Half of all complaints arrive by 0 years of age, so 10% land after the 3-year basic warranty ends. The system owners report most is Air Bags, with 35 complaints, typically at 0.6 years.
Rivian R1S years to avoid — and the best ones
| Model year | Per run | Complaints | Runs | Enough history? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 54 | 16 | too new | |
| 2024 | 17 | 14 | too new | |
| 2023 | 75 | 24 | too new | |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | too new |
When it starts to break
| Age at failure | Complaints | Running total | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 years | 56.4% | covered | |
| 1 year | 81.4% | covered | |
| 2 years | 90% | covered | |
| 3 years | 100% | you pay |
Basic warranty on this car is 3 years / 36,000 miles. Only 90% of reported failures happen inside it — the remaining 10% come out of the owner's pocket. Powertrain cover (5 years / 60,000 miles) reaches further, but it only covers the engine and transmission, which account for few of the complaints here.
What actually fails — and at what age
On the Rivian R1S, the early trouble is Air Bags and Unknown Or Other — reported at around 0.6 years, so a car still under warranty is the one to check for it.
| System | Complaints | Typical age | Crash | Fire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 0.6 yrs | 1 | — | |
| Unknown Or Other | 0.7 yrs | 3 | 1 | |
| Electrical System | 0.8 yrs | 4 | — | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 0.5 yrs | 11 | — | |
| Seats | 0.7 yrs | — | — | |
| Suspension | 1.6 yrs | 4 | — | |
| Service Brakes | 0.4 yrs | 6 | 1 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 0.6 yrs | 5 | 1 |
What else in this class
6 models share the R1S's vehicle class. Per production run, the Toyota Highlander draws 2.92, the Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.35 and the Ford Explorer 5.03, against 2.59 for the R1S. That is the fewest complaints of the group.
| Same class as the R1S | Complaints on record | Recall campaigns | Years built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Highlander | 128 | 2001–2026 | |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 335 | 1993–2026 | |
| Ford Explorer | 390 | 1991–2026 | |
| BMW X5 | 198 | 2000–2026 | |
| Cadillac Escalade | 129 | 1999–2026 | |
| Hyundai Palisade | 33 | 2020–2026 |
The table shows totals on record; the rates per production run are in the sentence above.
Good year or bad year — the VIN settles it.
- Check any VIN against complaints for its exact build year and plant
- Exact value for that car, adjusted for its mileage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Alerts if a recall lands on a car in your garage
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Frequently asked questions
Is the Rivian R1S reliable?
By complaints per production run it is better than typical: 2.59 against 3.73 for the average car, and fewer than each of the 3 class rivals we compared.
When do R1S problems usually start?
Half of all complaints arrive by 0 years of age. The most reported system is Air Bags, typically at 0.6 years, followed by Unknown Or Other.
Will the warranty cover R1S problems?
Mostly yes: basic cover is 3 years / 36,000 miles, and 90% of reported failures fall inside it.
Is the R1S more reliable than the Toyota Highlander?
Yes: 2.59 complaints per production run for the R1S against 2.92 for the Toyota Highlander.
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