SOS - R1T bricked during aftermarket horn install (horn not at fault)

[McRiv0723]

Did you unhook any of the terminals during your installs though? I'm 99% sure I didn't.

I didn’t but I took off the 13mm in the original instructions that were sent both times. So the kit they are sending me will put it on an empty terminal so I won’t need to unscrew anything.

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Did you unhook any of the terminals during your installs though? I'm 99% sure I didn't.

Yah, I'm pretty sure their installation video said you don't disconnect vehicle from the battery. Instead you loosen only what is required to put their positive lead on (to the power distribution block connected to the battery). Perhaps Rivian made changes so that if there are any interruption of power from the 12V, the entire system would need to be reinitiated/re-registered.

Glad I went the non-airhorn route, since I did my install in a different city and could have been stranded 2 hours from home.

 

[freshpow]

Update: I reconnected the 12v, which was measuring ~12.6v just beforehand and was able to get at least some power back to the vehicle. Was able to unlock the doors and everything booted up with seemingly every error symbol imaginable. Gear tunnel doors and tailgate were also throwing errors and were inoperable. A soft reset didn't do anything and a hard reset gave me access to the gear tunnels, allowed me to drop the tailgate, and cleared some of the errors (at least they're not showing on the dash anymore), but still can't put it into drive. The brake pedal provides a ton of resistance and barely moves (just as it did right after the initial install) but I'm able to get enough travel to release the parking brake, which should make getting it towed to the SC a bit easier.

Originally they had said they could troubleshoot and repair via mobile service but then said I need to tow it in so they can do the full diagnostic and determine if it will be covered under warranty or not.

 

[jjswan33]

Update: I reconnected the 12v, which was measuring ~12.6v just beforehand and was able to get at least some power back to the vehicle. Was able to unlock the doors and everything booted up with seemingly every error symbol imaginable. Gear tunnel doors and tailgate were also throwing errors and were inoperable. A soft reset didn't do anything and a hard reset gave me access to the gear tunnels, allowed me to drop the tailgate, and cleared some of the errors (at least they're not showing on the dash anymore), but still can't put it into drive. The brake pedal provides a ton of resistance and barely moves (just as it did right after the initial install) but I'm able to get enough travel to release the parking brake, which should make getting it towed to the SC a bit easier.

Originally they had said they could troubleshoot and repair via mobile service but then said I need to tow it in so they can do the full diagnostic and determine if it will be covered under warranty or not.

Let it sleep and then come back in an hour. You can always hope, sometimes a sleep cycle fixes things a hard reset won't. Good luck.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Update: I reconnected the 12v, which was measuring ~12.6v just beforehand and was able to get at least some power back to the vehicle. Was able to unlock the doors and everything booted up with seemingly every error symbol imaginable. Gear tunnel doors and tailgate were also throwing errors and were inoperable. A soft reset didn't do anything and a hard reset gave me access to the gear tunnels, allowed me to drop the tailgate, and cleared some of the errors (at least they're not showing on the dash anymore), but still can't put it into drive. The brake pedal provides a ton of resistance and barely moves (just as it did right after the initial install) but I'm able to get enough travel to release the parking brake, which should make getting it towed to the SC a bit easier.

Originally they had said they could troubleshoot and repair via mobile service but then said I need to tow it in so they can do the full diagnostic and determine if it will be covered under warranty or not.

Not desired outcome, but progress nonetheless. This behavior reminds me of my CANBUS'ed '13 BMW X5. Whenever the 12V battery was replaced an OBD2 diagnostic computer was required to "register" the new battery in order to avoid all the error codes.

Sleep cycle is great advice. I've seen that recommendation (from Service) in other power/battery related posts.

 

[jeeden]

So according to one of the youtube videos the person replaces the battery and then says to NOT reboot the car after doing so. he said you will get a lot of lights, but to put the Rivian in drive and drive it for just a couple of feet and the lights will disappear. I was looking at an R1S video though, I wonder if you can't get it in drive because the tunnel doors are showing open?

The person said if you rebooted it by mistake you can disconnect the battery for a second, reconnect, and then start over. I would let it do the sleep cycle mentioned above first though.

 

[freshpow]

So according to one of the youtube videos the person replaces the battery and then says to NOT reboot the car after doing so. he said you will get a lot of lights, but to put the Rivian in drive and drive it for just a couple of feet and the lights will disappear. I was looking at an R1S video though, I wonder if you can't get it in drive because the tunnel doors are showing open?

The person said if you rebooted it by mistake you can disconnect the battery for a second, reconnect, and then start over. I would let it do the sleep cycle mentioned above first though.

I saw that video too and was hoping I'd be able to put it in drive. Problem is the brake pedal resistance - whatever is going on there won't let me get it into drive in the fist place.

 

[jeeden]

I saw that video too and was hoping I'd be able to put it in drive. Problem is the brake pedal resistance - whatever is going on there won't let me get it into drive in the fist place.

Yea, I would give it the 35 minute rest. Make sure you don't put anything heavy on the seats, have a fob nearby etc.

 

[freshpow]

Well, that was short lived. Went back after 15 min and the truck is now unresponsive again. Both screens are blank, unable to lock/unlock, etc. I already reassembled the frunk and have a tow truck scheduled for later this afternoon, so my troubleshooting ends here. Thanks all for the advice and I'll be sure to post the resolution.

 

[RivianRunner]

I have said the same thing for years. Being a rider teaches driving situational awareness like nothing else.

With that said, it's an ignorant statement in a previous post that use of a horn is of no benefit. I can recall 3 or 4 instances in my past as a cage driver where someone was obliviously making a lane change "into my bacon" and a blast on the horn woke them up and alerted them I was there, avoiding an accident.

It's not an ignorant statement, my 45 years of accident-free driving illustrates that. Yes, I've used my horn to prevent others from merging into me, but I always reserved an out in case they didn't respond. If my safety window is small and vanishing, or uncertain, I take immediate evasive action before honking my horn.

 

[freshpow]

It's not an ignorant statement, my 45 years of accident-free driving illustrates that. Yes, I've used my horn to prevent others from merging into me, but I always reserved an out in case they didn't respond. If my safety window is small and vanishing, or uncertain, I take immediate evasive action before honking my horn.

Congratulations! You should offer your own defensive driving class. Now go toot your horn somewhere else

 

[RivianRunner]

Congratulations! You should offer your own defensive driving class. Now go toot your horn somewhere else

I prefer to teach others online for free. Honking the horn is not a primary accident avoidance move. Always take evasive action first, even if it only minimizes the severity of the accident.

Well, you can do it anyway you want, I'm just telling you what actually works reliably.

 

[beyondgravity]

Well, that was short lived. Went back after 15 min and the truck is now unresponsive again. Both screens are blank, unable to lock/unlock, etc. I already reassembled the frunk and have a tow truck scheduled for later this afternoon, so my troubleshooting ends here. Thanks all for the advice and I'll be sure to post the resolution.

I am rooting for you OP. I am really curious what the problem was. I always think of doing something like this; but my lazy bones keeps me out of trouble.

 

[zymolysis]

I prefer to teach others online for free. Honking the horn is not a primary accident avoidance move. Always take evasive action first, even if it only minimizes the severity of the accident.

Well, you can do it anyway you want, I'm just telling you what actually works reliably.

Honking the horn can be done at the same time as taking evasive action. Riding a motorcycle does not necessarily teach one to be safe. I see a lot of motorcycle riders who think they are immortal, or don't much care whether they live or die.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Would normally agree but given OP's lack of familarity/skill with electrical systems I would not rule out him inadvertently shorting something or merely having the frunk open too long and draining the 12v (not sure if that's actually a thing, but something left on or open).

I don’t see how keeping the frunk and/or doors open for an extended time could kill a healthy* battery. First, frunk and interior lighting is LED so it requires much less power than incandescent. Beyond that, unless my Rivian is unique, when those things are left open for an extended period of time Rivians do what most other modern cars do: cut power to the lighting and anything else remaining on like infotainment and climate control. I seem to recall the timeout is 15 minutes or less. Are other people NOT seeing that behavior?

*For whatever reason, Rivian seems to have a problem getting or keeping healthy 12V batteries. This means something which normally shouldn’t kill the battery could. I’d blame that on the battery health, though, when people are doing things which could be done without consequences on virtually any other modern vehicle.

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