Need Advice - My R1S with 29 miles is a lemon

[R1Serenity]

Long post but coming to the forum for help with an absolutely terrible situation with our R1S that has 29 (TWENTY-NINE) miles, of which 16 were already on it pre-delivery. We pretty much feel defeated with Rivian, their unwillingness to accept that they sold us a lemon and at this point with a Guide who has nothing better to say than “I understand your frustration.” How much should one just keep believing this is a startup vs. they sold me a lemon?

• Gained access to the shop in May 2023 (Nov 2021 preorder) by asking CS politely multiple times
• Picked out a FG/FE LE R1S close to my build (VIN PN0089xx, March Build), even paying extra for the all terrain upgrade that seemed worthwhile
• Kept asking about my charger given there was a 4-6 week delivery time from Normal to Orlando – it arrived only two days before scheduled delivery
• Scheduled Delivery for Saturday June 17th at the service center
• Went to the SC two days prior to see if I could check out the vehicle for any off the bat rejection issues but the SC didn’t allow me to see the vehicle, just provided pictures and stated the vehicle has no obvious external defects, which for the most part has actually been fair to this point.
• Came back two days later for the actual delivery date, having sold my car privately the day before delivery.
• Car had 16 miles on it, charged to 80% or so at delivery
• We only had 2 obvious issues at delivery:
  • Small cosmetic defect in the inside fabric near the handle in the middle row that we pointed out to Joey
  • An air conditioner that seemed to suck in the Orlando heat. It was blasting on Lo and still the car felt somewhat warm – Joey said this is normal. (It’s not)
• Just an FYI, it seems that once you SWIPE UP on your phone, as my guide has pointed out to me since all the problems have occured, that is the official point of not being able to reject a vehicle, for anyone that does not know this or has any real concerns with their car at delivery, on delivery day. It’s yours once you swipe up.

Plan was to take it same day for a full body wrap and tint but decided to come home and test out the charger first and make sure there aren’t any obvious driving defects because the test drive on our actual vehicle I did with the delivery guy was just a mile loop around the service center.

Came home and literally one hour after delivery plugged the R1S into the wall charger installed professionally and it wouldn’t charge at all. Charging port turned red, called service, on the phone for half an hour, did a soft reset, didn't charge still, wanted to do a hard reset but before we could, an error message popped up that said Electrical Hazard, Drive to Service Center Immediately and Avoid Water. The car had 28 miles and maybe 2 hours of ownership. It was raining outside so not sure how to avoid water and drive it back, on our delivery day, mind you. Not after 500 or 1000 miles, after a 10 mile drive home ON DELIVERY DAY.

The help desk wanted to offer lyft credits or an enterprise rental but not sure how someone would feel with this problem on the day of delivery and buying such an expensive car. Cosmetic defect is one thing, car that sounds like it is about to catch on fire or explode with an avoid water warning is a totally different ballgame. I left them know about the cosmetic defect and AC problem as well.

They fortunately provided me with one of the First Mile Drive cars, delivered to my house a couple hours later by the same guy who took us through delivery in the morning. They said they would tow it on Tuesday back to the SC and I can use this car in the meanwhile.

About 3 days later they call me to tell me I MUST swap out the first mile care with a loaner that was just returned and they are willing to meet me at my workplace to pick it up. They also tow my R1S from my house on a flatbed back to the SC.

The technician and engineers figure out there is some charging port/inverter issue that needs to be replaced as something short-circuited. Wouldn’t they check this pre-delivery? How many of you all plugged in your Rivian and on first attempt it failed. Is it on the circulating checklists to double check this to make sure it charges before swiping up???

About a week goes by, they fix it apparently, my guide fills me in with BS that not sure how this was missed and car passed inspection, and then the service manager calls saying they only addressed the charging issue but need to order the headliner to replace the cosmetic defect. More poor communication? A few more days go by, the wrong part was delivered, again another delay until the following week until it can be replaced. They’re just trying to meet their end of quarter numbers and likely didn’t care about my car until after July 1st it feels.

Out of my openness (read as: another mistake with Rivian) I let them know I going out of the country for about 10 days and will pick up my car when I return but I’m already skeptical about the build. They agree to start my 7 day guarantee when I am able to pick up the car again. If I am to now reject the dysfunctional car I have since delivery, my guide states I need to place a new order, pay the new price and wait for access to the shop since I took delivery by swiping up? Seriously, this is their customer service?

Unannounced and without any confirmation whatsoever, they show up at my house to take back the loaner prior to me leaving for my trip on the day I told them I’m leaving the country. Guide apologizes for lack of communication. UNBELIEVABLE, they showed up literally 30 minutes after I got home and obviously are tracking where their loaners are.

Fast Forward 2 weeks (trip extended due to unforeseen circumstances), I ask if they will deliver the car back to my house since they took my loaner. Response is we are too busy and we will give you lyft credits. I am busy at work so I request confirmation I can come after hours to pick up but no response except we sent you lyft credits. I am able to locate my vehicle and know it’s been moved from behind the gates so I can take a lyft after work at 9pm to pickup in the middle of the warehouse district where the service center is.

I get to the car, it’s in sport mode, and doesn’t allow me to shift to all purpose. Error message saying service vehicle, air suspension problem. The car has been there for ONE FULL MONTH, OMG what does the service center do, ignore messages in the dash all day??? I see if I can drive around the block (the same circle our delivery took us on day of delivery ONE MONTH AGO) and no luck. All the front and side collision warning system is not working either, so now I have 2 new error messages on the car that has been sitting essentially undriveable since the day I picked it up on June 17th.

I call the help desk, they do apologize and again repeat the same crap about understanding my frustration and offer more lyft credits but given it’s 10pm, there is no way to get a rental car as well. I wait 20 minutes for a lyft to take me back home, and two more wasted hours. I’m now 32 days without a car and more error messages that popped up. The car has 29 miles and has had 5 problems already.

What is my recourse? Do I need a lawyer? What have others done? Please advise, I would love have a Rivian that isn’t a lemon, but this is unacceptable for me as we have been Rivian supporters since the day we found out about the company but this is in no effin' way "Normal!" There is no way this should be one's experience and sadly I have lost much faith in Rivian and RJ.

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[Krusty]

Really sorry about all the issues with the vehicle. Didn't the 7 day start when you picked it up the second time? I would first ask tell them you don't want the car since it doesn't work. If they don't agree, say that you'll be filing a complaint with your state's attorney general and consumer protection agency (if you have one). Hopefully, they come to their senses and do the right thing. If that doesn't work, I'd consult Steve Lehto. He's been on many blogs and has his own YouTube channel on these issues. Good luck.

http://lehtoslaw.com/

 

[bgoldber88]

All I can say is that sucks and it’s extremely disappointing. I don’t have experience in this area but I hope you find a resolution. I like my R1T but if this happened to me I’d probably never give Rivian another thought.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

It sounds like you've had a run of problems but some of it has been compounded by your personal situation. I had a rough start to my truck ownership too, but once the initial issues were solved my truck has been wonderful.

I hope they get it resolved for you asap.

 

[Rivran]

Just an FYI, it seems that once you SWIPE UP on your phone, as my guide has pointed out to me since all the problems have occured, that is the official point of not being able to reject a vehicle, for anyone that does not know this or has any real concerns with their car at delivery, on delivery day. It’s yours once you swipe up.

That sounds like BS to me. https://rivian.com/support/article/what-is-the-return-policy-on-a-rivian-vehicle

 

[LL75]

Sorry to hear about your problems. if it is still within the 7 days period, I would definitely return it.
it is funny how they want the loaner back !!! I had an r1t as a loaner at dallas center and they are in no hurry to get it back at all. My R1s sat at the service center for 10 days before they even touch it. If I didn't call them for update, they probably wouldn't touch it for another week or so.

 

[astonius]

https://auto.bbbnp.org/lemon-law-complaint-form/

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

First, it sounds really frustrating and stressful. Try to take a breath, and think about this in terms of what you can control. It shouldn't have happened this way.

First, decide if you want to return the car or try one more time. Then contact your guide. If you decide you want to fry to repair, let them know that they need to fix this time or you want to return.

I am confident Rivian will make this right. It will just take a little patience and persistence.

 

[Atlantian]

I had a similar experience with my original R1T I picked up in September, 2022. Here is the short version of my experience.

09.22.2022: Delivery Day! However, it broke down the same day as I pulled into my driveway after driving it only 10 miles (vehicle had 37 miles on it). Error messages were "System fault detected. Performance limited. Service may be required" and "Motor fault detected. Drive with caution and service immediately". It was in the service center for 16 days (service center put 63 test miles on the vehicle). The Rivian guide and service center representatives were useless and uncommunicative. I had to drive to the service center multiple times to try and get status updates because they would never return emails or telephone calls.

10.19.2022: After getting it back I took it on a 222 round trip road trip and it broke down in the middle of a SoCal freeway on the way home and had to be towed 45 miles to the service center. At this point the vehicle only had 377 miles on it. Error messages were "Critical battery issue. Service vehicle immediately", "Electrical hazard possible. Drive to service center immediately. Avoid driving through water." and a message that I didn't get a picture of that said the vehicle was performing an "emergency stop" and pull over immediately. I was only able to get over a few lanes on a busy SoCal freeway before the truck died in the middle of the #5 (of 6) lane. Spent another 6 days in the service center (service center put an additional 121 test miles on the vehicle).

11.16.2022: Upon return I took it on the same road trip and it again broke down half way through the trip and had to be towed 111 miles back to the service center. Vehicle now had 842 miles on it. Error messages were the same Emergency Stop, Motor Failure, Service Immediately and Tow to Nearest Service Center.

At this point I had no confidence in that specific vehicle but still believed in the Rivian vehicles in general. I told the service center I wanted a replacement. 23 days later (12.09.2022) I was contacted by a regional service manager and they agreed to buy back my vehicle at full price and sell me a new one at the same/original pricing. They also said I could keep the R1T loaner until my new R1T gets delivered.

My new R1T (a 2023 model) was delivered on 03.28.2023.

Since getting my new R1T it has performed flawlessly! I have driven my new R1T on the same 222 mile road trip a couple of times and had no problems at all. The first R1T (2022 model year) was undoubtedly a lemon. I was worried that Rivian would not agree to a buyback and that I would have to hire a lemon law attorney but luckily that didn't happen and Rivian did the right thing. I now have confidence in Rivian again however they still have a lot to learn about customer service and communication.

 

[NY_Rob]

Return it and ask them to replace this particular vehicle, let them know you have no confidence in it staying problem-free going forward.

 

[LevelHeaded]

That sounds like BS to me. https://rivian.com/support/article/what-is-the-return-policy-on-a-rivian-vehicle

Return is different than reject.

Return, you lose pricing, have to reorder. Reject, you never technically take delivery, transaction technically never occurs, they can match with new VIN with same pricing.

OP: you said they’d honor the return window. Then there is no need to force buyback via lemon process: just return. You will lose pricing though, unless they make an exception. Vehicle must have been rejected at delivery and never taken off the lot to be rejected and unmatched, allowing them to honor old pricing.

 

[Tango45]

@R1Serenity I understand your frustration... no, seriously, that sucks, especially when it really is such a great vehicle when it's all good.

I'm going to mirror my advice from this thread and say that you should get really familiar with Florida's Lemon Law and then write a formal letter to Rivian, copying a bunch of people like, RJ, Tony, your guide, etc. and sending it through certified mail (noting on the letter through a "CC" on the bottom that you're sending it to everyone). In the letter, you explain the situation, your intent to file for resolution under the Lemon Law, summarize the lemon law, and detail the resolution you are seeking. That could drive action and also serve as a record of the situation and that you provided them the opportunity to resolve the issue (as required by the lemon law).

A few minutes later...

So this, and the post from @LevelHeaded made me check what the Florida Lemon Law actually is and read the whole thing. You're in a bad place, IMO. The Virginia Lemon Law that I used was much stronger in stating that, if a problem wasn't fixed, the manufacturer had to refund or replace and that the choice was mine, not theirs. As I'm reading the Florida Lemon Law, it all goes to arbitration. First, to a manufacturer's established arbitration process (if they have one established with FL), then (or first, if they don't have a registered arbitration process in FL - which Rivian doesn't), the FL arbitration process (if FL decides to take your case). That sucks. I'm open to anyone in the community with more awareness or ability to read to tell me I'm wrong on that interpretation (OP: read it yourself and don't accept my summary as gospel).

So, that kinda changes my advice. I would strongly suggest that you either 1) take the return and lose the pre-hike pricing (that sucks, I'm really sorry) or 2) get the one you have fixed. Either way, you have my impotent empathy. Good luck.

 

[JGard18]

yeah I know MA and FL are different, but everything you described would not have the lemon law apply here in MA. The car has to have a failure that they cannot fix after three attempts. Right now you're experiencing all different things and it sounds like they at least fix the one thing the first time around, it's just that new stuff pops up. FWIW, I feel like my truck was a bit cursed, too. I've had a bunch of shit go wrong, but ultimately it's fine and hasn't left me stranded or anything, yet.

 

[theyoungone]

I’d 100% post this to Reddit and tag Wassym. There is no excuse for this whatsoever.

 

[Zoidz]

Sorry to hear you are having this bad experience. I guess I am echoing what others have said - Lemon Laws are by state. You are calling it a Lemon in casual conversation, but in Pennsylvania it does not meet the legal definition/situation to qualify for the Lemon Law. You need to understand the Florida Lemon law.

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