Rivian owners have filed 261 complaints with NHTSA across 3 models. On average the car was 1.06 years old when the problem happened, and 95.2% of reports fall inside the first three years — while the factory warranty was still running.
What breaks on Rivian
The systems Rivian owners report most, and how often each failure ended in a crash.
| System | Complaints | Share of Rivian | Ended in a crash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 10.7% | 0% | |
| Unknown Or Other | 9.2% | 0% | |
| Air Bags,seats | 6.1% | 0% | |
| Steering | 4.2% | 9.1% | |
| Exterior Lighting | 3.4% | 0% | |
| Suspension | 3.4% | 22.2% | |
| Power Train | 3.1% | 0% | |
| Electrical System | 3.1% | 0% |
When Rivian problems show up
| Measure | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Average age at failure | 1.06 years | How old the car was when the problem happened |
| Reported inside 3 years | 95.2% | Share of complaints filed while the factory warranty was likely still running |
| Complaints describing a crash | 29 | Of 261 total |
| Complaints describing a fire | 2 | Of 261 total |
A low average age does not automatically mean a fragile car: a brand with a young fleet on the road will always skew early. Read it next to the share reported inside three years.
Which Rivian models draw the most complaints
Volume follows sales, so a bestseller will always top this list. The columns worth reading are age at failure and how many reports ended in a crash.
Rivian complaints by model year
A bad generation shows up here as a block of years, not as a single spike. Recent years look quiet simply because those cars are young and still under warranty.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 5 | — | |
| 2023 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 8 | — |
What Rivian owners report
Grouped by the system owners named. Open any row for the full reports, in their own words — one per model so the same fault does not repeat.
Air Bags 28 Read
Yesterday was the 3rd time in 2 months that the vehicle displayed a "Airbag System needs service - Drive with caution until serviced" warning. I have taken it to Rivian 2 times where each time they replaced various components of the airbag system and it was reported to be fixed. Yesterday the warning returned. I am extremely concerned that Rivian does not have the ability to properly diagnose and or fix whatever the underlying issue is regarding my airbag system. I am now scheduled to take my vehicle in for the 3rd time for them to "try to figure it out"
The front passenger seat sensor does not respond to a 135lb 5’9” person resulting in the airbag being disabled. This has been an issue since we purchased the vehicle and has not been resolved with 4+ visits to the service center. No other vehicles we have driven have ever had this problem
Unknown Or Other 24 Read
On November 8, 2025, at approximately 8:23 p.m., the rear liftgate of my Rivian R1S activated via the Rivian mobile app without my intentional command. The vehicle was stationary at the time. The liftgate opened and struck an overhead obstruction. Rivian has stated that the liftgate was initiated through the mobile app and that the system operated as designed. However, this suggests that the app or vehicle may permit unintended remote activation without adequate safeguards to confirm user intent or prevent activation in confined environments. If the liftgate can be triggered inadvertently (for example, through unintended screen interaction or background app state), this presents a foreseeable safety hazard. In garages, parking structures, or tight spaces, unintended activation could cause bodily injury to a person standing behind the vehicle, including a child, or result in property damage. Remote vehicle functions should include appropriate confirmation, or other safeguards to reduce the risk of unintended activation. I am submitting this complaint to document a potential safety design concern involving unintended remote liftgate activation
When it rains, or water is allowed to collect on top of the roof, water seeps in through the hinges of the driver and passenger sun visors. Depending on how much water is allowed to collect, it can trickle in or gush right inside the interior of the vehicle. Not only can it come in thru the sun visor hinges, but water also came out of my center roof console where my hazards and SOS button are at, causing me to worry about a water + electricity issue. Furthermore, the water obviously gets the carpeted floor wet. My truck is in the Van Nuys Rivian service center for the 2nd time for this issue. This is a well known issue on Rivian forums and on the Rivian subreddit
Air Bags,seats 16 Read
The sensitivity of the airbag sensor on the passenger seat is not functioning properly in my opinion. There are times when there is a passenger present and seated, the car is showing that the passenger airbag is off. I took the car to Rivian service center. They indicated that they could not replicate the problem and that to make sure the passengers are over 110 lbs. They also noted that with future software update, they may make it better, which indicates to me that they know there is a problem. I know for a fact that my passengers have been over 110 lbs
When there's a passenger sitting in the passenger seat, the car consistently fails to detect the passenger and the "AIRBAGS OFF" indicator remains on. I've brought the car in for service and Rivian says it's acting in normal parameters
Steering 11 Read
The contact owns a 2022 Rivian R1T. The contact stated while making a left turn the vehicle would not allow the contact to straighten the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to run off the road and struck a small tree. The contact was able to control the vehicle and was able to drive home. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the bolts of the steering system were tightened. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 12,000
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
Exterior Lighting 9 Read
During an early season wet snow storm within minutes of driving the lights had become covered with snow and deflected the light in such a way that created a very unsafe driving environment. There was zero snow on the road because of it not being cold enough to stick but the deflection of the light and limited light on the road it was nearly impossible to see the road markings and lines to stay in the lane and created a very unsafe environment around me requiring me to drive significantly lower to try to stay on the road which could have caused an accident with other drivers who were not driving as slowly. There are a significant amount of reports of incidents like this across multiple forum platforms (ie: reddit) where drivers of the Rivian have indicated a drive that was very unsafe and something they had never experienced before. Rivian needs to create a retrofit to the existing headlamp that has a heating element of something to continue to melt the snow off the light as driving since the truck face is flat and the LEDs do not conduct enough heat to melt snow as driving
Tonight starting at 7:15pm to 8:00pm vehicle switched from all lights +foglights on to daytime driving lights or parking lights. It did this three times. I live in rural setting with hardly any public lighting and a lot of wildlife. I have contacted Rivian regarding this issue multiple times, they tell me the auto high beam selector must be on, auto high beam is not on, they tell me it must be a setting I enabled to which I sent them a recording of the settings showing them I have not enable any settings and anyhow why would auto high beam setting cause all headlights to go off and automatically switch to auto lights or parked lights? Vehicle was taken to rivian service center two weeks ago, picked up vehicle Wednesday 27th august 2025 afternoon. At the most recent service visit this issue was to be addressed, handled and rectified. I was unable to capture it on recording and this evening I installed a camera to record this problem
Suspension 9 Read
Toe link failed on the driver rear side. My vehicle went out of control, veered over adjacent lanes, over the bike path, onto the side walk and back onto the road and side walk. I was left with a sore neck for several days, my apple watch kept trying to call 911 thinking I was in an accident. Anyone one the sidewalk or bike lane or adjacent vehicle lane would have been impacted. The problem has an outstanding recall with Rivian but my vehicle isn't part of the recall. Rivian is repairing the broken components. No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms before the failure. I was traveling at ~50MPH through and intersection when as soon as I exited the intersection the vehicle turned to the right / banked to the right in an aggressive manner which I could not control. I went across and adjacent lane that was unoccupied sideways and onto the sidewalk then back onto the road
Incident Overview: In late February 2026, at approximately 114,000 miles, this 2022 Rivian R1T suffered a comprehensive failure of its kinetic (hydraulic) suspension system. The failure occurred during normal on-road operation at approximately 60 mph in temperate (60F) conditions. The vehicle has no history of off-road use or heavy hauling. Safety Risk & Critical Failure Mode: The suspension is a safety-critical system essential for vehicle stability, emergency braking, and predictable handling. A loss of hydraulic integrity in this system directly compromises the vehicle’s ability to maintain ride height and damping control. High-Speed Exposure: The initial failure manifested while traveling at 60 mph. Although a warning lamp was triggered, the vehicle’s functional safety logic failed to initiate a "limp mode" or restricted speed state. This allowed the 7,000lb vehicle to continue at highway speeds with a compromised high-pressure hydraulic circuit, posing an unreasonable risk of loss of control. Lack of System Redundancy: A localized hydraulic leak resulted in a cascading collapse of the entire architecture. Per the 10,662 service estimate, the repair requires replacing the front and rear dampers, hydraulic pump, manifold, and all fluid lines. This suggests a design-level vulnerability where a single-point failure in the hydraulic circuit necessitates a total system overhaul, indicating a lack of modularity or redundancy. Safety Protocol Gap: After diagnosing the leak
Power Train 8 Read
Vehicle making excessive noise due to the half shaft. Half shaft has been changed twice in the last 3 years and still experiencing the same issue. Sometimes this results on excessive vibration on the steering wheel
Front wheel hub bolts back out on their own. This is a huge safety problem and needs a public recall. It is a known problem. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
We have a fleet of these Rivian delivery vehicles and they all have the same issue: the shift lever is made of inferior materials and insufficiently designed. The operator manipulates the shift lever to place the vehicle in drive and the lever breaks off. The vehicle is then stuck in gear and cannot be shifted. This is causing near miss incidents due to the operator being unable to safely control the vehicle. Example: operator places the vehicle in "D" to drive forward but is then unable to place the vehicle in "R" to reverse backward, or to place the vehicle in "P" to park. There are no warnings or indications that the failure is about to occur. These units have been inspected by the manufacturer and their representatives but they refuse to address the concern and prefer to instead charge the owner/operator for replacement of the defective part
Electrical System 8 Read
This vehicle has experienced two separate failures of the high-voltage (HV) battery pack, each resulting in a different drive unit being damaged and total loss of electrical systems while driving. First incident (July 28, 2025): While driving, all warning lights illuminated and the vehicle indicated a possible electrical hazard. The vehicle lost power completely. It was taken to a Rivian service center on July 29, 2025, and was not returned until August 15, 2025 — a total of 17 days out of service. Rivian’s technicians found multiple faults in the HV battery pack and replaced it. Rivian’s own repair notes state that its engineering team requested the front drive unit also be replaced “due to the nature of the failure with the HV battery pack” — i.e., Rivian attributed the drive unit damage to the battery pack failure, not to an independent defect. Both the HV battery pack and front drive unit were replaced under warranty. Second incident (June 29, 2026, approx. 16,256 miles): After charging at a Tesla Supercharger, the vehicle displayed a “Rivian thermal system fault” warning, which indicated driving could continue. While subsequently driving on the highway, the vehicle displayed a “reduced performance” warning, followed by an “all-wheel drive system fault” warning. A loud popping sound was then heard from the rear drive unit, accompanied by visible and smell of smoke in the vehicle. The driver safely pulled over. All electrical systems malfunctioned in the same manner as the
The contact owns a 2023 Rivian R1S. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message "Electrical System Fault - Contact Rivian Service Immediately - Avoid Fording" was displayed along with a picture of the vehicle in water. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an internal short circuit in the HVAC system due to water intrusion or condensation from the HVAC system. The dealer determined that the HVAC system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000
Unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA. Percentages are shares of all 261 Rivian complaints.
Rivian against the rest
| Measure | Where Rivian sits | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| By complaint volume | #0 | 29 brands with 3,000+ complaints |
| By age at failure (later is better) | #0 | 29 brands |
| Complaints ending in a crash | 11.1% | across all 261 reports |
Ranking by volume says more about how many cars a brand sells than about how they hold up. Age at failure is the fairer of the two.
Compare Rivian with the rest
Rivian problems by model
3 Rivian models have owner complaints on file. Pick one for its worst years, failing systems and what owners actually wrote.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Go deeper
Frequently asked questions
How reliable is Rivian?
Owners have filed 261 complaints across 3 Rivian models. On its own that number reflects how many Rivian cars are on the road — compare the average age at failure (1.06 years) instead.
What breaks most often on a Rivian?
The most reported system is Air Bags with 28 complaints.
Do Rivian problems show up under warranty?
95.2% of Rivian complaints describe something that happened in the first three years, while the factory warranty was likely still running.
Which Rivian model has the most complaints?
See the model list above — each card shows its complaint count, and the model page breaks it down by year and by system.