37 of the 280 complaints filed about the Rivian R1S are about the airbag system — 13% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2023.
37
Complaints
13%
Share of all complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
AIR BAGS
When an adult passenger is in the vehicle passenger seat, the passenger airbag light shows "airbag off" Approximate weight 130 pounds
NHTSA complaint #11749527 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Yesterday was the 3rd time in 2 months that the vehicle displayed a "Airbag System needs service - Drive with caution until serviced" warning. I have taken it to Rivian 2 times where each time they replaced various components of the airbag system and it was reported to be fixed. Yesterday the warning returned. I am extremely concerned that Rivian does not have the ability to properly diagnose and or fix whatever the underlying issue is regarding my airbag system. I am now scheduled to take my vehicle in for the 3rd time for them to "try to figure it out".
NHTSA complaint #11723046 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
AIR BAGS
On five separate occasions the airbag system on my car has become inoperable. Starting in July 2025 I noticed an airbag error on the display of the vehicle. I brought the car in for service and they replaced the steering wheel. The airbag error occurred again in August, this time requiring replacement of a different wiring harness. The error occurred again and again went in for service in November, this time replacing the front seats, seatbelt control modules, and the airbag module. This past weekend the air bag alert appeared again. Rivian seems unable to fix the issue with the airbags on my vehicle creating a significant safety concern.
NHTSA complaint #11708710 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
While driving my Rivian R1S, 2025 at highway speeds, the infotainment screen went completely black, disabling the speedometer, blind spot monitoring, lane warnings, airbag/seatbelt alerts, and navigation. I had no access to critical safety information while transporting my children, creating a dangerous situation. Rivian service confirmed this is a “known bug” affecting many vehicles, but owners were not warned. Forums show this issue is widespread. A sudden blackout of all safety systems while driving is a major hazard and needs immediate investigation and recall action. Furthermore, if the issue was known, they failed to warn future or current customers of the issue and even more important, what to do in the event the screen black out happens at highway speeds. This issue is widespread among Rivian owners and no effort was made to inform potential and current customers.
NHTSA complaint #11681278 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
One week into owning the vehicle a notification popped up. “Airbag system needs service”
NHTSA complaint #11672669 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Vehicle: 2025 Rivian R1S VIN: [XXX] Purchase Date: [XXX] Component/System Affected: Passenger Airbag / Occupant Detection System (ODS) Issue Description: The passenger airbag system in my 2025 Rivian R1S intermittently fails to detect a front seat passenger, causing the airbag to remain disabled even when an adult occupant is properly seated. The airbag status indicator reads “Passenger Airbag Off” despite full occupant weight in the seat, presenting a clear safety hazard in the event of a crash. This issue occurs unpredictably during normal use. The vehicle was first brought to a Rivian Service Center from June 11 to June 14, 2025, and is currently back in service as of June 23, 2025 for the same unresolved problem. However, the Rivian service team has stated they cannot replicate the issue, despite repeated attempts and my documentation of its occurrence. Safety Risk: Failure of the passenger airbag to activate under proper seating conditions poses a serious risk of injury or death in a collision. This appears to violate FMVSS No. 208 (Occupant Crash Protection) and may stem from a malfunction in the Occupant Detection System (ODS) or associated components. Request for Action: I urge the NHTSA to investigate this issue as a potential defect affecting the 2025 Rivian R1S platform. A malfunction in a federally mandated safety system, especially one that is intermittent and difficult to replicate, requires immediate regulatory scrutiny. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11668668 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Front passenger airbag is inactive for long periods of time while a passenger is seated in the vehicle during operation. This is indicated by the message displaying the airbag as being off. This occurs regularly with an adult seated normally in the seat while traveling at highway speeds, for long periods of time. I reported this to Rivian and they said the car is functioning normally but it does not seem safe that the airbag is turned off with a passenger present in the vehicle during operation. I am listing the latest incident date here but this has been persistent since I purchased the car new in 2023.
NHTSA complaint #11647002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
the sensitivity of the airbag sensor on the passenger seat is not functioning properly in my opinion. there are times when there is a passenger present and seated, the car is showing that the passenger airbag is off. I took the car to Rivian service center. They indicated that they could not replicate the problem and that to make sure the passengers are over 110 lbs. They also noted that with future software update, they may make it better, which indicates to me that they know there is a problem. I know for a fact that my passengers have been over 110 lbs.
NHTSA complaint #11638491 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The passenger seat airbag turns off when a passenger is sitting in the seat. I have taken the vehicle to the service center twice for this issue and they insist it is working as intended. This is a major safety issue for myself and children when we are sitting in the passenger seat. Please help in resolving this!
NHTSA complaint #11626513 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2024 Rivian R1S. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to park in a parking space, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The brake pedal was violently depressed however the vehicle continued to accelerate. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle hit a curb in a landscaping zone and crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy during the incident. No medical attention was provided but the contact and the contact’s daughter suffered minor neck, side, and back pain. The wife also sustained minor unknown injuries, A police report was filed with the Oswego State Department, but the report was not provided. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.
NHTSA complaint #11619209 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
AIR BAGS
My vehicle has been a service seven times, each time I have complained about my wife not being recognized by the passenger seat. She weighs 100 pounds, and I’m told that the weight limit is 65. On the latest visit they replaced the passenger seat and told me if it still does it, then it is a design flaw, and I’ll have to deal with it. Don’t find this acceptable as it affects my wife’s safety, and would like the manufacturer to rectify the issues of the airbag will function correctly.
NHTSA complaint #11613362 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I received a critical safety recall regarding side air bags from Rivian regarding my 2023 R1S on June 14. After multiple attempts by me to connect with their Customer Service, I was informed that a mobile service technician would come to fix the issue on August 26, 2024. This would be more than 60 days after Rivian's initial notification. Additionally, on July 6 2024, when I turned on the vehicle, I was notified of multiple system failures. I promptly created an incident ticket with Rivian on this but have to yet hear back from Rivian. Rivian's lax attitude on getting such critical issues fixed is of great concern. The vehicle is barely over a year old since I have owned it and I feel distrustful of this company and thoroughly disappointed by their nonchalant approach to getting these critical issues fixed.
NHTSA complaint #11599545 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
My right front passenger seat does not detect adult occupants reliably, and therefore does not enable the airbags. My wife is approximately 105 pounds and sits in the seat in a standard upright fashion without leaning back. Her legs are not crossed and are just resting on the floor. it is rare that the vehicle detects her presence and therefore she is rarely protected by the safety restraint system in the event of an accident. I brought the vehicle into Rivian Service and they inspected and said the sensor is working properly and is designed to detect occupants roughly 105 to 110 pounds. They said there is nothing that they can do about it. Every other vehicle I currently own and have owned in the past properly detects her presence for the SRS system.
NHTSA complaint #11594215 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The Rivian is designed to kill fat people. The Airbag for the passenger seat does not function if there is a large person in the seat or the seat is very far forward with a normal person. When someone sits in the passenger seat the lower left corner of the central display changes from “Passenger Airbag Off” to the passenger climate control display. If you pull the seatbelt all the way out the display reverts back to the “Passenger Airbag Off” sign. The seat belt has to retract about 6 inches back into the B pillar for the climate control display to come back on. If the seat belt can’t retract far enough back into the B pillar, you have to drive around with an inoperable passenger seatbelt. I have been able to duplicate this feature on every Rivian I have tried it on. This has been reported to Rivian. A mechanic was sent to my house to repair this. It couldn’t be repaired as expected. I was told the problem would be elevated to a safety issue and sent to engineering. That was in the beginning of February 2024. No answers or fix yet. I have video of the problem, but mp4 files are not accepted below. Please contact me if you would like video.
NHTSA complaint #11589863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The passenger side airbag shows that it is turned off about 50% of the time that my wife is riding in the passenger seat. She meets the minimum weight requirement for passenger airbag deployment. If she moves around in the seat the airbag off light will go out temporarily but usually comes back on within several miles of driving. This vehicle is available for inspection. When this happens my wife or any other passenger is at risk of not having an airbag if an accident was to occur. This issues has been looked at several times by the manufacturer and I was told that the vehicle is operating as intended. No resonable solution was offered. The only solution from the manufacturer was to have the passenger move around or adjust the seat until the airbag came on. Then have the passenger stay in that position for the duration of the ride. We’ve tried this and it doesn’t work the airbag still turns off.
NHTSA complaint #11586504 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Since the vehicle was new, I have had a problem with the air bag being off when a large person is in the passenger seat. I have reported this to Rivian. Rivian has sent a technician out to fix this. The technician indicated that he could not fix this as planned and would submit it to engineering as a safety issue. I have made multiple inquiries since then and received no information on when this will be resolved. I have also had 3 software updates since then and the problem has not been resolved. I have been able to duplicate the problem on another R1S. If you sit in the passenger seat the passenger climate controls will become available. If you pull the seatbelt all the way out of the B pillar, the passenger climate control will go away and you will get the passenger airbag off notification. If the seatbelt can go back into the B pillar about 8 inches, the climate control setting will return. If you are a large person or have the seat forward and the seatbelt can't retract that far, you are passenger without airbag protection.
NHTSA complaint #11585607 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
My wife does not shows up as a passenger in the front seat about 30% of the time with the seatbelt fastened. She is 105~108 lbs. This is a continuing problem with no fix in sight. Not registering when seated means two key things: 1) no airbag support in case of an accident 2) passenger side climate control doesn't function separately from synced mode. After multiple attempt with the Rivian service center/mobile service, all they can only say that it's within spec. Rivian SC staffs say that SW fix is coming. That was 4 over the air firmware updates ago. Unfortunately the problem is so small in terms of affected population, they have done nothing to date.
NHTSA complaint #11580094 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Passenger occupancy system seems flaky when my fiance sits in the passenger seat - sometime it takes 30 seconds to register she is there, sometimes it goes off while we are driving if she makes slight adjustments in the seat (while sitting straight and not in any awkward position), which can be dangerous if we were in a near crash situation, her weight shifted causing the airbag not to deploy. Although she is on a smaller side (5’5’’ 110lb) we never had this issue with any car we owned or rented.
NHTSA complaint #11578985 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.