2023 Rivian R1T Recalls & Complaints

Incident: October 23, 2026 · Filed: October 23, 2026

Seat belt height adjustment on driver side malfunctions from new, catches seat belt and makes it very difficult for it to function. Requested Rivian document repair well & retain parts before work is completed.

Incident: August 31, 2026 · Filed: October 9, 2026

In my recordings, the backup camera image took 6 to 11 seconds to appear after shifting into reverse. FMVSS 111 (S6.2.3) requires 2.0 seconds. It happens on software 2026.23 and newer, which is the fix software for Rivian recall 26V597. Crash: Around the end of August 2026 (I don't know the exact date), I was turning around in a parking lot in Stone Mountain, GA with a rooftop tent on the truck. I shifted into reverse, the backup camera image never came up on the center screen, and the truck backed into a pole at under 3 mph. The rear bumper and tailgate were damaged. I recorded it on September 24, 2026: 1. Shifted from Park to Reverse. The center screen showed a Loading spinner and no camera image for about 10.8 seconds. 2. Already in Reverse when I started recording. The truck was rolling backward at 2 mph while the center screen was blank. The camera image first appeared about 6 seconds into the recording. Frame-by-frame stills are attached. A link to both videos is in the attached PDF. Software: Rivian told me the truck was on 2026.23.0 at the time of the crash. It is on 2026.31.0 now. Recall 26V597 says R1 software before 2026.23 is affected, and it describes a stability control message covering the camera image. What I see is a Loading spinner or a blank screen, which the recall does not describe. I sent both videos to Rivian on September 24. On October 9 Rivian told me the truck was operating normally, said it could not retrieve data from the time of the crash, and denied the claim. Other owners have reported slow or blank Rivian backup cameras in complaints 11769071, 11768828 and 11765681.

Incident: September 8, 2026 · Filed: October 7, 2026

After Build 2026.31.0·010c8e12 software was installed the camera stitch and angles display has changed. Objects at or near the four corners of the vehicle are no longer showing on screen. Objects can be at a height to damage the vehicle, but not trigger on the sonic sensors. Additionally, parking spot lines are doubled and curved when reversing, leading to potential driver confusion.

Incident: August 7, 2026 · Filed: September 7, 2026

The 12v battery died in less than 3 years. Rivian replaced at cost over 500. Unacceptable. Their new battery only warrenty for 2 years.

Incident: May 21, 2026 · Filed: May 22, 2026

I was driving to a restaurant and out of nowhere started hearing this metal-on-metal sound 1/4 mile before I got there. I pulled into the parking lot and it kept getting worse, so I called Rivian to tow the car. They confirmed it was a hub and shaft bolt that came loose. I have video of the sound it made if needed. The Rivian technicians took the pictures that I am uploading here.

Incident: March 3, 2026 · Filed: April 15, 2026

On multiple occasions I have experienced the defrost feature of my 2023 Rivian R1T blowing cool air instead of warm or hot air, leading to a build up of ice on the windshield while driving. I have brought this concern to Rivian's attention with two service appointments, both of which resulted in Rivian noting they couldn't see any errors in the vehicle's diagnostic logs. I specifically noted the date, time, and temperature of one event but Rivian failed to copy the log data when requested. The issue is trivially reproducible in temperatures around 32ºF, when the defrost mode is enabled. Tapping the defrost/defog button on screen twice to enable defrost mode results in the vehicle selecting the vents for floor and windshield heat, speeds the fan to near maximum, and is supposed to blow hot air to aid in clearing built up ice. Instead what happens is the vents blow cool air for several minutes at maximum fan speed. Then the fan motors slow to their slowest speed at which time the vents blow slightly warm air After 5-10 minutes the fans speed up to maximum and the air coming from the vents is cool. When the vehicle was initially purchased, the defrost feature blew air hot enough to nearly be uncomfortable on the face. This is very much in line with any other vehicle I have owned when the defrost temperature and fan speed was set the maximum. But after an end of year update in 2024 or early 2025, the defrost feature began blowing cooler air and has never regained its original ability to clear the windscreen. The winter of 2025 and early 2026 has now resulted in this complaint. Rivian maintains the system is functioning as expected, but the service center staff doesn't quite seem to understand the severity of the issue. They claim a bug report can not be filed with Rivian until they capture an error in diagnostic data that they repeatedly fail to collect. Instead their advice is to enable cabin vents to warm the cabin instead of the windshield.

Incident: January 20, 2026 · Filed: February 24, 2026

No changes to the car happened before the airbag system went out.

Incident: October 28, 2025 · Filed: January 5, 2026

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.

Incident: October 27, 2025 · Filed: October 29, 2025

My truck was recently upgraded to software version 2050.38.0. After the upgrade, I drove my truck about 3 miles in about 5 minutes. When I arrived at my destination, I exited the truck to get something out of the rear seat. The rear door was locked; this is normal. I returned to the front seat to unlock the door via the control panel, but the unlock function did not work. The button is in the center touchscreen of the truck. I check the screen on the center console. It appeared the unlock button was disabled due to the information screen from the code update. This screen was not there when I exited the truck. After I acknowledged the screen, the unlock button was working. If I were trying to unlock the doors due to an emergency, this delay would be an issue. I feel the unlock door button should always work. Disabling the button for a verification screen is a safety hazard.

Incident: June 5, 2024 · Filed: October 20, 2025

The vehicle’s Driver+ advanced driver assistance system (including Adaptive Cruise Control and Highway Assist) repeatedly failed during normal highway driving. The system would display “Driver Assistance Features Unavailable – Service Soon” and immediately disable all assisted-driving functions, even in clear weather and well-marked lanes. This occurred intermittently from approximately 1,200 miles onward and continued for over a year despite multiple repair attempts by the manufacturer’s service centers. The malfunction directly affected safe operation, as the system could disengage without warning at highway speeds, forcing sudden driver intervention. The issue was reproduced and documented by the manufacturer’s technicians during at least one service visit, which resulted in replacement of the vehicle’s driver-assistance computer. The failure continued even after that replacement. The vehicle has been inspected and serviced numerous times by the manufacturer, with diagnostics performed on the cooling system, cameras, sensors, and ADAS module. Each repair attempt either failed to duplicate or failed to permanently correct the defect. The safety risk is loss of Adaptive Cruise Control and Highway Assist functions while driving, unexpected disengagement of automated steering/braking, and lack of reliable warning timing to the driver. Warning messages appeared frequently throughout 2024–2025, beginning within the first few months of ownership. The defect remains unresolved and appears systemic rather than isolated to this vehicle.