What 70 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Rivian R1s Bev

Tension noise and creaking coming from suspensions. Special washers were needed in order to fill gaps in build tolerances.

NHTSA ODI 11749529

Right rear toe link to knuckle bolt snapped off while driving causing a deadly situation.

NHTSA ODI 11747311

While driving at city speeds, I heard a rubbing/grinding noise from the right rear of the vehicle and noticed that the suspension no longer felt normal. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, I found that the right rear wheel had shifted rearward within the wheel opening and was contacting the wheel liner. The condition appeared suddenly without prior warning messages or warning lights. I do not recall any curb strike, pothole impact, collision, off-road event, or other significant impact prior to the failure. The vehicle was towed to a manufacturer service center and inspected. The manufacturer determined the damage was impact-related and not covered under warranty. Recommended repairs include replacement of the right rear knuckle, upper longitudinal link, toe link, hub bearing, and halfshaft. The failure resulted in a significant change in rear suspension geometry and raised concerns about vehicle safety. The damaged components are currently in the possession of the manufacturer service center and may be available for inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11743356

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

Front driver wheel had a hub bolt back out rendering the vehicle unable to drive. The car made a loud grinding noise and was unsteady. I had to pull over and was unable to drive any further. It required replacement of the hub bolt and axel. This is a known problem for rivian's and has not been addressed or checked. I reported a grinding sound when I turn 2 months ago and was told that the soonest Rivian could service my car was 2 months away. This known problem and complaint should have flaggged an immediate intervention and this needs a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11651488

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