Rivian VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
“Keep the world adventurous forever”
Rivian Automotive, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Irvine, California, with manufacturing in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 2009 by RJ Scaringe (then a 26-year-old MIT PhD candidate) as Mainstream Motors, the company rebranded as Rivian in 2011 and pivoted to all-electric trucks and SUVs. Major investors include Amazon, Ford Motor Company (later partially divested), T. Rowe Price and Cox Automotive.
The R1T pickup, delivered to first customers in September 2021, was the first electric pickup truck to reach US consumer customers — preceding the Ford F-150 Lightning by seven months. The R1S three-row SUV launched in late 2021 and shares the R1T's platform. Amazon ordered 100,000 Rivian Electric Delivery Vans (EDV) in 2019, and Rivian has delivered tens of thousands to Amazon's logistics fleet. The R2 mid-size SUV (2026) and R3 compact crossover represent the second-generation product line at lower price points.
Rivian trades on the NASDAQ under RIVN. Recall data for every Rivian VIN is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org decodes any Rivian VIN to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original delivery price.
Rivian at a glance
- Founded
- 2009 (as Mainstream Motors)
- Renamed
- 2011 (Rivian)
- Founder
- RJ Scaringe
- Headquarters
- Irvine, California, USA
- Stock ticker
- NASDAQ: RIVN
- First EV pickup delivered
- R1T (Sept 2021, beat F-150 Lightning by 7 months)
- Amazon deal
- 100,000 EDV vans ordered 2019
- Factory
- Normal, Illinois (former Mitsubishi plant)
- Basic warranty
- 5 years / 60,000 miles
- Battery warranty
- 8 years / 175,000 miles
Decode any Rivian VIN
Enter a 17-character VIN below to retrieve the trim, factory options, original window-sticker MSRP and any open NHTSA recall affecting that specific vehicle. ForCar.org pulls the same dataset that Rivian dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Rivian technology
Rivian heritage
RJ Scaringe founded Mainstream Motors in 2009 while completing his PhD at MIT's Sloan Automotive Lab. The company rebranded as Rivian Automotive in 2011 — the name combines the Indian River, where Scaringe grew up in Florida, with -avian. Rivian acquired the former Mitsubishi Motors Normal, Illinois plant in 2017 to convert it for EV production. Amazon led a $700 million Series F round in 2019, followed by Ford's $500 million investment. The November 2021 IPO raised $13.7 billion at a $66.5 billion valuation, briefly the largest US IPO of the year.
Market position
Rivian competes in the electric truck and SUV segments against Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer EV, and (for the R1S) Tesla Model X. The brand positions on adventure-vehicle utility — gear tunnels, removable speaker, camp mode features — that compete with Land Rover and overlanding-focused brands rather than mass-market trucks. The R2 (announced 2024) targets a $45,000 starting price to broaden Rivian's addressable market beyond the $70,000+ R1T/R1S range.
New-vehicle warranty
RIVIAN VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick RIVIAN VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any RIVIAN VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Rivian models (4)
Frequently asked questions
When was Rivian founded and by whom?
Rivian was founded in 2009 by RJ Scaringe and is headquartered in Irvine, USA.
Where is the VIN on a Rivian vehicle?
The 17-character VIN appears in four standard locations: dashboard at the windshield base (driver side), driver-side door jamb sticker, the engine bay (firewall or engine block stamping), and the vehicle's title, registration and insurance documents.
How many Rivian models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 4 Rivian nameplates. Any 17-character Rivian VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What is the Rivian warranty?
Basic: 5 years / 60,000 miles. Powertrain: 8 years / 175,000 miles (battery and drivetrain).
How to check Rivian recalls by VIN?
Enter your VIN in the decoder above. ForCar.org queries NHTSA's open-recall dataset for that specific VIN and returns any safety recalls or Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that affect your vehicle.
Disambiguation: This page covers Rivian Automotive, the American EV manufacturer — not the Indian River (Scaringe's namesake) or any unrelated Rivian trademarks.
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