Recurring R1T 12V Failure — Rivian Refusing LV Battery Replacement Procedure (3 Attempts, No Escalation)

[ScoobieSteve]

Sharing this for technical visibility because my 2022 R1T has developed a repeating 12-volt system failure, and after three attempts (Ranger + service center), Rivian still hasn’t performed the correct low-voltage initialization procedures.


Symptom Pattern:

• “Replace 12V Battery System” warning appears
• Ranger cleared DTC → warning disappeared
• Truck drove/charged normally
• Warning returned 3–7 days later, always after a sleep/wake cycle
• New aftermarket 12V batteries test fully healthy
  (verified by Ohmmu app and multimeter)
• DC-DC converter functioning correctly
• OEM batteries were replaced by Rivian in 2023 and failed in <2 years

These observations make it clear the hardware is not at fault — the consistent 3–7 day delay after a DTC clear indicates an uncorrected LV battery health profile in the BCM.

Required RST Procedures (not performed):

1. LV Battery Replacement Procedure
2. LV System Health Check
3. Low-Voltage Domain Functional Test (DC-DC)
4. VCU/BCM Reset via RST

These are standard steps anytime the 12V batteries are replaced or when recurring LV faults occur.

What Rivian actually did (twice):

• Cleared DTCs
• Reset LV counters
• Reset battery sensors

These steps suppress the warning temporarily but do not correct the underlying LV profile.

Service Experience So Far:

• First attempt by Ranger → temporary fix
• Second attempt required 4+ hours of driving and a full day off → temporary fix
• Rivian now refuses escalation
• No path to a foreman, supervisor, or TechOps
• Rivian will only offer OEM 12V battery replacement ($800)
• Even though OEM batteries have already failed once
• And the diagnostic behavior clearly points to software, not battery chemistry

Looking for community guidance:

• Has anyone successfully gotten Rivian to perform the full LV Battery Replacement Procedure?
• Did you have to involve a foreman or regional service manager?
• Any advice for breaking out of the “DTC clear → fault returns → OEM battery” loop?
• Has anyone resolved this without being forced into OEM 12V batteries?

Thank you — any guidance from owners or techs familiar with the LV subsystem would be appreciated.

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[rpk97b]

This is my first post on this forum. My 2022 R1T has developed the same issue that I have not been able to solve.

I replaced the failed 12V batteries with Ohmmu Batteries. Had no issues until the day after I installed the October update.

Got the 12V battery warning. Ohmmu Batteries are fully healthy.

Nothing I have done has been able to fix the problem.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

I don't understand the specifics of "Rivian now refuses escalation," @ScoobieSteve.

Who at Rivian is telling you that you can't have access to the next level of technical sophistication and supervisory authority?

Your technical requests are beyond my capability to analyze them. But somebody at Rivian should be able to answer why they consider what's already been done to be sufficient.

Best wishes!

 

[portdirect]

What’s ‘Ranger’? Mobile service?

Where are you getting the ‘full procedure’ steps from? This context will help us to help you advocate for yourself.

 

[VSG]

@ScoobieSteve: Wait, you're using the Ohmmu battery? Way to bury the lede ... The only hint you gave is that you verified your batteries were heathy using the "Ohmmu app".

Sounds like you're trying to pick a fight by glossing over this fact, even though you know these batteries have material differences to the OEM. They're even different chemistry with different voltage levels and charging curves. Years of threads on this forum serve as a warning that if you're going to do this, you're on your own. Caveat Emptor.

I think if the Ohmmu batteries don't work properly, you should take it up with Ohmmu.

Rivian has already helped you with this on several occasions, despite your use of a battery that doesn't comply with OEM specifications. I agree with Rivian that at this point it's on you pursue this with Ohmmu or at least put in an OEM-compatible battery to rule that out as a cause.

 

[jrmbadger]

Hmmm..... this sounds a bit like the experiences that some Tesla drivers were having with the Ohmmu batteries: Tesla Motor Club Apparently, Tesla has some sort of 12V battery test that the Ohmmu was failing - causing 12V warnings. Ohmmu worked with owners to find a solution (I believe?).

Perhaps that is what is happening here? Edit: The Tesla issues randomly seemed to pop up after software updates too!

 

[ScoobieSteve]

I don't understand the specifics of "Rivian now refuses escalation," @ScoobieSteve.

Who at Rivian is telling you that you can't have access to the next level of technical sophistication and supervisory authority?

Your technical requests are beyond my capability to analyze them. But somebody at Rivian should be able to answer why they consider what's already been done to be sufficient.

Best wishes!

Thanks — and that’s exactly the issue I keep running into. It’s not that Rivian has no one capable of handling this, it’s that I can’t reach anyone at that level. Every contact point (app, chat, phone, and the service center itself) routes everything through front-line advisors who don’t have authority to escalate.



When I ask for a foreman, regional service manager, or TechOps review, the answer is simply that “there is no mechanism” for escalation. So I’m stuck in the same loop: the center performs only a DTC clear/LV counter reset, the warning disappears for several days, and then it returns after the next BCM sleep/wake cycle — which strongly suggests the root cause hasn’t been addressed.



I’m not asking for anything exotic, just for the issue to reach someone who can explain why the full LV initialization process isn’t being performed, or who can actually run it. That’s the missing link right now: not the technical knowledge, but access to someone who’s allowed to act on it.

 

[ScoobieSteve]

What’s ‘Ranger’? Mobile service?

Where are you getting the ‘full procedure’ steps from? This context will help us to help you advocate for yourself.

What’s ‘Ranger’? Mobile service?

Where are you getting the ‘full procedure’ steps from? This context will help us to help you advocate for yourself.

 

[Nixapatfan]

Like stated already, not much Rivian will do when your battery is not the OEM one or even the same chemistry. Rivian software for the LV battery is constantly tweaked and the last tweak is probably looking for a SLA battery charge/discharge curve and flagging the Lithium battery as bad because it doesn't match the profile the software is looking for.

 

[jrmbadger]

Like stated already, not much Rivian will do when your battery is not the OEM one or even the same chemistry. Rivian software for the LV battery is constantly tweaked and the last tweak is probably looking for a SLA battery charge/discharge curve and flagging the Lithium battery as bad because it doesn't match the profile the software is looking for.

Which is exactly why Tesla owners were having similar issues with the Ohmmu. OP have you tried contacting Ohmmu?

 

[COdogman]

I understand the frustration with 12v battery issues (in all EVs), but Rivian isn't going to fix an Ohmmu system that you chose to install. Nor should they. They have to focus on their own hardware/ software systems.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

Every contact point (app, chat, phone, and the service center itself) routes everything through front-line advisors who don’t have authority to escalate.

I'm not qualified to assess the technical details, @ScoobieSteve, but to me this process seems inappropriate and unacceptable. Keep trying. Document whom you talked to, and when, and what they said.

@VSG and others have a strong point, though: Once you install non-standard hardware, you and the non-Rivian vendor have to take primary responsibility. Rivian can't assume responsibility for making the new combination work (or even for assessing the new combination).

I've made significant non-Rivian purchase decisions, just as you have, but I don't ask Rivian to do anything that would put my responsibilities back on them.

Best wishes!

 

[jrmbadger]

I'm not qualified to assess the technical details, @ScoobieSteve, but to me this process seems inappropriate and unacceptable. Keep trying. Document whom you talked to, and when, and what they said.

@VSG and others have a strong point, though: Once you install non-standard hardware, you and the non-Rivian vendor have to take primary responsibility. Rivian can't assume responsibility for making the new combination work (or even assessing it).

I've made significant non-Rivian purchase decisions, just as you have, but I don't ask Rivian to do anything that would put my responsibilities back on them.

Best wishes!

Agreed Dave, not acceptable. OP have you tried 1-888-RIVIAN1 or the contact form on the website: contact form

 

[ScoobieSteve]

I’m not trying to gloss anything over – I mentioned the Ohmmu app simply because it’s the tool that reports voltage and balance data for those batteries, just like a multimeter or DMM does. Transparency isn’t an issue here. The real point is that the system behavior doesn’t match a battery-chemistry incompatibility at all.



If the batteries were the root cause, the fault would come back immediately during charging, startup, or driving. Instead, the warning clears completely after a DTC reset, the truck runs normally for several days, and the message returns only after a sleep/wake cycle when the BCM does its LV health audit. That very specific pattern points to the LV health profile not being rebuilt – not a battery failure.



I also didn’t switch to Ohmmu to cut corners. Rivian replaced my OEM 12V batteries in 2023 and they failed in under two years. AGM is absolutely a consumable, but early Rivian OEM units have had a high failure rate. Plenty of owners run Ohmmu successfully after the correct initialization sequence is done. That sequence simply hasn’t been done yet on my vehicle — only the first step (DTC clear + counters reset), which suppresses the warning temporarily.



I’m not asking Rivian to support aftermarket hardware. I’m asking them to complete the full LV initialization workflow they already perform when 12V faults recur. If that process were run and the error persisted, then sure — I’d pursue the battery with Ohmmu. But right now Rivian hasn’t ruled out the actual software-side cause. That’s the entire reason I’m pushing for proper diagnostics.

 

[ScoobieSteve]

Like stated already, not much Rivian will do when your battery is not the OEM one or even the same chemistry. Rivian software for the LV battery is constantly tweaked and the last tweak is probably looking for a SLA battery charge/discharge curve and flagging the Lithium battery as bad because it doesn't match the profile the software is looking for.

I understand the chemistry concern, but the behavior of the system doesn’t actually match a charge-curve mismatch. When a 12V battery truly conflicts with the expected chemistry or discharge profile, the system flags it immediately — during charging events, driving, or boot-up. It does not clear the fault with a DTC reset and then run perfectly for days.



What I’m seeing is the opposite:

• DTC clear → fault disappears completely
• System performs normally for 3–7 days
• Fault returns only after the BCM’s overnight LV health audit

That pattern aligns with a low-voltage health profile that was never reinitialized. A chemistry mismatch would produce immediate and repeated voltage-window violations, not a delayed fault that only reappears after a sleep/wake diagnostic cycle.



If Rivian ran the full LV Battery Replacement Procedure — not just the DTC clear and counter reset — and the system still flagged a chemistry issue, I’d absolutely take it up with Ohmmu. But right now Rivian hasn’t performed the steps required to rule out the software-side cause. Until that’s done, it’s premature to conclude the batteries are the problem.

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