Firmware Update Issue, Rivian Stuck on 2023.06.02 in Kazakhstan

[Gregorykz]

Hi everyone,
I recently brought my Rivian to Kazakhstan (yes, it’s finally here!), and while everything has been going pretty well so far, I’ve hit a frustrating issue: my vehicle is still stuck on firmware version 2023.06.02, and no updates are coming through.

The vehicle says it’s “up to date,” but obviously this version is quite old, and I’m missing out on a lot of features and fixes.

Has anyone else experienced something similar, especially if you’ve taken your Rivian outside the U.S. or Canada? Are there any known workarounds or solutions to force an update or get back on the OTA track?

Also — does anyone know any Rivian experts or third-party shops that have dealt with issues like this before? I’d be grateful for any leads or recommendations.

Any help or insight would be massively appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Update:
Now my truck is showing a message saying that the system was installed with errors (photo below). I’m not sure what triggered it — nothing has changed on my end recently.

Has anyone seen this before? Is there any known way to fix it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
UPD:
We’ve started disassembling the vehicle together with the local service guys. We’re currently working on installing a Kazakh SIM card. Turns out the vehicle had a partial update in the past, which likely caused the current issues. We’ve removed the module and are now attempting to flash a new firmware into it manually.

UPD:
I managed to get in touch with a team from Ukraine who specialize in importing salvaged Rivians from U.S. auctions and working on their software. I explained the entire situation to them, and they were confident that they can help. We’re starting work together tomorrow morning. I really hope this will finally be the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for and that this long string of bad luck with the truck will come to an end.

Last update:

Hey everyone, my dear readers of this thread,

Today marks the end of an era — I’m no longer the owner of my Rivian R1T. It’s a day I won’t forget. The Porsche Taycan Turbo is already in action, and I’ve made it back to my city, enjoying the new ride.

No more wild adventures with my Rivian.

I feel like this is just a pause in my relationship with Rivian. Once they improve build quality, I’m sure I’ll come back for a new Quad one day.

The last day with my R1T went by without any surprises — and that alone made me happy.

I’ll drop a couple of photos from today below, and I just want to wish all of you the best of luck — may your Rivians always treat you well and never let you down.

Also, a huge thank you to the team at EVS UAE — you can find them on Instagram. They’re doing amazing work on Rivians outside the U.S., handling even the toughest repairs with confidence. Their software specialists are top-tier and can solve almost any issue (as long as the ECU isn’t damaged). Truly grateful for their help throughout this journey!

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[Shmoe]

If this goes anything like Tesla, if you're in an unsupported country -- you are unsupported

In Canada my AT&T sim roamed over to Bell. Even if you get cell service I would suspect the GPS showing you there would be a problem.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Get the vehicle on wifi and ask Rivian service to push the OTAs.

 

[Gregorykz]

If this goes anything like Tesla, if you're in an unsupported country -- you are unsupported

Actually, Tesla works pretty well here in Kazakhstan. There are quite a few service centers and a growing number of independent shops that can handle diagnostics, maintenance, and repairs.

Unfortunately, with Rivian it’s a completely different story — no one here really knows how to work with it yet, and I haven’t been able to find anyone locally who can help. It feels like we’re starting from zero with Rivian.

 

[SolartoEV]

I would vpn a wifi router and show that its in ths US and let it sit on that for a day or 2.

 

[kozak79]

I wonder if you get a WiFi router that support VPN and set it to USA. It might trick to update.

 

[Gregorykz]

I would vpn a wifi router and show that its in ths US and let it sit on that for a day or 2.

I actually tried updating the vehicle using a router with a U.S.-based VPN, hoping it would trick the system into downloading the latest firmware, but unfortunately that didn’t work.

To make things worse, the Rivian app doesn’t see the truck at all. Even when it’s connected to Wi-Fi, it just says “No cloud connection” and shows that the vehicle has been offline since sometime in 2024.

 

[SolartoEV]

There are some certified nerds here that should be able to help.

 

[shracks]

Silly question.... have you actually tried just calling Rivian and asking further?

 

[DuncIT]

I wonder if you get a WiFi router that support VPN and set it to USA. It might trick to update.

That's what I'd do - put your WiFi on an American VPN and then have the truck connect to it. I would think that Rivian would be none the wiser.

 

[Gregorykz]

Silly question.... have you actually tried just calling Rivian and asking further?

I actually tried getting in touch with Rivian about this — they told me they’d look into it and get back to me. That was over a week ago, and I still haven’t heard anything.

 

[Gregorykz]

That's what I'd do - put your WiFi on an American VPN and then have the truck connect to it. I would think that Rivian would be none the wiser.

Yeah, I actually connected the truck to Wi-Fi through a U.S.-based VPN and left it in the garage for four days, fully connected the whole time. Spotify and TuneIn were working fine, so the internet connection was definitely active.

But the truck never established a connection with Rivian’s servers — nothing updated, and the app still shows outdated info with no cloud sync.

Really starting to wonder if there’s some kind of hard block on non-supported regions…

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Operating outside of Rivian's support area. Rivian is under no obligation to support it.

 

[SeaGeo]

Operating outside of Rivian's support area. Rivian is under no obligation to support it.

They have been fine with people in the Caribbean. The only challenge for folks there has been they don't have cell service and in order to get it serviced they ship it back to the U.S.

Updates over wifi and what-not haven't been an issue.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I actually tried updating the vehicle using a router with a U.S.-based VPN, hoping it would trick the system into downloading the latest firmware, but unfortunately that didn’t work.

To make things worse, the Rivian app doesn’t see the truck at all. Even when it’s connected to Wi-Fi, it just says “No cloud connection” and shows that the vehicle has been offline since sometime in 2024.

The vehicle will not show that it has an update available unless Rivian explicitly pushes it. Your vehicle is so far out of date that they might have to do it in stages, you'll never see an update without reaching out to them.

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