What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Rivian R1s Bev

On February 1, 2026, at approximately 9:09 AM, while driving from a stop and continuing on main roads, the vehicle accelerated to extremely high speeds and would not properly slow down. When I removed my foot from the accelerator pedal, the vehicle did not decelerate as expected. Regenerative braking was nonexistent. Normally, releasing the accelerator provides noticeable deceleration, but in this incident the vehicle continued to propel forward instead of slowing. Braking was extremely difficult. The brake pedal felt abnormally stiff (“thick”) and required significant effort to depress. Even while actively braking, it felt as though the vehicle was still attempting to accelerate forward and did not slow normally. This occurred for a couple hundred yards before I was able to pull over due to safety concerns. At the same time, the vehicle was in All-Purpose drive mode, but the ride height was stuck at kneel height and would not adjust, which is abnormal. After pulling over, the vehicle would not shift into Park. I had to press the brake pedal with both feet while fully depressing it and lifting myself off the seat to keep the vehicle from moving. I then had to open the driver door in order to force the vehicle into Park. There were no warning lights or messages displayed on the dashboard. The vehicle was towed to the Rivian Service Center but has not yet been inspected because the service center is currently closed. This malfunction created a serious safety risk due to unintended acceleration, loss of normal deceleration, difficulty braking, abnormal suspension behavior, and inability to shift into Park.

NHTSA ODI 11714867

On November 27th the accelerator on my Rivian became stuck causing the car to accelerate quickly and preventing me from immediately stopping the car. There was a message stating that the regenerative braking system was not available and the accelerator pedal was stuck in the down position. When I pressed on the brake there was a terrible grinding noise and smoke coming from the front tires. I quickly realized that bringing the Rivian to a full stop would likely cause the car to catch fire. Since the road was clear I had time to discuss a plan with my family and I told them to prepare to get out of the car quickly. I pressed hard on the brakes which caused them to grind and smoke. I put the car in park and we all exited the car quickly. Flames were visible from the front tire. The car is available for inspection. If there had been other vehicles on the road or any pedestrians this would have been a life threatening incident. Rivian is claiming that I must have been pressing on both the accelerator and the brake at the same time. We had 2 adults and 3 children in the car and the incident lasted long enough for us to discuss a plan to exit the car. There is no chance that my foot was on both the accelerator and the brake. Rivian has conducted an inspection but has denied that there is an issue. There has not yet been an independent inspection. The car has been in Rivian's service center since the day after the incident. The only warning sign appeared during the incident stating that regenerative braking was not available but this did not explain why the accelerator pedal was stuck.

NHTSA ODI 11707116

SUMMARY OF PROBLEM: Vehicle experienced sudden uncontrolled acceleration and deceleration while driving on busy road with family as passengers on November 16 2025. Vehicle provided no warning before loss of control occurred. Created immediate risk of collision and serious injury. DETAILED DESCRIPTION: On November 16 2025 at approximately 5:25 PM ET, my 2025 Rivian R1S experienced sudden uncontrolled acceleration and deceleration while driving on a busy roadway. The vehicle began accelerating and decelerating erratically without driver input, creating immediate risk of rear-end collision or loss of control. No warning lights or messages appeared before the incident. The vehicle displayed "Thermal Fault Detected" and "Coolant Level Low" messages only after the erratic behavior began. This incident occurred with my family in the vehicle and created serious risk of injury or death. I was forced to have the vehicle towed. PRIOR RELATED INCIDENTS: This is not the first safety issue with this vehicle. Service Request SR-RAB3DU1AM documents "Emergency Braking Mistakenly Triggered on Regular Roadway" from August 29 2025 that remains unresolved in Rivian's system. The vehicle has required multiple service visits for thermal and cooling system failures at only 15000 miles. MANUFACTURER RESPONSE: Rivian service center claims rodent nesting caused thermal system failure leading to loss of vehicle control. If correct, this indicates critical design flaw - environmental factors should not be able to compromise vehicle control systems without warning or failsafe mechanisms. Vehicle lacks adequate: - Warning systems for thermal degradation before catastrophic failure - Failsafe mechanisms to prevent loss of control - Protection of critical systems from environmental factors SAFETY CONCERN: If thermal system damage can cause sudden loss of vehicle control without warning, this represents unreasonable safety risk. Other R1S vehicles may be at risk of similar failures.

NHTSA ODI 11700895

The contact owned a 2025 Rivian R1S. The contact stated that while driving 24 MPH, the other vehicle switched lanes in front of the contact's vehicle. The other driver had a learner's permit. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but it traveled down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was pushed into the cement divider. The vehicle came to a stop when it crashed into a light pole inside the cement divider. The contact was unsure whether there was a warning light illuminated. The air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The contact and her daughter, along with one of the passengers, were taken to the hospital by ambulance. The contact sustained minor injuries: abrasions and cuts on her forehead. And a scar on the right arm. The contact's daughter, who was sitting on the back right seat, had abrasions and, due to tachycardia, was transported to a trauma hospital due to internal bleeding. The contact's passenger, who was sitting behind the driver's seat, had multiple lacerations on the mouth, lost two front teeth, and underwent a root canal. The contact's other passenger, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was not injured. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The insurance company was notified and declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 24.

NHTSA ODI 11693883

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