Awaiting delivery on a r1s tri-motor thinking about canceling due to apparent reliability issues?

[echo44]

I ordered my Rivian last Monday, I did not do my research, did not realize how much reliability may be an issue?
When I went to the showroom and test drove the vehicle the salesperson said most of the kinks have been worked out.
He also said no problem fixing any issues as the service center here in Chicago is decent? I was told they give a loaner?
Now after reading through posts on this forum I am concerned about reliability and service. Some have stated they were offered Uber credits or a
rent a car. That wouldn't work for me as I have a big SUV for a reason I have lots of stuff I haul around. Others have stated that their Rivian has been in the shop several months out of the year? If your leasing and your car is in the shop for over a month I am assuming they would not charge you for the lease for that month?
Also didn't realize CR rates them as the least reliable vehicle. If I cancel the order would all I loose is the $500 deposit? This is the least excited I have ever been about getting a new car. For those of you who have received their Gen 2 R1s would you do it all over again?

Also is it best to bring a certified check to pickup rather than a bank transfer the day before that way if there are defects you are unwilling to accept all they have is your $500 deposit?

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[Zeus]

Hi @echo44. Great questions and you have every right to be concerned about percieved reliability issues. However, please remember that only folks with issues are often motivated to post about those issues. The rest are out having fun. Also, Rivian only started delivering cars less than 4 years ago, so I'll take the CR publication with a little grain of salt.
I've owned my quad motor R1S for a little over 19 months now. Best car I've ever owned! I have found it to be very reliable. Have only been back to the shop about 4 times (that included routine maintenance like tire rotations) and each time, I was impressed by the quality of service. The longest i have been without my 'S' was about 2 weeks for suspension issues (I think they replaced it on warranty). During those 2 weeks, I was given a choice of a T or an S for a loaner (I chose the T so I could also see what I was missing or not missing). Even for routine maintenance issues that lasted a few hours, I was always provided a loaner in case I needed to run around town while they worked on my vehicle. Your service center might vary slightly, but I suspect they'll provide an alternative means of transportation similar to what you have (I think it also helps to treat people with kindness since we are all fightingindividualbattles and the fols at the servicecentersare just trying help while making a living. Not judging you, just sharing what has helped me so far).
Overall, I have been thoroughly impressed with Rivian as a company and also with my car. It's a blast to drive. I always turn around to look at it after parking.
Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. Cheers , mate!

 

[echo44]

The other issue I didn't realize was a problem until further reading is the heat. I take my dogs with me on trips and often leave them in the car at events with all the windows open. After doing some research I have read the panoramic roof leads to excessive heat in the cabin?

 

[SANZC02]

@echo44 I’ll second @Zeus post. They have probably delivered over 100k R1 vehicles now and reading the forums it is a fraction of that number of vehicles posting most of the issues. I have an early R1S (vintage 1663) and have had great luck with mine. I’ve had a couple of issues but nothing urgent where I could not drive the vehicle. My 2 year report is here if you want to see it.

I had similar concerns based on what I was seeing in the forums as I was picking my R1S up in Normal, IL in January, 2023 and was planning a maiden voyage home that would cover 5500 miles. I decided to move forward and after 2+ years and 37k miles I’m glad I made the purchase. Since that maiden trip I have also taken a 6400 and 7400 mile trip. For me the R1S is a great road trip vehicle, great ride, plenty of room, and driver+ on the open freeways is a plus.

 

[SANZC02]

The other issue I didn't realize was a problem until further reading is the heat. I take my dogs with me on trips and often leave them in the car at events with all the windows open. After doing some research I have read the panoramic roof leads to excessive heat in the cabin?

The HVAC has a pet mode, I’ve used it several times for our pups and it has worked well. Even in the summer sun in the Coachella Vally (Palm Springs area).

Not trying to sell you on the vehicle, just letting you know.

 

[echo44]

The HVAC has a pet mode, I’ve used it several times for our pups and it has worked well. Even in the summer sun in the Coachella Vally (Palm Springs area).

Not trying to sell you on the vehicle, just letting you know.

Problem is we often spend a whole day waiting for the dogs to compete running the AC wouldn't be an option. In my current SUV this is not an issue as it has a two small sunroofs with built in shades and the front one opens allowing in air

 

[CharonPDX]

The other issue I didn't realize was a problem until further reading is the heat. I take my dogs with me on trips and often leave them in the car at events with all the windows open. After doing some research I have read the panoramic roof leads to excessive heat in the cabin?

You can always get a roof shade, and if leaving the windows open is sufficient in your current vehicle, leaving the windows open with a roof shade blocking the roof should be sufficient in a Rivian. And you can always monitor cabin temps in the app and turn on AC for short periods if needed.

But I do feel it needs to be said: do not leave dogs in cars on hot days or when parked in the sun even on moderate temperature days!

Even cars with "dog mode"; even with the windows open.

If windows are only open a little, it may not be enough on particularly hot/sunny days, even with the roof shaded.

Dog mode can fail.

In some states, it is legal for law enforcement – or even members of the general public! – to break into your vehicle to free the dogs if it is too hot.


(For all I know, in your case it's "parked in a campground under trees, where the people are only a dozen or so feet away the entire time", but in case it is "leave dogs in the car while parked in a giant concrete parking lot while at a football game" - don't do that. Find a place to board the dog(s) or leave them at home.)

 

[socaladam]

I would not buy the R1S again, but for different reasons.

The roof does a great job keeping the heat out, the front windshield, not so much, but that’s all vehicles for the most part.

ETA - the dynamic roof is only in the front. If you keep your dogs in the back, I strongly suggest you have the rear roof glass tinted with IR/UV tint.

Reliably wise, I’ve had no issues so far, but we’re only into ownership a month. My concerns are around build quality and availability of service.

My short version is it’s a $100k+ vehicle built like a cheap version of a $100k+ vehicle.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have gladly given up $500 to walk away.

YMMV

 

[virgnia_rivian]

I’m not going to try to convince you one way or the other. I’ll speak from my experience.

We have an LE R1T, early VIN, and we’ve had it since Dec 2022. It has been the best vehicle we’ve ever owned. (We had two Porsche Macan’s, a Grand Cherokee and Range Rover before). The power and capability is excellent. It’s effortless to drive.

We’ve had two service center trips for minor issues. Our truck was part of a batch where some under body screws were over torqued and some of them snapped off. This was a one day fix. The second issue was a front door that needed adjusting to keep the door from rubbing the front quarter panel.

We’ve had one mobile service for a tire rotation, but this is regular maintenance.

Software and driving dynamics have changed dramatically since delivery. (For the better)

Gen2 vehicles have even more improvements.

We have two big dogs and have taken several road trips with them. They are quite comfortable in the truck. In the summer we use a sunshade in the roof that blocks out most light. AC has no issues keeping the backseat cool. We have used Pet Mode and monitor it when in use. It does not use a significant amount of battery.

I don’t like leaving dogs unattended in any car, period. When we use pet mode it’s typically for a grocery stop or quick bite where we can’t sit outside. Even at 70 degrees outside, the interior of a car can get into the mid 80’s+ in the sun.

I would buy another Rivian in a heartbeat and we’ll be adding an R2 as well.

 

[iansriv]

OP-Your money, your decision. This thread will get posts saying great things about the Rivian and some not so great. My experience has been great but I did a lot of research and two hours of test drives. I spent time talking to the SC techs. Then I made my decision.

Loaner vs rental is a toss up. If you must have a loaner-don't get the Rivian. Please, listen to others that have posted about leaving dogs in cars, regardless of what type of car it is. All the best.

 

[Joe Hoffman]

In short:
Best vehicle I’ve ever owned. 2 yrs. 25k miles so far.
A few minor trips to service. I also need lots of space, lots of dog. They gave me whatever car I wanted at Enterprise.

I live in Coachella Valley, super hot. Dog mode works great but in the hot summer I just won’t trust my dogs life to a car AC if unattended for extended time. Short shopping trips are fine for me. I use a semi permanent shade for the roof skylights. A foldable shade for the windshield.

hope that helps.

 

[greyboundary]

My short version is it’s a $100k+ vehicle built like a cheap version of a $100k+ vehicle.

That’s the thing, they’re not 100k vehicles. Everyone says this. They’re ~68k vehicles that can be optioned up on a ton of stuff that has little to do with luxury. That said, I’m perfectly fine with the build quality of my 92k spec’d R1T. IMO a “$100k” car is one that starts at 100k; calibrate expectations from there.

Re: the OP, I would buy mine again. I think Rivian really needs to sort out their customer service, which is difficult given then growth rate, but it still needs to be sorted. As far as reliability, much of the ratings are also including non-critical bugs that can often be resolved with software. Some of the failures are just dumb, ie not being able to install a 12v battery yourself and the answer being tow to a service center. Or things like seemingly premature half shaft / air suspension failures.

Finally adding of course that forums have either the most dedicated nerds or drew in the people who did have a failure. I see so many Rivian now on the road and the vast majority of the other owners I’ve talked to haven’t had an issue and couldn’t be bothered to spend time posting about their car on the internet

 

[pickupman2022]

I’ve had an R1T since Nov. 2022. I put 60k miles on my 22 in 2 years. It was at the service center two times for a total of less than 2 weeks. First time since I was able to drive to the service center I got a loaner R1T. The second issue was more severe with a constant beeping high voltage issue warning so service and I agreed it should be towed. Since I live close to an enterprise rental location (Rivian is partnered with them) they got me a rental. Rivian service asked if I needed a truck or SUV. I Said yes and when I got to Enterprise they offered several medium SUVs or a Tacoma.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I've had two Rivians with very few issues in the past 3 years. The trimax has a great interior and a great design. With that said, they do have the problems that a new manufacturer would have, some inconsistencies in assembly, and longer service times for minor issues.

When I bought my trimax, there were a couple of assembly issues, one fixed via a mobile appointment and another required a service appointment. There were loose screws in the door card on my passenger door, it was an easy fix but should have been right from the factory and the service issue was the rear defroster wasn't plugged in correctly from the factory.

Yes, I had to wait a month for the defroster fix, but it was a minor issue that didn't significantly affect my daily usability and it was fixed in a day out of service at the center. I dropped it off in the AM and picked it up in the afternoon.

For me, reliability isn't the minor things that might go wrong, as every luxury car I've ever had has had a few of these minor issues. Reliability is "will this vehicle get me to where I need to go and back again," and on that front, I have zero worries about either of my Rivians. I take them on cross-country trips without hesitation.

All those minor issues are worth it, as there is nothing else on the market that comes close to how fun to drive and capable my Rivians are. I have the towing capacity of a large ICE with the off-road chops to take me where I need to go off the trail, and I can get there quickly. Plus, the interior styling is as good as it gets at the 100K dollar price point. The design team at Rivian are highly talented folks.

You were worried about the stories on this forum skewing negative. You should find the thread that asks, "Would you buy your Rivian again?" It was a poll. Out of hundreds of member responses, the yes, I would buy again option is at over 80%.

 

[Gladeskier]

I recommend you stay the course and get your Rivian. I absolutely love my 2025 R1T. It's is so fun to drive, especially in the snowy Rockies. I got mine Feb 18 and have had one non-urgent service visit with the tailgate being hard to close. They replaced the latch. I wasn't crazy about the $300 Uber credit as opposed to getting a loaner but was able to use what I didn't need for my wife to come home from the airport while I played golf! As previously pointed out, all the bitching you see on here about reliability is a small fraction of owners. Enjoy the ride!

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