- One R1T and R1S owner says he’s considering an exit from Rivian ownership after his experiences.
- He’s had problems with not one but two R1Ts, including one that Rivian bought back from him.
- This case is a good example of how startup brands sometimes have several kinks to work out.
A “long-time Rivian customer close to giving up” is how the owner at the center of this story describes themselves. And honestly, no one wants to feel that way after purchasing a car, especially not a luxury vehicle that starts at $70,000 and can easily climb past $100,000. Yet, that’s the reality for this particular customer after multiple purchases from Rivian. Here’s their story – and it’s certainly one worth telling.
Online forums are often filled with all sorts of commentary, but it’s rare to see someone write more than 1,600 words about their personal experience. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what a user named PortDirect recently did on RivianForums. Their post, partially titled “Why am I doing this to myself,” is still generating reactions more than 10 days after it was posted.
Read: Guess How Much It Costs To Repair This Rivian R1T
In the thread, they detail their experience as a buyer starting out with the purchase of an R1T pickup truck. “It was almost perfect except for one glaring issue: a paint defect spotted the moment I picked it up from the factory in Normal, IL. I nearly rejected delivery, but given the train ride out there (and Rivian’s assurance it would be a simple fix I could handle later), I went ahead and drove it home. That ‘simple fix’ turned into a months-long nightmare,” the owner admits.
Problems Just Kept Popping Up
In mid-2024, they dropped off the truck for paint correction. Initially, the shop said it would repaint the entire panel. The next month, when they called the customer, it was not because the truck was ready but because it fell off of the lift. While the shop said it would fix the damage, other issues kept popping up.
“The collision center called daily for almost a week with odd reports – a minor scratch during reassembly, waiting on parts, repainting and ‘baking for 48 hours. The whole thing felt unsettling and far from the simple fix Rivian had promised,” they wrote, and frankly, who could blame them? Things didn’t get better from there.
When the owner went to pick up the truck, they reportedly found the bed dirty, as though it had been used for work during its time at the shop. The camera that shows the bed no longer worked and every time they’d take the truck back in for a fix, something else would go wrong. Less than three months after the paint correction, it began to wrinkle and crack.
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The owner gave Rivian another chance, this time sending the truck to a different body shop. However, when that didn’t go well either, the automaker agreed to buy the truck back and offered a $10,000 goodwill credit toward the purchase of another R1T. But, as you might guess, the story doesn’t end there.
Second R1T Wasn’t A Charm Either
The new R1T, a second-generation model, arrived to the customer on December 13 of last year. They say “Rivian promised a “press-level” inspection – essentially the same scrutiny they’d give a vehicle destined for a big-name automotive review – which actually pushed our delivery back by over a week to ‘give them time to get it perfect’. I was hopeful, but that optimism vanished almost immediately.”
Evidently, the Gear Tunnel door fell off when the customer’s wife opened it. Then, the entire truck was stuck at 4 mph because it thought the Gear Tunnel door needed servicing. It took 30 minutes of service before the owner could drive the truck properly.
Issues, Issues And More Issues
Since then, they’ve had issues with the windows, the steering wheel, rattles from the doors, misaligned doors that were actually chipping the paint, camera issues, inconsistent braking, and software problems that require regular resets to function properly. Now, the owner says “I’m tired of feeling like a perpetual beta tester for build consistency and service quality.” What they do with their second-gen R1T is still something they’re figuring out.
Comments From The Community
What’s wild is just how many people in the Rivian community have popped up to empathize with this customer. “It took 10 months to resolve my issues, after going back and forth and scheduling appointments and what not. 60 days without my R1T. Can’t lemon law in AZ on a lease (I plan to buy out at the end of the lease assuming everything’s good),” said one viewer.
“Feel for you going through it multiple times. Mine is down too with suspension hydraulic line leaking and the earliest appointment is 2 months out. They say it’s drivable so no rush, I don’t agree it’s safe to drive so will sit in the driveway for the time being,” they wrote.
Related: A Rivian R1S Started Smoking As Driver Was ‘Trapped’ Inside, Couldn’t Open Doors
“The irony here is my EV is leaking oil with a drip pan below it and my ICE cars aren’t. They really need to fix service ASAP, waiting months for serious problems is nuts,” said another user.
None of this is to say that Rivian is a bad brand or that it isn’t doing all it can to improve its products. In fact, this same customer points out that part of why they’re sticking with the brand is that they have an R1S that is “a rock star.” It apparently “runs flawlessly.” No doubt, having that positive experience can temper the negative ones to a degree.
The reality though is that startup brands like Rivian—and many of the other EV companies cropping up left and right—don’t have the established network or track record of legacy brands. While buyers might want to get into something new and hip, accepting that you essentially sign up to become a beta tester can come with the territory – even if you’re not aware of it at first. As is the case with any large purchase, going into it with eyes wide open is paramount.
R2 And R3 Implications
Being wide-eyed is going to be even more key for more buyers in the near future as Rivian launches the R2 and R3 platforms. The reason is that these cars are meant to be significantly more affordable, available to way more people, and ultimately end up in far more garages and households nationwide.
That sounds great for Rivian and its stock price, but how will it handle the increased need for service that will inevitably come with more cars on the road? To keep up, quality assurance at the factory will need to be tight enough that service calls for production-related issues are few and far between. Additionally, Rivian (and other brands in a similar position) will need to consider how differently their customers use their cars.
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R1S and R1T buyers likely have more than one extra car to drive around if their Rivian is out of commission. R2 and R3 buyers aren’t as likely to have that luxury. As one forum commenter put it: “My T is my only vehicle, so I knew from the beginning if I ended up in one the cycles of pain like yours that I read about occasionally, I would be forced to bail on Rivian regardless of how big a fan I am.”
As Rivian looks to expand its reach, the question remains: can it juggle growing demand with quality service and consistent production? Only time—and, likely, more forum posts—will tell.
