topheryaki
Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Hey everyone, long-time lurker here.
I wanted to share my experience going through a buy back with my 2025 R1T Dual-Motor (Large Pack) in case it helps anyone else going through similar issues, or folks who are considering buying soon. I ordered the vehicle November 2025 and received delivery late December. I was extremely excited to take delivery — but unfortunately, it turned into a pretty rough ownership journey that ended in a buyback.
The issues started right at delivery:
Before delivery, I did a lot of research on what to inspect. Unfortunately, delivery happened on a rainy day — outside in the open, since the covered garage was only for employees. The weather wasn’t going to improve, so I went ahead with the process.
Immediately I pointed out scratches, a gear tunnel that wouldn’t close, a seat defect, and more. The delivery specialist assured me that it was all “normal” and told me to just file service requests in the app. I admit, I probably should have rejected delivery — but in the excitement, I followed their guidance.
Major issues (skipping the cosmetic stuff):
The truck wouldn't reliably fast charge — not at Rivian’s network, not at Electrify America. I submitted a service request which later vanished from their system (thankfully I had screenshots). It wasn’t until I provided logs and chat logs where a Rivian tech acknowledged the issue, that they began investigating. The culprit turned out to be a faulty charging-related component.
Nearly every step of the way…
Rivian kept telling me there wasn’t a problem — no drive unit issue, no quality control concerns — and that I was too focused on “cosmetic stuff.” They repeatedly tried to close out work orders early and encouraged me to just take the vehicle back. Only after significant pushing and documenting everything in detail did they discover real mechanical issues — like the defective front drive unit — which required major repairs. Apparently the issue with the drive unit was bad enough it warranted sending it back to engineering.
At one point, they even offered me a small service credit if I agreed to not have them replace cosmetic parts they had damaged. It felt like they were trying to get me to overlook damage they caused in exchange for a minor convenience.
Long stints in service:
The vehicle spent nearly 3 months in service overall — including two months during its first visit, where most of the major issues weren’t even addressed. Based on the odometer reading, it looks like the vehicle was barely driven (aside from a trip to a body shop). No real diagnostic or test work was done.
When I went to pick it up, the service manager at the initial service center flat-out told me: “You’re taking this vehicle today.” I refused to accept it, especially given that the major issues were unresolved. They insisted on having me sign another work order and have me take the vehicle back that day, but couldn't explain to me why they closed out ticket items as resolved if they weren't actually fixed. I left without the truck and with very few answers.
Attempting a buyback:
When I initiated the buyback process with customer service, the initial service center actually put it on hold. They even called me and said they had seen the request and paused it. They refused to escalate the case and kept telling me to pick the truck up. I told them I wanted to wait to hear back from corporate before doing anything, to which the service manager exclaimed "I am Rivian".
I had to call Rivian Customer Support multiple times and explicitly ask that my request be escalated beyond the local service team. Only after really pushing did the case finally reach a senior manager — who stepped in, personally took responsibility, and then transferred the vehicle to another service center in a nearby city.
Round two at the second service center:
They did address more of the issues, but unfortunately returned the truck with new scratches and dents. Once again I was told: “You’re taking this vehicle today. The issues are cosmetic.” They told me wear and tear was normal if I drove the vehicle, so it was expected when they had it in their possession. The most they were willing to do was use a paint pen to bad fill in damage.
I asked to keep the Enterprise rental and leave the truck for further work — I was told no, and that I’d be charged daily if I didn’t return the rental. While I was still standing at the service center, someone there actually called Enterprise and told them to start billing me — even though Rivian was in possession of the rental vehicle. The Enterprise rep was surprised, apologetic, and clearly confused.
…Still not fixed:
Despite all that, the fast charging issue still wasn’t fixed. I was forced to leave with a truck that couldn’t reliably fast charge. At this point, I had to spend hours on the road (heading to different fast chargers), collecting data, talking with Rivian support, and attempting to reproduce the issue. Even senior management told me they didn’t see a problem and claimed they had no record of me ever reporting it.
I had to dig up old screenshots showing that the original service center had acknowledged the charging problem and said it was added to my original service request — I was given a loaner and only then did Rivian concede there might be an issue and agree to investigate further. No apologies, just a quiet pivot to diagnosing the problem. Eventually, they found a faulty charging-related component and replaced it.
Outcome:
All the while we were waiting on the committee to decide if the buyback would be approved. I pleaded for a replacement vehicle but was told they don't do replacements, and that if I wanted to pursue the Lemon law option, that I would have to go through their choice of Better Business Bureau arbitration.
Eventually, the buyback was approved, which I’ve since accepted.
We spent about a month going back and forth on a potential repurchase options. I asked if they'd offer a goodwill credit toward a repurchase, especially as interest rates had changed and it would end up costing thousands more than what we originally paid — I know others received up to $10K last year — but was told that this year, they're no longer offering that.
So, no credit — and no new Rivian for me. Maybe by the time R2 or R3X launches, the frustration will have faded and I’ll reconsider. I did enjoy my time with the 3 loaners, but the daily mileage limits meant that five months into “ownership,” we still hadn’t really gotten to experience the kind of adventuring we went with a Rivian for in the first place.
Happy to answer any questions if you’re dealing with something similar. I still believe in Rivian’s mission and think the vehicle itself has a lot of potential, especially the upcoming models — but serious gaps in service, quality control, and internal communication really undermined what should have been a great ownership experience.
I wanted to share my experience going through a buy back with my 2025 R1T Dual-Motor (Large Pack) in case it helps anyone else going through similar issues, or folks who are considering buying soon. I ordered the vehicle November 2025 and received delivery late December. I was extremely excited to take delivery — but unfortunately, it turned into a pretty rough ownership journey that ended in a buyback.
The issues started right at delivery:
Before delivery, I did a lot of research on what to inspect. Unfortunately, delivery happened on a rainy day — outside in the open, since the covered garage was only for employees. The weather wasn’t going to improve, so I went ahead with the process.
Immediately I pointed out scratches, a gear tunnel that wouldn’t close, a seat defect, and more. The delivery specialist assured me that it was all “normal” and told me to just file service requests in the app. I admit, I probably should have rejected delivery — but in the excitement, I followed their guidance.
Major issues (skipping the cosmetic stuff):
- Gear tunnel wouldn’t close unless you threw your body weight on it (the delivery employee literally said to do this)
- Several scratches on both the interior and exterior trim, including a puncture on dash
- Moon roof was misaligned and had to be replaced
- A high-pitched noise from the front drive unit that caused migraines — the entire front drive unit eventually had to be replaced
The truck wouldn't reliably fast charge — not at Rivian’s network, not at Electrify America. I submitted a service request which later vanished from their system (thankfully I had screenshots). It wasn’t until I provided logs and chat logs where a Rivian tech acknowledged the issue, that they began investigating. The culprit turned out to be a faulty charging-related component.
Nearly every step of the way…
Rivian kept telling me there wasn’t a problem — no drive unit issue, no quality control concerns — and that I was too focused on “cosmetic stuff.” They repeatedly tried to close out work orders early and encouraged me to just take the vehicle back. Only after significant pushing and documenting everything in detail did they discover real mechanical issues — like the defective front drive unit — which required major repairs. Apparently the issue with the drive unit was bad enough it warranted sending it back to engineering.
At one point, they even offered me a small service credit if I agreed to not have them replace cosmetic parts they had damaged. It felt like they were trying to get me to overlook damage they caused in exchange for a minor convenience.
Long stints in service:
The vehicle spent nearly 3 months in service overall — including two months during its first visit, where most of the major issues weren’t even addressed. Based on the odometer reading, it looks like the vehicle was barely driven (aside from a trip to a body shop). No real diagnostic or test work was done.
When I went to pick it up, the service manager at the initial service center flat-out told me: “You’re taking this vehicle today.” I refused to accept it, especially given that the major issues were unresolved. They insisted on having me sign another work order and have me take the vehicle back that day, but couldn't explain to me why they closed out ticket items as resolved if they weren't actually fixed. I left without the truck and with very few answers.
Attempting a buyback:
When I initiated the buyback process with customer service, the initial service center actually put it on hold. They even called me and said they had seen the request and paused it. They refused to escalate the case and kept telling me to pick the truck up. I told them I wanted to wait to hear back from corporate before doing anything, to which the service manager exclaimed "I am Rivian".
I had to call Rivian Customer Support multiple times and explicitly ask that my request be escalated beyond the local service team. Only after really pushing did the case finally reach a senior manager — who stepped in, personally took responsibility, and then transferred the vehicle to another service center in a nearby city.
Round two at the second service center:
They did address more of the issues, but unfortunately returned the truck with new scratches and dents. Once again I was told: “You’re taking this vehicle today. The issues are cosmetic.” They told me wear and tear was normal if I drove the vehicle, so it was expected when they had it in their possession. The most they were willing to do was use a paint pen to bad fill in damage.
I asked to keep the Enterprise rental and leave the truck for further work — I was told no, and that I’d be charged daily if I didn’t return the rental. While I was still standing at the service center, someone there actually called Enterprise and told them to start billing me — even though Rivian was in possession of the rental vehicle. The Enterprise rep was surprised, apologetic, and clearly confused.
…Still not fixed:
Despite all that, the fast charging issue still wasn’t fixed. I was forced to leave with a truck that couldn’t reliably fast charge. At this point, I had to spend hours on the road (heading to different fast chargers), collecting data, talking with Rivian support, and attempting to reproduce the issue. Even senior management told me they didn’t see a problem and claimed they had no record of me ever reporting it.
I had to dig up old screenshots showing that the original service center had acknowledged the charging problem and said it was added to my original service request — I was given a loaner and only then did Rivian concede there might be an issue and agree to investigate further. No apologies, just a quiet pivot to diagnosing the problem. Eventually, they found a faulty charging-related component and replaced it.
Outcome:
All the while we were waiting on the committee to decide if the buyback would be approved. I pleaded for a replacement vehicle but was told they don't do replacements, and that if I wanted to pursue the Lemon law option, that I would have to go through their choice of Better Business Bureau arbitration.
Eventually, the buyback was approved, which I’ve since accepted.
We spent about a month going back and forth on a potential repurchase options. I asked if they'd offer a goodwill credit toward a repurchase, especially as interest rates had changed and it would end up costing thousands more than what we originally paid — I know others received up to $10K last year — but was told that this year, they're no longer offering that.
So, no credit — and no new Rivian for me. Maybe by the time R2 or R3X launches, the frustration will have faded and I’ll reconsider. I did enjoy my time with the 3 loaners, but the daily mileage limits meant that five months into “ownership,” we still hadn’t really gotten to experience the kind of adventuring we went with a Rivian for in the first place.
Happy to answer any questions if you’re dealing with something similar. I still believe in Rivian’s mission and think the vehicle itself has a lot of potential, especially the upcoming models — but serious gaps in service, quality control, and internal communication really undermined what should have been a great ownership experience.
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