I have had my R1T for several months and could not be happier with my decision to buy a RIVIAN. I also follow all the blogs and FB pages RIVIAN related understanding that social media allows for people the opportunity to share their grievances to whatever extent they feel no matter the topic. This typically sheds a negative light on the subject no matter how credible the grievances are. Just my opinion

 

[rob_d]

The above capture my thoughts on this.

My R1T (8 months) has had more issues than our last 4 Subarus, 2 Hondas, 1 Kia, and 1 Volvo combined. AND, the current wait for service is awful. The only new vehicle I've had more trouble with in my 45 years of car ownership was a new Toyota Sienna. Add the fact that many, many of the issues posted in this forum are things that should never have left the factory, and I very much wonder why Rivian's not fixing their QC processes as a top priority. It's not rocket science (having done it), and it's cheaper than fixing them in the field.

I think the OP is perfectly reasonable in asking the question, should I make such a major purpose given the concerns with initial quality?

I also think Socal Rob's point above is dead-on... Would I buy it again? I would. Even with the growing pains, I love the truck.

I also want to encourage the occasional hostile fellow posters to remain respectful - just because someone's questioning whether they want to do something doesn't mean they're criticizing your choices.

[Edited to add an omitted car]

Thanks for your thoughts on this. To your point, no disrespect meant whatsoever. It seems to me that this is just a matter of choice. People love so many aspects of the truck that they are willing to put up with inconveniences. I am at a point in my life where every minute is accounted for and valuable, and I don't want to spend it in service navigation.

I appreciate you calling out the hostility. I truly was trying to understand the complete picture and I think I get it now.

 

[rob_d]

Sorry, but this doesn’t seem sincere. For every reasonable explanation in your list, you caveat it with “I don’t buy this” or try and show how it’s wrong (rav4 forum). And you intentionally left off your list those of us who’ve had our vehicles for well over a year with no major issues.

If you want to convince yourself that Rivians are unreliable and have lots of issues, you’ll find a way to support that feeling. Confirmation bias is a real and powerful thing. It seems you’re in that position, so I’d strongly recommend staying away from a new company with a strained service network. If I felt the way you do about the reliability of the vehicles, there’s no way I’d be buying one. I’m personally biased the other direction, knowing there are tens of thousands of happy Rivian owners enjoying their vehicles, blissfully unaware of the minority that have major issues, and have never once looked at this forum or Reddit or Facebook.

No, a Rivian will not match your Toyota RAV4 for reliability and build quality at this point. That’s a completely accurate assessment, and if it is your threshold for acceptability, then you will likely be disappointed.

Thanks for your thoughts - my question truly was sincere. I am trying to understand what it is that makes people willing to tolerate some of these inconveniences. I think I get it. And while the RAV4 reliability isn't my threshold, I do think it is somewhere above where Rivian currently sits so you're probably right that I'm not setting myself up for success.

Sponsored