What 70 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Rivian R1s Bev

I am submitting this complaint after learning through a recent TechCrunch article regarding the NHTSA investigation PE26004 into Rivian rear suspension / rear toe link failures that my incident appears substantially similar to the failures currently under investigation. On March 2, 2024, at approximately 1:29 AM, my son [XXX] was driving my 2023 Rivian R1S (VIN [XXX] ) in [XXX] . While making a normal right turn from [XXX] onto [XXX] and accelerating normally afterward at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly suffered what appeared to be a catastrophic rear suspension failure. According to the driver, the left rear portion of the vehicle suddenly jolted downward, a loud mechanical breaking sound was heard, and the vehicle immediately became uncontrollable. The rear suspension appeared to collapse instantly. The vehicle then began sliding uncontrollably across the roadway and crossed into the opposite traffic lane. The driver attempted to release the accelerator and correct steering input, but the vehicle did not respond normally. Steering control was effectively lost and the vehicle could not be controlled. The vehicle ultimately impacted a tree on the left rear/driver-side rear area before coming to rest perpendicular to the roadway. Importantly, the loss of control occurred BEFORE impact with the tree. The impact was a consequence of the apparent suspension failure and resulting loss of vehicle control, not the initiating cause of the event. There was no rain and road conditions were normal and dry. Driver-side airbags deployed and Rivian’s emergency response system automatically contacted the occupants after the crash. Police responded to the scene within minutes and a traffic crash report was generated. The vehicle had approximately 7,862 miles at the time of the incident and remained under factory warranty. The vehicle had never undergone any prior suspension repair, suspension service, or suspension INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11740628

Toe link failed on the driver rear side. My vehicle went out of control, veered over adjacent lanes, over the bike path, onto the side walk and back onto the road and side walk. I was left with a sore neck for several days, my apple watch kept trying to call 911 thinking I was in an accident. Anyone one the sidewalk or bike lane or adjacent vehicle lane would have been impacted. The problem has an outstanding recall with Rivian but my vehicle isn't part of the recall. Rivian is repairing the broken components. No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms before the failure. I was traveling at ~50MPH through and intersection when as soon as I exited the intersection the vehicle turned to the right / banked to the right in an aggressive manner which I could not control. I went across and adjacent lane that was unoccupied sideways and onto the sidewalk then back onto the road.

NHTSA ODI 11734725

I pulled into my semicircle, long driveway as I do every morning, and stopped at the top by releasing my foot off the accelerator (no need for brakes as it is an EV). I opened the garage door and slowly stepped on the accelerator, but it started to go fast, and I felt out of control. I immediately released my foot off the accelerator (which should have stopped the vehicle) and slammed on the brakes (there is proof in my driveway with tire marks leading up to the accident) but still did not stop. I quickly realized I was going to crash into the garage, and possibly into the house, so I steered away as much as I could to only drive into and through the side of the garage wall. The space I had would have given me enough time to stop had the car not been driving at a fast speed. Even the neighbors heard braking and ran outside to see what was happening. There is a recording on a ring cam, and you can hear him say "I heard brakes". Oddly, the massive impact did not deploy the airbags. Also, the car usually records all incidents with time before and after (it has successfully done this before when I was rear ended and will if you get too close to anything), but for some reason it recorded what was labeled "incident" and you can only see me pulling into the driveway, the garage door going up, and then the video stops - no record of the crash. The car should have also detected the house. The car only stopped after driving through concrete and stucco, and up the stairs. House has massive damage, personal items in the garage destroyed, and the vehicle is possibly unsalvageable. It took until the next day to see if we could remove the vehicle from my house, but it is now at the service center and Rivian has been notified. I've since researched online and found countless similar incidents.

NHTSA ODI 11664025

1> What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? * The sensors don't detect the object sometimes. There were 2 incidents when the car sensors did not detect the object a> In my office parking lot the rear sensors did not detect the fire hydrant and did not make the beep noise resulting in a collision. b> I was driving in my neighborhood; I was blinded by the sun and couldn't see the road ahead. Again, the sensors did not detect the car in front i ended up in a collision. 2> How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? * I had a collision with another car parked by the curbside. Luckily no one was in the other car but both cars had severe damages. I had bruises on my left-hand forearm. 3> Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? * When the first incident happened, I was not able to provide Rivian accurate date and time of the incident and the gear guard did not record the collision although it was supposed to record. So I went back to my office parking lot and i reproduced the problem 1 time after trying several attempts and shared the video with Rivian. I have had too many email exchanges with Rivian to help address the issue but they did not help. 4> Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? * When i reported the first-time issue first time, Rivian inspected the sensors on May 29th 2024 and they said there was no problem with the sensors. But it failed to detect the car in my street and hence i had this collision. I could not see anything as i got blinded by the Sun in the evening. I have a recording from the car's gear guard. 5>Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? * There were no warnings or messages during the incident. However, When it detects it applies the brake. But not this time.

NHTSA ODI 11623847

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? — ACCELERATOR PEDAL. YES, AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? — DUE TO ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEFECT, IT RESULTED IN ONE CASUALTY AND ONE INJURY. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? — YES, SERVICE RECALLS HAVE BEEN FOR THE SAME ISSUE WITH PRIOR MODELS. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? — CURRENTLY IN POLICE CUSTODY Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? — NO WARNING SIGNS.

NHTSA ODI 11600671

I was headed straight but stopped so that I could move into a left turn lane. As I got into the left turn lane and was straightening up behind the person in front of me at almost a dead stop the R1S lunged forward and accelerated at a high rate of speed hitting the car in front of me (speed control issue already known on the R1T). The camera footage verifies it. No warning lights went off (forward collision avoidance, automatic emergency braking) that there was a car in front of me and to brake (normally if there is a car in front of you that close and the vehicle thinks there will be a collision the screen goes red and the letters BRAKE come up bold in black, the car will brake if it thinks you may hit something). Of course now all my side sensors don’t work. I am still waiting on diagnostics from Rivian. Additionally, my seatbelt didn’t lock throwing me forward. I have only had this SUV two months with 848 miles. The car in front of me had substantial damage. If anyone had been in her backseat especially a child they would have been injured. My safety was in danger with the seatbelt not locking. I am waiting on the diagnostics still from Rivian. Insurance is waiting on Rivian. There had been nothing like this prior to this incident.

NHTSA ODI 11558104

Stopped at McDonalds drive through waiting to order with my foot on the brake and the vehicle lunged forward rearending the car stopped 5 feet in front of me ordering. I was trying to brake but it kept pushing the car in front of me then careened to the right hitting a sign and a parked car. I kept pumping the brakes and I thought it was going to run into a building when the vehicle finally stopped about 30 feet from the 2nd parked car it struck. Apparently it was "sudden unintended acceleration" and I've been reading on-line this has happened to many people including Actor Alan Ruck (see article). Rivian has not been responsive to us. Crash involving ‘Ferris Bueller,’ ‘Succession’ actor Alan Ruck was not a crime: LAPD by: Marc SternfieldPosted: Nov 2, 2023 / 03:22 PM PDT No charges will be filed as a result of the multi-car crash in Hollywood involving “Ferris Bueller” and “Succession” actor Alan Ruck, Los Angeles Police told KTLA on Thursday. The collision happened around 9 p.m. on Halloween night at the busy intersection of La Brea Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard. In two surveillance videos obtained by KTLA, Ruck’s Rivian electric pickup truck is seen stopped behind another car at a red light as pedestrians cross in the crosswalk. For reasons still unclear, the truck suddenly lunges forward and rear-ends the other car, and then careens across lanes of traffic, hitting another vehicle before crashing through the wall of Raffallo’s Pizza. At least one person is hospitalized after a three-vehicle collision sent a truck crashing through a pizza shop in Hollywood on Oct. ... Actor Alan Ruck is seen at the crash scene. Tim Ratcliff, who owns several adjacent restaurants, rushed to help the actor who he says was more concerned about the safety of the people he hit than his own wellbeing. “I asked him, ‘Are you okay? And the first thing out of his mouth was, ‘Is everyone [else] okay? I think I hit someone. Is he okay?’,” Ratcliff told KTLA.A 32-year-old man from one of th

NHTSA ODI 11553554

Immediately after purchasing the vehicle, I got error codes thrown to service the suspension while driving to my house, specifically at 15-20mph over traffic calming bumps. This fault cleared immediately the first few times. On July 25 I submitted a service request as my family headed out on a two week, 900 mile trip. The service suspension fault had returned and disabled my ability to change modes/ride heights, blind spot sensors and cruise control, all of which I was counting on using during trip. I shut off and restarted the vehicle several times trying to clear the fault and regain functionality, but the fault inevitably returned. On July 25, Rivian added a response in the service portal that they would address the problem by July 28th. I heard nothing more. On August 1, I was driving south on HWY 57 in North Idaho. I hoped that code would have cleared, but it came back on almost immediately. After driving for about 5 miles, I decided to pull over at a visitor center parking lot to try and reset again to change modes, regain safety sensors, and cruise control. While turning left into the parking lot, another driver tried to pass on my left on a double yellow line driving above the 55mph speed limit. He collided with the front left part of my vehicle, damaging the body and breaking the front tie rod ends, leaving me unable to steer or drive forward, disabled, in the oncoming traffic lane. I asked Rivian to share data about the turn signal use, brake light, and speed data at the time of the accident with me. They did not respond in writing, but called and refused, getting quite angry during the call. After researching and observing other Rivians, I don't believe that my brake lights were on during regenerative braking. The rear, side, and blind spot sensors were disabled. Turning 1/4 second sooner or 5º sharper would have killed me.

NHTSA ODI 11550710

Vehicle lunged to the right without any driver input. Damaged rim and wheel and could have hurt someone . Have never experienced anything like this in my life. Steering wheel was perfectly straight but vehicle lunges to the right. This is a safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11546818