Owners have filed 13 complaints
about the 2022 Rivian R1S with NHTSA between 2023 and 2026.
The largest single group is the driver assist & collision avoidance.
Across this model's run it ranks 5 of 5 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 12
Against the median year of the Rivian R1S. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 100
92.3% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2022 Rivian R1S
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
430.8%
4 crashes, 0 fires
Seats
323.1%
Airbags
323.1%
1 crashes, 0 fires
Acceleration & Cruise Control
17.7%
1 crashes, 0 fires
Electrical System
17.7%
Transmission & Drivetrain
17.7%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Dec 2023peak 5Jun 2026
NHTSA investigations into the 2022 Rivian R1S
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough
complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks
something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
1
investigation is
still open.
PE26004Opened 26 May 2026Still openSUSPENSION:REAR
Rear Toe Link May Separate
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received two Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) reporting left rear toe link separation in certain Model Year (MY) 2023-2024 Rivian R1S vehicles. Both VOQs report component separation while driving, causing the vehicles to swerve across multiple lanes of traffic. One incident resulted in a collision with an adjacent vehicle and roadside barrier. In both separations, the bolt that maintains the integrity of the toe link fractured. Evidence collected from the complaint vehicles included repair histories, onboard video, imagery of the damaged compon...
DP22005Opened 27 Jan 2023Closed 7 Aug 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after Marc...
Recalls on the 2022 Rivian R1S
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 2026002255 units in Canada
Suspension
Issue: On certain vehicles, the rear suspension toe link(s) may not have been properly reinstalled after service. As a result, the toe link(s) could become loose or separate. If this happens, there could be reduced vehicle stability. Safety Risk: Reduced vehicle stability could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Rivian will notify owners by email and advise you to take your vehicle to a Rivian service center to inspect and, if necessary, replace the rear suspension toe link bolt(s).
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Long Beach, CACrash1 injured
AIR BAGS
All sensors failed. Once vehicle was parked completely and seatbelt was removed, the car automatically took off. It began accelerating on its own, full throttle (Rivian logs were retrieved to show this), then began crashing into multiple cars while still gaining speed. Logs also show that the breaks were applied during this time, but the accelerator was still engaged at full throttle. The car then launched itself into a light post. The car was able to clear the 2-3ft concrete base of the post and the metal beam crashed into the glass roof of the car (which was shattered and thankfully the surfboard racks prevented it from fully crashing into the vehicle - but the racks are completely crushed), the metal post then launched itself into two more vehicles as well as the car itself. Airbag was not deployed at any point, car was going over 30 mph when it finally stopped (the concrete base likely pierced the battery to make the car stop). Logs didn't even note that there was a crash and the vehicle is totaled. We have salvage holding off on destruction so that the EDR can be salvaged and retrieved.
NHTSA complaint #11715116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Long Beach, CACrash1 injured
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
All sensors failed. Once vehicle was parked completely and seatbelt was removed, the car automatically took off. It began accelerating on its own, full throttle (Rivian logs were retrieved to show this), then began crashing into multiple cars while still gaining speed. Logs also show that the breaks were applied during this time, but the accelerator was still engaged at full throttle. The car then launched itself into a light post. The car was able to clear the 2-3ft concrete base of the post and the metal beam crashed into the glass roof of the car (which was shattered and thankfully the surfboard racks prevented it from fully crashing into the vehicle - but the racks are completely crushed), the metal post then launched itself into two more vehicles as well as the car itself. Airbag was not deployed at any point, car was going over 30 mph when it finally stopped (the concrete base likely pierced the battery to make the car stop). Logs didn't even note that there was a crash and the vehicle is totaled. We have salvage holding off on destruction so that the EDR can be salvaged and retrieved.
NHTSA complaint #11715116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
All sensors failed. Once vehicle was parked completely and seatbelt was removed, the car automatically took off. It began accelerating on its own, full throttle (Rivian logs were retrieved to show this), then began crashing into multiple cars while still gaining speed. Logs also show that the breaks were applied during this time, but the accelerator was still engaged at full throttle. The car then launched itself into a light post. The car was able to clear the 2-3ft concrete base of the post and the metal beam crashed into the glass roof of the car (which was shattered and thankfully the surfboard racks prevented it from fully crashing into the vehicle - but the racks are completely crushed), the metal post then launched itself into two more vehicles as well as the car itself. Airbag was not deployed at any point, car was going over 30 mph when it finally stopped (the concrete base likely pierced the battery to make the car stop). Logs didn't even note that there was a crash and the vehicle is totaled. We have salvage holding off on destruction so that the EDR can be salvaged and retrieved.
NHTSA complaint #11715116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Richland, WACrash2 injured
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
On Monday, December 11, 2023 Myself, my girlfriend, and our two dogs were headed across the I-182 bridge coming out of Pasco, WA to Richland, WA. We were in the far left or center lane (I am not sure which). The highway is three lanes each way. We were at highway speed (the speed limit is 70 mph). About ¾ of the way across the bridge, the vehicle felt like all 4 wheels locked. The vehicle then skidded, turned 90 degree towards the concrete bridge barrier. We struck the bridge barrier nearly head on. The vehicle then rotated off the barrier and landed upright in the far right lane. Airbags fully deployed. There were numerous witnesses who reported seeing what looked like the vehicle’s wheels lock and then the events as described. No other cars were impacted. About 20 minutes prior to the crash I commented that the vehicle alignment was off. I had to keep the wheel at 10:00 or 11:00 for the vehicle to travel straight. I found that odd as the vehicle alignment was fine prior to that. Everyone walked away from the accident although both us were injured.
NHTSA complaint #11560132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Richland, WACrash2 injured
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
On Monday, December 11, 2023 Myself, my girlfriend, and our two dogs were headed across the I-182 bridge coming out of Pasco, WA to Richland, WA. We were in the far left or center lane (I am not sure which). The highway is three lanes each way. We were at highway speed (the speed limit is 70 mph). About ¾ of the way across the bridge, the vehicle felt like all 4 wheels locked. The vehicle then skidded, turned 90 degree towards the concrete bridge barrier. We struck the bridge barrier nearly head on. The vehicle then rotated off the barrier and landed upright in the far right lane. Airbags fully deployed. There were numerous witnesses who reported seeing what looked like the vehicle’s wheels lock and then the events as described. No other cars were impacted. About 20 minutes prior to the crash I commented that the vehicle alignment was off. I had to keep the wheel at 10:00 or 11:00 for the vehicle to travel straight. I found that odd as the vehicle alignment was fine prior to that. Everyone walked away from the accident although both us were injured.
NHTSA complaint #11560132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On Monday, December 11, 2023 Myself, my girlfriend, and our two dogs were headed across the I-182 bridge coming out of Pasco, WA to Richland, WA. We were in the far left or center lane (I am not sure which). The highway is three lanes each way. We were at highway speed (the speed limit is 70 mph). About ¾ of the way across the bridge, the vehicle felt like all 4 wheels locked. The vehicle then skidded, turned 90 degree towards the concrete bridge barrier. We struck the bridge barrier nearly head on. The vehicle then rotated off the barrier and landed upright in the far right lane. Airbags fully deployed. There were numerous witnesses who reported seeing what looked like the vehicle’s wheels lock and then the events as described. No other cars were impacted. About 20 minutes prior to the crash I commented that the vehicle alignment was off. I had to keep the wheel at 10:00 or 11:00 for the vehicle to travel straight. I found that odd as the vehicle alignment was fine prior to that. Everyone walked away from the accident although both us were injured.
NHTSA complaint #11560132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Orland, ME
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle was inoperable and over 100F in our driveway, with a flashing "critical high voltage battery fault". My wife injured her hand attempting to get in the vehicle. The service center has claimed that moisture inside the HVAC system caused the High Voltage (HV) battery system to fail, throwing a critical high-voltage battery fault. Rivian is attempting to deny warranty coverage based on this moisture. Linkage to Warranted Component: At 85,690 miles, my vehicle is fully covered under Rivian’s 8-year High Voltage Battery Limited Warranty. The critical high-voltage fault and subsequent component failures were directly caused by water entering the electrical/battery system. Proximate Cause via Known Manufacturing Defect: Rivian has an active Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) regarding moisture ingress via the HVAC assembly for 2022–2024 R1S models. The moisture that caused the battery fault is a documented, inherent design defect of the vehicle, not user negligence or external environmental damage. An inherent defect in an out-of-warranty system cannot be used to void coverage for a failure it causes inside a component that is still heavily protected by an active warranty. The photograph provided by the service center does not depict superficial 'moisture in the HVAC' causing external damage. It shows severe fluid ingress and terminal corrosion inside the Woory Industrial High Voltage Cabin Heater assembly. Because this is an internal, high-voltage powertrain component operating directly off the traction battery system, it falls squarely under Rivian's 8-year / 175,000-mile High Voltage System Warranty. The corrosion present on the high-voltage circuit board is a direct result of the factory HVAC water ingress defect acknowledged in Rivian's technical service bulletins for 2022-2024 R1S vehicles. A manufacturing defect that allows water to breach a sealed, high-voltage housing cannot be used to deny warranty coverage on a high-voltage system that is actively w
NHTSA complaint #11743492 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Orland, ME
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle was inoperable and over 100F in our driveway, with a flashing "critical high voltage battery fault". My wife injured her hand attempting to get in the vehicle. The service center has claimed that moisture inside the HVAC system caused the High Voltage (HV) battery system to fail, throwing a critical high-voltage battery fault. Rivian is attempting to deny warranty coverage based on this moisture. Linkage to Warranted Component: At 85,690 miles, my vehicle is fully covered under Rivian’s 8-year High Voltage Battery Limited Warranty. The critical high-voltage fault and subsequent component failures were directly caused by water entering the electrical/battery system. Proximate Cause via Known Manufacturing Defect: Rivian has an active Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) regarding moisture ingress via the HVAC assembly for 2022–2024 R1S models. The moisture that caused the battery fault is a documented, inherent design defect of the vehicle, not user negligence or external environmental damage. An inherent defect in an out-of-warranty system cannot be used to void coverage for a failure it causes inside a component that is still heavily protected by an active warranty. The photograph provided by the service center does not depict superficial 'moisture in the HVAC' causing external damage. It shows severe fluid ingress and terminal corrosion inside the Woory Industrial High Voltage Cabin Heater assembly. Because this is an internal, high-voltage powertrain component operating directly off the traction battery system, it falls squarely under Rivian's 8-year / 175,000-mile High Voltage System Warranty. The corrosion present on the high-voltage circuit board is a direct result of the factory HVAC water ingress defect acknowledged in Rivian's technical service bulletins for 2022-2024 R1S vehicles. A manufacturing defect that allows water to breach a sealed, high-voltage housing cannot be used to deny warranty coverage on a high-voltage system that is actively w
NHTSA complaint #11743492 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Long Beach, CACrash1 injured
AIR BAGS
All sensors failed. Once vehicle was parked completely and seatbelt was removed, the car automatically took off. It began accelerating on its own, full throttle (Rivian logs were retrieved to show this), then began crashing into multiple cars while still gaining speed. Logs also show that the breaks were applied during this time, but the accelerator was still engaged at full throttle. The car then launched itself into a light post. The car was able to clear the 2-3ft concrete base of the post and the metal beam crashed into the glass roof of the car (which was shattered and thankfully the surfboard racks prevented it from fully crashing into the vehicle - but the racks are completely crushed), the metal post then launched itself into two more vehicles as well as the car itself. Airbag was not deployed at any point, car was going over 30 mph when it finally stopped (the concrete base likely pierced the battery to make the car stop). Logs didn't even note that there was a crash and the vehicle is totaled. We have salvage holding off on destruction so that the EDR can be salvaged and retrieved.
NHTSA complaint #11715116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Long Beach, CACrash1 injured
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
All sensors failed. Once vehicle was parked completely and seatbelt was removed, the car automatically took off. It began accelerating on its own, full throttle (Rivian logs were retrieved to show this), then began crashing into multiple cars while still gaining speed. Logs also show that the breaks were applied during this time, but the accelerator was still engaged at full throttle. The car then launched itself into a light post. The car was able to clear the 2-3ft concrete base of the post and the metal beam crashed into the glass roof of the car (which was shattered and thankfully the surfboard racks prevented it from fully crashing into the vehicle - but the racks are completely crushed), the metal post then launched itself into two more vehicles as well as the car itself. Airbag was not deployed at any point, car was going over 30 mph when it finally stopped (the concrete base likely pierced the battery to make the car stop). Logs didn't even note that there was a crash and the vehicle is totaled. We have salvage holding off on destruction so that the EDR can be salvaged and retrieved.
NHTSA complaint #11715116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
All sensors failed. Once vehicle was parked completely and seatbelt was removed, the car automatically took off. It began accelerating on its own, full throttle (Rivian logs were retrieved to show this), then began crashing into multiple cars while still gaining speed. Logs also show that the breaks were applied during this time, but the accelerator was still engaged at full throttle. The car then launched itself into a light post. The car was able to clear the 2-3ft concrete base of the post and the metal beam crashed into the glass roof of the car (which was shattered and thankfully the surfboard racks prevented it from fully crashing into the vehicle - but the racks are completely crushed), the metal post then launched itself into two more vehicles as well as the car itself. Airbag was not deployed at any point, car was going over 30 mph when it finally stopped (the concrete base likely pierced the battery to make the car stop). Logs didn't even note that there was a crash and the vehicle is totaled. We have salvage holding off on destruction so that the EDR can be salvaged and retrieved.
NHTSA complaint #11715116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Garland, TX
SEATS
In the R1S, there is a crossmember for the 3rd row seating. On low VIN vehicles, there appears to be a trend, including mine personally, that have crossmember bolts that were mis-installed during assembly and have disconnected the threaded inserts from the body and remain unscrewed and loose. This is a primary mounting point used to secure the seating in the vehicle. The service center confirmed that this has occurred and a video was provided to Rivian when requesting repair. (This video is no longer accessible in the app) Rivian's stance is that contrary to online reports of similar issues on low VIN R1S vehicles and mine, this is caused by the end user. Given the number of occurrences, this appears to be a faulty installation issue from unskilled labor.
NHTSA complaint #11646688 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Atlanta, GA
SEATS
Passenger airbag sensor does not detect passenger reliably. My 13 year old son and my wife both have issues. They are both over 120 lbs, so I think they should trigger the sensor. I have had it serviced for this issue, but it did not fix the problem. It also will detect a person in the seat during a drive and turn off later in that same trip without stopping the car. It seems to me that the sensor needs to be more sensitive. And, once it detects a person in the seat, it should keep the airbag on until the car is stopped and door opened. My wife does not feel safe in the car as it stands now.
NHTSA complaint #11614813 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Atlanta, GA
AIR BAGS
Passenger airbag sensor does not detect passenger reliably. My 13 year old son and my wife both have issues. They are both over 120 lbs, so I think they should trigger the sensor. I have had it serviced for this issue, but it did not fix the problem. It also will detect a person in the seat during a drive and turn off later in that same trip without stopping the car. It seems to me that the sensor needs to be more sensitive. And, once it detects a person in the seat, it should keep the airbag on until the car is stopped and door opened. My wife does not feel safe in the car as it stands now.
NHTSA complaint #11614813 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Francisco, CA
SEATS
When I am driving, my passenger sometimes does not trigger the airbag to activate. Depending on how they are sitting, many times the passenger airbag is set to "off" because it can not detect a passenger. The Rivian service center has investigated and mentioned there is no problem and that the passenger needs to sit more upright, but this still seems like a safety issue if we are driving and fail to notice that the passenger airbag is not activated
NHTSA complaint #11561958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Francisco, CA
AIR BAGS
When I am driving, my passenger sometimes does not trigger the airbag to activate. Depending on how they are sitting, many times the passenger airbag is set to "off" because it can not detect a passenger. The Rivian service center has investigated and mentioned there is no problem and that the passenger needs to sit more upright, but this still seems like a safety issue if we are driving and fail to notice that the passenger airbag is not activated
NHTSA complaint #11561958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Richland, WACrash2 injured
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
On Monday, December 11, 2023 Myself, my girlfriend, and our two dogs were headed across the I-182 bridge coming out of Pasco, WA to Richland, WA. We were in the far left or center lane (I am not sure which). The highway is three lanes each way. We were at highway speed (the speed limit is 70 mph). About ¾ of the way across the bridge, the vehicle felt like all 4 wheels locked. The vehicle then skidded, turned 90 degree towards the concrete bridge barrier. We struck the bridge barrier nearly head on. The vehicle then rotated off the barrier and landed upright in the far right lane. Airbags fully deployed. There were numerous witnesses who reported seeing what looked like the vehicle’s wheels lock and then the events as described. No other cars were impacted. About 20 minutes prior to the crash I commented that the vehicle alignment was off. I had to keep the wheel at 10:00 or 11:00 for the vehicle to travel straight. I found that odd as the vehicle alignment was fine prior to that. Everyone walked away from the accident although both us were injured.
NHTSA complaint #11560132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Richland, WACrash2 injured
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
On Monday, December 11, 2023 Myself, my girlfriend, and our two dogs were headed across the I-182 bridge coming out of Pasco, WA to Richland, WA. We were in the far left or center lane (I am not sure which). The highway is three lanes each way. We were at highway speed (the speed limit is 70 mph). About ¾ of the way across the bridge, the vehicle felt like all 4 wheels locked. The vehicle then skidded, turned 90 degree towards the concrete bridge barrier. We struck the bridge barrier nearly head on. The vehicle then rotated off the barrier and landed upright in the far right lane. Airbags fully deployed. There were numerous witnesses who reported seeing what looked like the vehicle’s wheels lock and then the events as described. No other cars were impacted. About 20 minutes prior to the crash I commented that the vehicle alignment was off. I had to keep the wheel at 10:00 or 11:00 for the vehicle to travel straight. I found that odd as the vehicle alignment was fine prior to that. Everyone walked away from the accident although both us were injured.
NHTSA complaint #11560132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On Monday, December 11, 2023 Myself, my girlfriend, and our two dogs were headed across the I-182 bridge coming out of Pasco, WA to Richland, WA. We were in the far left or center lane (I am not sure which). The highway is three lanes each way. We were at highway speed (the speed limit is 70 mph). About ¾ of the way across the bridge, the vehicle felt like all 4 wheels locked. The vehicle then skidded, turned 90 degree towards the concrete bridge barrier. We struck the bridge barrier nearly head on. The vehicle then rotated off the barrier and landed upright in the far right lane. Airbags fully deployed. There were numerous witnesses who reported seeing what looked like the vehicle’s wheels lock and then the events as described. No other cars were impacted. About 20 minutes prior to the crash I commented that the vehicle alignment was off. I had to keep the wheel at 10:00 or 11:00 for the vehicle to travel straight. I found that odd as the vehicle alignment was fine prior to that. Everyone walked away from the accident although both us were injured.
NHTSA complaint #11560132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.