Rivian vehicles may have their infotainment functionalities limited as a result of an error contained within a recent software update. The issue is allegedly due to an honest mistake, and does not affect the rest of the vehicle, but could make your next drive a little dull.
An explanation for the problem was provided on the Rivian Subreddit by u/WassymRivian, which is supposed to belong to Wassym Bensaid, vice president of software development at Rivian. We have reached out to the automaker for confirmation, but have not heard back yet.
“We made an error with the 2023.42 OTA update — a fat finger where the wrong build with the wrong security certificates was sent out,” the account wrote. “This is on us — we messed up. Thanks for your support and your patience as we go through this.”
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In an update to the post, the account explained that the issue seems to only affect the infotainment system, not the rest of the vehicle, in most cases. Even the back-up camera continues to work, according to video posted to X by the @RivianSoftware account. That’s good new for the automaker, because every vehicle is required to have a reverse camera, according to U.S. regulations.
However, the bad news is that simply turning the vehicle off and on again will not fix the issue. Worse still, a physical fix may be required to actually solve this problem. As a result, the automaker is reaching out to vehicle owners affected by the issue.
The software error appears to affect both the R1S SUV and the R1T pickup, as well as its delivery vans. Before it broke these vehicle’s infotainment systems, 404 Media reports that the update was supposed to improve proximity locking and unlocking function, vehicle access, and to solve other bugs.
It is not clear yet if a full recall will be required to solve this issue.
Once 2023.42 fails to install (which it will at 90%), you are left with 2 black screens. Vehicle is drivable but with no infotainment. Even though the screens are black, the vehicle is not bricked. pic.twitter.com/lMrCWEIOTf
— RivianTrackr (@RivianSoftware) November 14, 2023