What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Rivian R1s Bev

The contact owns a 2025 Rivian R1S. The contact stated received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V085000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). The local dealer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the parts not being available. The contact stated that occasionally, during colder weather, the headlights failed to function properly. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

NHTSA ODI 11679048

The contact owns a 2025 Rivian R1S. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse out of a driveway with the brake pedal still engaged, the vehicle lurched forward, crashing into the vehicle that was parked in front of her, with the entire front end of the vehicle. The vehicle then lurched to the left and crashed into another parked vehicle across the street, where it came to a stop and totaled that parked vehicle. Property damage was reported to the fence that was in front of the parked vehicle. The speed at the time of the crash was unknown. The vehicle was towed to a local auto body shop. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the crash. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,200.

NHTSA ODI 11677227

After three (3) repairs, our 2025 Rivian R1S continues to leak all of its windshield wiper fluid when activated. This could be a safety issue if a driver's view is obstructed due to being soiled while driving. The washer function is necessary in these circumstances especially if drivers can no longer see what is in front of them. Someone could meet with an accident if his or her visibility is obstructed with no ability to clean their windows while driving. We have noticed several comments from other Rivian drivers who have experienced the same issue, leading us to believe that this could be a design flaw.

NHTSA ODI 11677043

Infotainment system on multiple occasions has started to have lag. Once the lag is present dragging fingers across the main infotainment screen ie navigating a map will cause the vehicle to disengage adaptive cruise/highway assist while driving at any speed. This can also be noted when as the audio output will go out at the same time. Swiping multiple fingers fast as in rubbing something off the screen will cause the system to lag as well.

NHTSA ODI 11676480

While my wife was driving our 2025 Rivian R1S (approx. 13,500 miles), the vehicle was at a complete stop when it began to slowly roll forward on its own, followed by a sudden surge of acceleration, despite no input on the accelerator. This unexpected movement caused the vehicle to collide with a Tesla directly in front and involved another two vehicles. This incident posed a serious safety risk and could have injured pedestrians or other drivers. There were no warning lights or error messages before or during the incident. The cause is UNKNOWN at this time. Rivian has not yet inspected the vehicle, but we are requesting log preservation and a full review. This behavior has not been replicated since, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. We believe this may indicate a malfunction in the propulsion system, regenerative braking transition, or creep mode behavior. The incident has been reported to Rivian for investigation.

NHTSA ODI 11675876

One week into owning the vehicle a notification popped up. “Airbag system needs service”

NHTSA ODI 11672669

12 volt battery replacement performed by a mobile tech 6/20/25. The battery is located under the front passenger seat. Two of the bolts anchoring the seat to the frame were not tightened after the service. This was only discovered when braking lightly during driving, resulting in movement of the seat and a minor injury to the occupant. Shortly thereafter, documented and reported to Rivian. They sent another tech to inspect and replaced the bolts (damaged by seat movement). Video of seat available, not able to attach.

NHTSA ODI 11671036

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 ODI 11668668

Emergency exit of the rear doors does not include a manual door pull lever or cable obvious to the occupant. The panel to remove to access the release cable, and the cable to pull is not intuitive nor is it reasonable to believe a small child or an older occupant would be able to remove said panel or pull the cable to exit the vehicle. We were told occupants should exit through the front doors in the event of an emergency. This is not an acceptable strategy and I'm urging the NHTSA to recommend Rivian include manual handles in the rear doors.

NHTSA ODI 11668679

On [XXX], our 2025 Rivian R1S lurched forward while stopped at a red light, waiting to make a left turn. The driver, [XXX] , had her foot off the accelerator when the vehicle suddenly surged forward. She slammed on the brake, and the vehicle briefly bounced back — but then lurched forward again, striking the stopped vehicle in front a second time. There were no warnings or alerts on the dashboard. The incident was captured on video and shows a clear case of unintended forward acceleration. This may be linked to Rivian’s accelerator pedal recall or a software malfunction affecting braking or propulsion systems. I have video footage of this accident but was unable to upload the file. We are concerned about the safety risk this presents to other drivers and are requesting an NHTSA investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11667308

The vehicle steering wheel has never been straight since the day I purchased it but I thought it was normal because of the roads I drive on then it got worse and worse. Now it pulls to the left when accelerating and the steering wheel is wobbly. The steering wheel is off center by about 1-4 degrees even when the wheels are going straight. After searching on the forums and NHTSA website I found that this was an issue with 2022-2024 models. I worry that the issue has not been resolved with the 2025 model years. I have been asked to pay for an alignment which I don't mind but i wonder if other owners are having the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11663831

I was passing another vehicle on the road when the accelerator pedal got stuck on the all-weather floor mat and made the car virtually uncontrollable. I used the brakes to pull the car off the road and to a complete stop before engaging the parking brake and reaching down to dislodge the pedal.

NHTSA ODI 11663279

I have owned cars for more than three decades and never had a windshield crack. In the first three months of owning a Rivian R1 S I had two windshield cracks from a simple pebble on the highway. Multiple owners are describing the same issues, but Rivian refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem, but literally two cracks in three months and I have never had this happen.

NHTSA ODI 11659167

Hazard light switch stopped functioning one day. It is completely unusable and is a safety issue. Rivian cannot provide an ETA to fix the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11648019

I own a R1S and the vehicle is less than 900miles old (21st day of ownership). When driving today on the highway at 75miles - the vehicle suddenly decelerated to 51 miles. I almost got rear ended by a truck and was very difficult to manoeuvre to safe place from the left lane to the right most lane. I parked in a safe spot and saw through several customer Complaint forums that we need to do a hard reset. But the messages were from customers that are 3 years old. I am surprised this still exists as a complaint. I almost died today

NHTSA ODI 11644682

Winter weather led to snow buildup on the headlamps which made them useless. Fortunately this was during the day so there was plenty of sunlight. If this was at night, I would not have had any visibility and would have needed to stop every few miles to clean the headlamps. My BMW uses washer fluid to clean my headlamps and the xenon's are hot enough to melt snow. Neither of these are in the Rivian

NHTSA ODI 11644165

On November 16, 2024, while trying to use the vehicle's heating system, only cold air would come out of the vents and an error message, “thermal system fault” appeared on the screen. The service center instructed to not drive it and eventually picked it up via tow truck and made repairs. The vehicle was returned and hot air successfully comes out of the vents but it is often accompanied by extremely loud noises (like a jet engine) as well as some pulsating and odd noises. Also, periodically only cold air comes out of all vents (even though the screen shows heat) if the defog is selected with temperature and fan speed regulated. The safety and performance of the battery has been impacted by the faulty thermal management system.

NHTSA ODI 11642032

Backup camera inoperable when putting car into reverse. Requires a system reset. Daily issue. Issue started within one week of ownership. Service replaced ECU. Upon return of vehicle, issue repeated itself. Was told that inoperable backup camera is a convenience feature and not safety critical.

NHTSA ODI 11642066

On January 9, I was driving my new 2025 Rivian R1S (approx. 2,400 miles) when it suddenly displayed “Drive stalk not working.” The vehicle jolted, made a loud noise from the front axle, and then fully stopped in the middle of a busy road with the battery still at 55%. Once it stopped, I had no hazard lights or power steering, and the infotainment system locked up. After several attempts to reboot, the screen showed “Critical battery error” before shutting down completely. I was unable to move the vehicle or alert other drivers with flashing lights, creating a major safety hazard. It took about two hours for a tow truck to arrive. ## Component or System Failure: The vehicle’s propulsion system (drive controls) and electrical/hazard light systems appeared to fail simultaneously. The vehicle is currently at a service center for inspection and could be made available if needed. ## Safety Risk: Being stranded in the middle of the road without hazard lights or any way to move the car put myself and other drivers at serious risk. ## Reproduction/Confirmation: It has not been confirmed or reproduced yet by the service center. ## Inspection: The manufacturer’s service center is inspecting the vehicle. No other parties (police or insurance) have inspected it. ## Warning Lamps/Messages: There were no prior warnings. The “Drive stalk not working” error and subsequent “Critical battery error” appeared just moments before the vehicle stopped. I am reporting this because a sudden, total shutdown without hazard lights is a serious safety concern, especially on a busy road.

NHTSA ODI 11635709

Driving my Rivian R1S on a road trip with family from Seattle, WA to Ketchum, ID (about 600miles.) Stopped to recharge outside of Boise, ID for about 20mins. Started driving again and in about 5 minutes the car started warning (visual message and audible alarm). The following events then occurred: -- The warning message stated something along the line of "Pull over immediately the car will shut down imminently." -- I was driving in traffic and was able to make it through an intersection and saw a gas station in the distance. -- The power steering and braking began to go unresponsive and the car began slowing down as I drove through the intersection. I tried to guide the car to the gas station. -- While pulling in to the gas station the car could barely be controlled. Once dropping below 5mph or so it immediately shut itself down. -- The inability to effectively control the vehicle was extremely unsafe. If the intersection I had to pass through had a red light the car would likely have shut itself down and stranded our family at a very busy intersection. -- The car began flashing a ton of different warning messages. "Suspension needs to be serviced", "Front trunk unable to close please service", "Battery system overheating" are a few as an example. -- After calling customer service I reset the vehicle (using prescribed sequence of button pushes.) The car then went dark and nothing worked from there out. -- Called a tow truck and found hotel for family. Rivian was towed to the Boise service center. -- Rivian service center has been unable to diagnose or recreate the issue to date - they have been in possession of the vehicle for 17 days and counting.

NHTSA ODI 11635538

The heat pump compressor had a loud noise for days, similar to a jet engine. On December 13, 2024, while the vehicle was being driven in freezing temperatures, the heat pump compressor made different noise that sounded that internal pieces were being broken. After that, the dashboard showed the following error "Thermal system fault detected. Service it if the problem persists". After this, there was no heat available for the cabin. Service center replaced the compressor under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11632559

When the Pet Comfort is used in sub freezing temperatures, the HVAC system does not respect the set temperature and the vehicle keeps heating the inside nonstop. On this particular incident, the Pet Comfort feature was set to 68º F however, I received an alert that the inside of the cabin was above 75º F.

NHTSA ODI 11632561

On the way home from picking up the vehicle, the adaptive cruise control and the late keep assist functionality failed. The service center determined that one of the front radars needed to be replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11632562

Unable to use the drive stalk to change gears. Reboot fixed it temporarily. Service center ended up replacing the Steering Column Control module.

NHTSA ODI 11632563

Steering wheel vibrates back and forth when driving at highway speeds and following the flow of traffic. The shaking makes my hands and wrists numb after a few minutes of driving at speed. The car becomes uncomfortable to steer and keep straight at speed. Rivian Service Center attempted 1 repair (alignment and wheel rebalance) but the problem persists. At the second service visit, the Service Center mentions that an engineering investigation is ongoing, and that there is nothing the service center can do at this time.

NHTSA ODI 11619023