2023 Rivian R1T problems

WHEELS

I was driving to a restaurant and out of nowhere started hearing this metal-on-metal sound 1/4 mile before I got there. I pulled into the parking lot and it kept getting worse, so I called Rivian to tow the car. They confirmed it was a hub and shaft bolt that came loose. I have video of the sound it made if needed. The Rivian technicians took the pictures that I am uploading here.

NHTSA complaint #11739639 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM

On multiple occasions I have experienced the defrost feature of my 2023 Rivian R1T blowing cool air instead of warm or hot air, leading to a build up of ice on the windshield while driving. I have brought this concern to Rivian's attention with two service appointments, both of which resulted in Rivian noting they couldn't see any errors in the vehicle's diagnostic logs. I specifically noted the date, time, and temperature of one event but Rivian failed to copy the log data when requested. The issue is trivially reproducible in temperatures around 32ºF, when the defrost mode is enabled. Tapping the defrost/defog button on screen twice to enable defrost mode results in the vehicle selecting the vents for floor and windshield heat, speeds the fan to near maximum, and is supposed to blow hot air to aid in clearing built up ice. Instead what happens is the vents blow cool air for several minutes at maximum fan speed. Then the fan motors slow to their slowest speed at which time the vents blow slightly warm air After 5-10 minutes the fans speed up to maximum and the air coming from the vents is cool. When the vehicle was initially purchased, the defrost feature blew air hot enough to nearly be uncomfortable on the face. This is very much in line with any other vehicle I have owned when the defrost temperature and fan speed was set the maximum. But after an end of year update in 2024 or early 2025, the defrost feature began blowing cooler air and has never regained its original ability to clear the windscreen. The winter of 2025 and early 2026 has now resulted in this complaint. Rivian maintains the system is functioning as expected, but the service center staff doesn't quite seem to understand the severity of the issue. They claim a bug report can not be filed with Rivian until they capture an error in diagnostic data that they repeatedly fail to collect. Instead their advice is to enable cabin vents to warm the cabin instead of the windshield.

NHTSA complaint #11731452 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

AIR BAGS

No changes to the car happened before the airbag system went out.

NHTSA complaint #11720146 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

No changes to the car happened before the airbag system went out.

NHTSA complaint #11720146 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

No changes to the car happened before the airbag system went out.

NHTSA complaint #11720146 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

When it rains, or water is allowed to collect on top of the roof, water seeps in through the hinges of the driver and passenger sun visors. Depending on how much water is allowed to collect, it can trickle in or gush right inside the interior of the vehicle. Not only can it come in thru the sun visor hinges, but water also came out of my center roof console where my hazards and SOS button are at, causing me to worry about a water + electricity issue. Furthermore, the water obviously gets the carpeted floor wet. My truck is in the Van Nuys Rivian service center for the 2nd time for this issue. This is a well known issue on Rivian forums and on the Rivian subreddit.

NHTSA complaint #11708829 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My truck was recently upgraded to software version 2050.38.0. After the upgrade, I drove my truck about 3 miles in about 5 minutes. When I arrived at my destination, I exited the truck to get something out of the rear seat. The rear door was locked; this is normal. I returned to the front seat to unlock the door via the control panel, but the unlock function did not work. The button is in the center touchscreen of the truck. I check the screen on the center console. It appeared the unlock button was disabled due to the information screen from the code update. This screen was not there when I exited the truck. After I acknowledged the screen, the unlock button was working. If I were trying to unlock the doors due to an emergency, this delay would be an issue. I feel the unlock door button should always work. Disabling the button for a verification screen is a safety hazard.

NHTSA complaint #11696263 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

The vehicle’s Driver+ advanced driver assistance system (including Adaptive Cruise Control and Highway Assist) repeatedly failed during normal highway driving. The system would display “Driver Assistance Features Unavailable – Service Soon” and immediately disable all assisted-driving functions, even in clear weather and well-marked lanes. This occurred intermittently from approximately 1,200 miles onward and continued for over a year despite multiple repair attempts by the manufacturer’s service centers. The malfunction directly affected safe operation, as the system could disengage without warning at highway speeds, forcing sudden driver intervention. The issue was reproduced and documented by the manufacturer’s technicians during at least one service visit, which resulted in replacement of the vehicle’s driver-assistance computer. The failure continued even after that replacement. The vehicle has been inspected and serviced numerous times by the manufacturer, with diagnostics performed on the cooling system, cameras, sensors, and ADAS module. Each repair attempt either failed to duplicate or failed to permanently correct the defect. The safety risk is loss of Adaptive Cruise Control and Highway Assist functions while driving, unexpected disengagement of automated steering/braking, and lack of reliable warning timing to the driver. Warning messages appeared frequently throughout 2024–2025, beginning within the first few months of ownership. The defect remains unresolved and appears systemic rather than isolated to this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11694627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

The vehicle’s Driver+ advanced driver assistance system (including Adaptive Cruise Control and Highway Assist) repeatedly failed during normal highway driving. The system would display “Driver Assistance Features Unavailable – Service Soon” and immediately disable all assisted-driving functions, even in clear weather and well-marked lanes. This occurred intermittently from approximately 1,200 miles onward and continued for over a year despite multiple repair attempts by the manufacturer’s service centers. The malfunction directly affected safe operation, as the system could disengage without warning at highway speeds, forcing sudden driver intervention. The issue was reproduced and documented by the manufacturer’s technicians during at least one service visit, which resulted in replacement of the vehicle’s driver-assistance computer. The failure continued even after that replacement. The vehicle has been inspected and serviced numerous times by the manufacturer, with diagnostics performed on the cooling system, cameras, sensors, and ADAS module. Each repair attempt either failed to duplicate or failed to permanently correct the defect. The safety risk is loss of Adaptive Cruise Control and Highway Assist functions while driving, unexpected disengagement of automated steering/braking, and lack of reliable warning timing to the driver. Warning messages appeared frequently throughout 2024–2025, beginning within the first few months of ownership. The defect remains unresolved and appears systemic rather than isolated to this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11694627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

The vehicle’s Driver+ advanced driver assistance system (including Adaptive Cruise Control and Highway Assist) repeatedly failed during normal highway driving. The system would display “Driver Assistance Features Unavailable – Service Soon” and immediately disable all assisted-driving functions, even in clear weather and well-marked lanes. This occurred intermittently from approximately 1,200 miles onward and continued for over a year despite multiple repair attempts by the manufacturer’s service centers. The malfunction directly affected safe operation, as the system could disengage without warning at highway speeds, forcing sudden driver intervention. The issue was reproduced and documented by the manufacturer’s technicians during at least one service visit, which resulted in replacement of the vehicle’s driver-assistance computer. The failure continued even after that replacement. The vehicle has been inspected and serviced numerous times by the manufacturer, with diagnostics performed on the cooling system, cameras, sensors, and ADAS module. Each repair attempt either failed to duplicate or failed to permanently correct the defect. The safety risk is loss of Adaptive Cruise Control and Highway Assist functions while driving, unexpected disengagement of automated steering/braking, and lack of reliable warning timing to the driver. Warning messages appeared frequently throughout 2024–2025, beginning within the first few months of ownership. The defect remains unresolved and appears systemic rather than isolated to this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11694627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was shifting my truck from park to reverse when the shift handle snapped off. There was no warning and I had just driven the vehicle a couple hours earlier. The truck only has 13k miles on it.

NHTSA complaint #11682044 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Rivian R1T was brought to independent tire center for tire rotation on same day before 1,000 mile trip. Technician documented: "Drivers side front CV axle bolt almost completely backed out". Bolt took less than one rotation by hand to come off. Documented by tire shop technician. - Possible safety impact by possible failure of half-shaft and loss of steering control and/or wheel loss - The vehicle is scheduled for an inspection by manufacturer July 14, 2025 - There were no warnings or symptoms prior to discovery

NHTSA complaint #11671561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I Was driving down highway and receive a fe messages in quick order -front sensors off, front camera off, collision detection off, regenerative braking off - started moving toward right shoulder prior to pulling off - car lost speed at high rate putting me in jeopardy of being rear ended. 2025.06.012 code was loaded into truck the day before - this was first real drive after new code loaded into truck - early in the morning the warning for front sensors off, collision detection off, regenerative braking off did come and I pulled off and rebooted system. Everything seemed to be fine - made into office and again on return the loss of speed at high rate was a safety issue.

NHTSA complaint #11650888 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I Was driving down highway and receive a fe messages in quick order -front sensors off, front camera off, collision detection off, regenerative braking off - started moving toward right shoulder prior to pulling off - car lost speed at high rate putting me in jeopardy of being rear ended. 2025.06.012 code was loaded into truck the day before - this was first real drive after new code loaded into truck - early in the morning the warning for front sensors off, collision detection off, regenerative braking off did come and I pulled off and rebooted system. Everything seemed to be fine - made into office and again on return the loss of speed at high rate was a safety issue.

NHTSA complaint #11650888 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

I Was driving down highway and receive a fe messages in quick order -front sensors off, front camera off, collision detection off, regenerative braking off - started moving toward right shoulder prior to pulling off - car lost speed at high rate putting me in jeopardy of being rear ended. 2025.06.012 code was loaded into truck the day before - this was first real drive after new code loaded into truck - early in the morning the warning for front sensors off, collision detection off, regenerative braking off did come and I pulled off and rebooted system. Everything seemed to be fine - made into office and again on return the loss of speed at high rate was a safety issue.

NHTSA complaint #11650888 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

1. The powertrain, acceleration system, and defrost system failed. The vehicle unexpectedly entered Limited Performance Mode, but instead of allowing reduced acceleration as expected, it resulted in a complete loss of power and left us stranded in traffic. Additionally, a defrost system failure warning appeared, causing a loss of visibility. The vehicle is currently at a Rivian service center, and it should be available for inspection upon request. 2.The vehicle became completely unresponsive while on a single-lane on-ramp overpass, leaving us stranded in moving traffic. Other vehicles were traveling at 50-60 mph, and drivers had to swerve abruptly to avoid a collision. This failure created an imminent risk of a rear-end or multi-car accident, putting my wife and me—and other drivers—at serious risk of injury or death. Additionally, the defrost failure further compromised visibility, making it even more dangerous to remain in the vehicle while waiting for assistance. 3.The vehicle is currently at the Rivian service center, but Rivian has not yet provided a definitive diagnosis or explanation for the failure. We are awaiting their response and further inspection. 4. The vehicle is at Rivian’s service center, where it is undergoing inspection by the manufacturer. However, it has not yet been inspected by police or insurance representatives. 5. Yes, the “Limited Performance Mode” message appeared, but according to Rivian’s own system, the vehicle should have still allowed for reduced acceleration. Instead, it lost all power completely, leaving us stranded. Additionally, a defrost system failure warning appeared at the same time, preventing us from defrosting the windshield.

NHTSA complaint #11644509 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1. The powertrain, acceleration system, and defrost system failed. The vehicle unexpectedly entered Limited Performance Mode, but instead of allowing reduced acceleration as expected, it resulted in a complete loss of power and left us stranded in traffic. Additionally, a defrost system failure warning appeared, causing a loss of visibility. The vehicle is currently at a Rivian service center, and it should be available for inspection upon request. 2.The vehicle became completely unresponsive while on a single-lane on-ramp overpass, leaving us stranded in moving traffic. Other vehicles were traveling at 50-60 mph, and drivers had to swerve abruptly to avoid a collision. This failure created an imminent risk of a rear-end or multi-car accident, putting my wife and me—and other drivers—at serious risk of injury or death. Additionally, the defrost failure further compromised visibility, making it even more dangerous to remain in the vehicle while waiting for assistance. 3.The vehicle is currently at the Rivian service center, but Rivian has not yet provided a definitive diagnosis or explanation for the failure. We are awaiting their response and further inspection. 4. The vehicle is at Rivian’s service center, where it is undergoing inspection by the manufacturer. However, it has not yet been inspected by police or insurance representatives. 5. Yes, the “Limited Performance Mode” message appeared, but according to Rivian’s own system, the vehicle should have still allowed for reduced acceleration. Instead, it lost all power completely, leaving us stranded. Additionally, a defrost system failure warning appeared at the same time, preventing us from defrosting the windshield.

NHTSA complaint #11644509 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

1. The powertrain, acceleration system, and defrost system failed. The vehicle unexpectedly entered Limited Performance Mode, but instead of allowing reduced acceleration as expected, it resulted in a complete loss of power and left us stranded in traffic. Additionally, a defrost system failure warning appeared, causing a loss of visibility. The vehicle is currently at a Rivian service center, and it should be available for inspection upon request. 2.The vehicle became completely unresponsive while on a single-lane on-ramp overpass, leaving us stranded in moving traffic. Other vehicles were traveling at 50-60 mph, and drivers had to swerve abruptly to avoid a collision. This failure created an imminent risk of a rear-end or multi-car accident, putting my wife and me—and other drivers—at serious risk of injury or death. Additionally, the defrost failure further compromised visibility, making it even more dangerous to remain in the vehicle while waiting for assistance. 3.The vehicle is currently at the Rivian service center, but Rivian has not yet provided a definitive diagnosis or explanation for the failure. We are awaiting their response and further inspection. 4. The vehicle is at Rivian’s service center, where it is undergoing inspection by the manufacturer. However, it has not yet been inspected by police or insurance representatives. 5. Yes, the “Limited Performance Mode” message appeared, but according to Rivian’s own system, the vehicle should have still allowed for reduced acceleration. Instead, it lost all power completely, leaving us stranded. Additionally, a defrost system failure warning appeared at the same time, preventing us from defrosting the windshield.

NHTSA complaint #11644509 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

My driver side door intermittently does not close. There is something wrong with the latch. I called service center over 3 times and still haven’t been given any immediate appointment as the issue of safety is paramount, as I can’t drive with an open door. I still haven’t had this issue resolved.

NHTSA complaint #11643620 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

AIR BAGS

Rivian passenger airbag is usually disabled (70 % cases) with adult passengers weighing about 125 lbs while they sit correctly in the front passenger seat. There is a warning light "Passenger airbag off". No problems with heavier passengers (> 140 lbs). There are tons of threads about this issue on Rivian forums, Reddit or Facebook groups. Based on these threads, sometimes Rivian service centers try to fix it (often unseccessfully) and sometimes they say it's normal. I've contacted a Rivian service through the Rivian app and they told me that it's a normal behavior because 125 lbs is near the treshold. But I never had similar issues with other cars.

NHTSA complaint #11636817 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

When driving on the highway with ADAS on with lane keeping assist turned on with software 2024.39.01, the truck would constantly pull me back into the center line even if I were not close to the white line on the road. This is very concerning as on a two-lane highway, it pulled me over the center line and towards an oncoming traffic. The latest software update seemed to make it more sensitive, not allowing "ping-ponging" and trying to keep the truck almost too centered, as other cars I have are not this aggressive. I ended up turning off LKA, but that should not be the solution.

NHTSA complaint #11626599 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

When driving on the highway with ADAS on with lane keeping assist turned on with software 2024.39.01, the truck would constantly pull me back into the center line even if I were not close to the white line on the road. This is very concerning as on a two-lane highway, it pulled me over the center line and towards an oncoming traffic. The latest software update seemed to make it more sensitive, not allowing "ping-ponging" and trying to keep the truck almost too centered, as other cars I have are not this aggressive. I ended up turning off LKA, but that should not be the solution.

NHTSA complaint #11626599 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

AIR BAGS

The passenger side airbag notification shows that the airbag is disabled when a passenger is seated in the seat and the car is moving. This happens very frequently when driving at various speed. If the passenger is not seated exactly at 90 degrees deeply in the seat in a perfect position, the airbag will be disabled. The sensitivity of the airbag sensor is very concerning. No one will sit straight position perfectly in a car, especially on longer rides and this is very scary to put the passenger at risk. The vehicle has been brought up for service for this particular issue and there has been no resolutions as it is deem "per the specs" by the service center. The problem has been reproduced by them, but again it was not repaired or fixed since it is diagnosed as normal operation.

NHTSA complaint #11614821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.