On [XXX], I was driving my Rivian R1S on [XXX] in the far left lane at highway speed on a smooth, straight road when I suddenly and completely lost control of the vehicle without warning. The vehicle swerved right, struck a vehicle in the middle lane, then veered left, spun, and collided head-on with the guardrail on the right side of the road. I was evaluated at the scene by EMT. There were no warning lamps, messages, or any symptoms of any kind prior to the failure. The loss of control was instantaneous and without any prior indication of a problem. Review of video footage captured by the vehicle's own cameras clearly shows the rear driver-side toe link failing and the rear wheel moving in a manner inconsistent with normal operation immediately prior to loss of control. At the scene, the rear driver-side wheel was visibly sitting at an abnormal angle, inconsistent with normal alignment, and the toe link bolt was visibly absent from its mounting location. The vehicle is currently being preserved as evidence and is available for inspection. The mounting location where the toe link bolt should be seated is visible and available for examination. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by Rivian, a dealer, or any independent service center. I am aware that Rivian issued NHTSA recall 26V003 on January 8, 2026, covering 2022-2025 R1T and R1S vehicles for this exact defect — rear toe link joint separation while driving, which increases the risk of a crash without prior warning. Rivian acknowledged awareness of at least one prior crash related to this defect prior to the recall filing. My vehicle has no open recalls on record and I was never notified of recall 26V003 or any related service campaign. This incident resulted in a multi-vehicle accident on a public highway. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI 11731212