Yet ANOTHER (#3) 12V Battery Replacement

[Steve A.]

Another eight months, anohter (#3) 12V battery replacement. SMH

This time at least it actually gave me some notice (Saturday) and I already had a SC appointment scheduled for Tuesday before my 60K mile warranty was up so that's a silver lining.

That said, at what point does it warrant a *recall* vs a *service campaign*?

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[COdogman]

That would be frustrating. But is there enough evidence to say that Rivian's 12v performance is worse across the board or for a specific model/ year/ range of VINs/ etc...? I'm going on 2+ years/ 24k miles and I'm still on my original 12v So many factors affect this, like individual charging habits, etc...

 

[Steve A.]

That would be frustrating. But is there enough evidence to say that Rivian's 12v performance is worse across the board or for a specific model/ year/ range of VINs/ etc...? I'm going on 2+ years/ 24k miles and I'm still on my original 12v So many factors affect this, like individual charging habits, etc...

Good quetion. My Gen 1 2023 R1S quad has a 12k+ vin so it only has one 12V and no 12V outlet in the frunk nor under the dash.

My modus operadi is keeping it plugged in to my home charger at 80%-85% after my 100+ mile daily commute M-F (at least and sometimes on Sat); between my daily 2-3 hour commute and 11-13 hours working, it is away from the charger usually 13-16 hrs/day and I keep Gear Guard Gary on 24x7x365.

I'd be curious if Rivian has even bothered to analyze the habits of others that have had premature 12V failures.

 

[SteveInBend]

FWIW, I've had my 2022 Gen1 R1T since late August '22. 29K miles and am still on the original 12V battery. Home Assistant reports the battery as "NORMAL_OPERATION". Truck is generally parked in the garage and charged via the Rivian L2 charger. DFDC is reserved for out-of-town trips. VIN is in the mid-9000's.

 

[COdogman]

Good quetion. My Gen 1 2023 R1S quad has a 12k+ vin so it only has one 12V and no 12V outlet in the frunk nor under the dash.

My modus operadi is keeping it plugged in to my home charger at 80%-85% after my 100+ mile daily commute M-F (at least and sometimes on Sat); between my daily 2-3 hour commute and 11-13 hours working, it is away from the charger usually 13-16 hrs/day and I keep Gear Guard Gary on 24x7x365.

I'd be curious if Rivian has even bothered to analyze the habits of others that have had premature 12V failures.

I would assume they have all kinds of data about that. Especially since they claimed to have data that early owners “weren’t using” the frunk/ dash 12v outlets

FWIW I also have a 23 R1T VIN 17xxx and I do have the under dash 12v but no frunk 12v. I work from home so mine stays plugged in the majority of the week. Although I only have access to L1 charging in my rented condo garage.

 

[eSUBA94]

You're in luck, though.
My 12V AGMs batteries died on the ship while transporting the Rivian.

My car has been a brick since July. I plan to write to the (NTHSA) that the failing 12V battery is immobilizing the vehicle, and it's impossible to even shift into neutral.

 

[Steve A.]

Well, the saga continues. They didn't end up replacing the 12V this time. Service summary is below.
Cause
- Verified concern. Unable to connect computer with vehicle. Power down vehicle and
performed 12V battery test. Passed test (Good battery). Found negative battery cable is not fully
contact with negative battery post due to debris on negative battery cable. Clean negative
contact point, reinstalled and reset 12V battery and vehicle. Verified no more 12V battery
warning telltales. Performed extend road test, verified vehicle operates as designed.
Correction/Remedy
- Low Voltage Electrical General Diagnostic
- 12V Batteries Other Labor (0.5 hours)

So, I picked it up Saturday but then after driving it Saturday - Monday, went out to the garage on Tuesday, and the 12V replacement alert came back on, so I dropped it back off Tuesday night after work and they checked it out Wednesday but said the 12V battery tested fine but were puzzled by some of the data they analyzed so wanted to keep it for further analysis of charging and sleeping, etc.

They called me again Friday afternoon and said they installed the latest OTA update and test drove it several times but still wanted to keep it to gather more charging and sleep data and test drive it more on Monday but hopefully by cob Monday or early Tuesday would be finished.

Stay tuned.

FWW, when I originally dropped it off I mentioned to the technician that they just replced the 12V on 4/11/25 as part of the *campaign* and he said it's more likely a software issue that they've been seeing after the OTA updates this year.

 

[KBabione]

FWW, when I originally dropped it off I mentioned to the technician that they just replced the 12V on 4/11/25 as part of the *campaign* and he said it's more likely a software issue that they've been seeing after the OTA updates this year.

Thanks for the info - our '23 R1S is currently in the Malvern SC after we had a "Coming to emergency stop soon - steer to safety and park" warning. The message said to service the 12V system soon. They had proactively replaced the 12V battery last January (via mobile service) so I thought it would be a quick appointment, but two hours into it the service advisor said they'd need it longer and offered me a loaner. It's been 5 days now...

 

[Steve A.]

FWW, when I originally dropped it off I mentioned to the technician that they just replced the 12V on 4/11/25 as part of the *campaign* and he said it's more likely a software issue that they've been seeing after the OTA updates this year.

Thanks for the info - our '23 R1S is currently in the Malvern SC after we had a "Coming to emergency stop soon - steer to safety and park" warning. The message said to service the 12V system soon. They had proactively replaced the 12V battery last January (via mobile service) so I thought it would be a quick appointment, but two hours into it the service advisor said they'd need it longer and offered me a loaner. It's been 5 days now...

That's good to know. Sounds like perhaps they do suspect the software may be the problem since they want to gather more data over several days. Did you have the latest update going in?

 

[KBabione]

That's good to know. Sounds like perhaps they do suspect the software may be the problem since they want to gather more data over several days. Did you have the latest update going in?

It happened a total of four times - twice before the latest update and twice after. I was really happy to be able to get a service appointment in 3 days. It happened twice on our way to the Newark Airport for a week away in mid-December and we called service on the phone so they could capture any relevant system information (I also held down the Hazard button 12 seconds after we pulled off to the side of the road before doing the system reset).

The scariest thing about the system reset is that the flashers stop flashing the last 20-30 seconds of the reboot cycle. It happened to us as we were pulling into a charging stop and the instant we came to a complete stop (at a stop sign) it wasn't budging without the reset. I had my flashers on and cars went around us while they worked, but then someone came up behind us in that "dead" period and honked a couple of times before going around us (we were in NJ so I was happy with just a honk and a curse). The flashers, IMO, shouldn't be affected by a system reboot - that's a safety concern.

 

[Steve A.]

It happened a total of four times - twice before the latest update and twice after. I was really happy to be able to get a service appointment in 3 days. It happened twice on our way to the Newark Airport for a week away in mid-December and we called service on the phone so they could capture any relevant system information (I also held down the Hazard button 12 seconds after we pulled off to the side of the road before doing the system reset).

The scariest thing about the system reset is that the flashers stop flashing the last 20-30 seconds of the reboot cycle. It happened to us as we were pulling into a charging stop and the instant we came to a complete stop (at a stop sign) it wasn't budging without the reset. I had my flashers on and cars went around us while they worked, but then someone came up behind us in that "dead" period and honked a couple of times before going around us (we were in NJ so I was happy with just a honk and a curse). The flashers, IMO, shouldn't be affected by a system reboot - that's a safety concern.

That sucks.

Sorry to hear that.

 

[KBabione]

That sucks.

Sorry to hear that.

Thanks - I have a loaner so it's not too bad. It's a PDM Max pack R1S that's even our color (LA Silver). The 410 mile range would come in handy when I need to take one of my twins back to Columbus Ohio next Saturday (409 miles from home so I'd need only a short charging session versus the 30-40 minute session I typically need with my Quad with 20's). The PDM "only" has 665 HP - I was actually surprised that I could really notice the difference from my Quad. The "get up and go" that I'm used to, especially when pulling onto a highway, just wasn't there. I was still significantly faster that some idiot in a Lexus who tried to cut me off, but I couldn't smoke him the way I would have in my Quad.

 

[HaveBlue]

665hp in sport mode only. Not sure if the quads are like that for increased hp. Conserve of course is the least for all of them.

 

[KBabione]

665hp in sport mode only. Not sure if the quads are like that for increased hp. Conserve of course is the least for all of them.

Ah - I was in All Purpose mode. I'll play around with sport mode before I return it. Thanks for the info! I think we'd go Dual Motor Max Pack if we had to replace our Quad today. I'd love another quad, but not sure I can justify the premium for the way we drive.

 

[SSteveEV]

Dropping a little 12V battery tidbit I learned last week in case helpful to others:
The service center "comprehensive inspection" (~$240) does not cover checking the 12v health. That requires a different request/service item.

That surprised me but I only learned at pickup and didn't want to have them rip it back apart on a Friday afternoon so don't have details on cost or name of that service.

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