Broken Suspension on R1T 😫 during PNW Rivian group trip: WA BDR.

[Riviot]

This did happen not long after using the camp level feature for lunch but not sure it’s related, though It is possible.

I immediately regretted trying the camp level feature as it took a long time and the compressors sounded stressed. The next day I drove and it kept saying "leveling" and was adjusting for like 5 minutes while driving. (?)

During an off-road adventure yesterday, I got a "service suspension soon" that cleared itself after 20 minutes then briefly came back 15 minutes later. Needless to say, won't be leveling again until they patch that feature.

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[kylealden]

I must say I am eager to see more pics from the others.

Ask and you shall receive A few snaps from the trip:

(Missed focus on this one in my hurry to catch the pose that she held for about a tenth of a second. What I would give for pet face detection on the Fuji!)

 

[Acoustic71]

Geez you guys! I take my eyes off of you for one second and......

Joshua, so sorry for the troubles. At least the scenery is awesome. Please keep us updated when you can and stay safe.

 

[Guy]

I immediately regretted trying the camp level feature as it took a long time and the compressors sounded stressed. The next day I drove and it kept saying "leveling" and was adjusting for like 5 minutes while driving. (?)

During an off-road adventure yesterday, I got a "service suspension soon" that cleared itself after 20 minutes then briefly came back 15 minutes later. Needless to say, won't be leveling again until they patch that feature.

Isn’t the concern that this might be a hardware issue so not patchable. If there are leaks or the compressor is too weak then that needs SC action.

 

[cardad]

So we had a plan to meet up and do an overlanding mission with our trucks (Myself, @mgc0216, @SeaGeo, @kylealden). The plan was to charge in Yakima Saturday morning then pick up the WA BDR (Backcountry discovery route) towards Ellensburg to charge then continue the WA BDR to Cashmere then head to Leavenworth to charge up and head on our way.

I personally was in Bellevue getting my DF hub replaced at the end of the week, so left there and drove over Chinook Pass in the Rivian and found a camping spot west of Yakima for Friday night, then we met the others in Yakima Saturday morning.

I got the latest update installed just before we left Yakima so was excited to try that out. I did test it while parked downhill for lunch and seemed to work well, albeit slowly. Also camp courtesy is great, no more sounds or bright lights when locking/unlocking the truck.

Unfortunetaly for me disaster strikes day one of the trip. The suspension on the PF wheel appears to be leaking such that the truck is nearly sitting on the wheel, definitely rubs if you turn to sharply. It’s a shame because the trail was not overly technical so not sure what the failure point was, we had a few theories but anyones guess. We were able limp my truck to a nice spot to camp for the night then continue to limp out to Ellensburg. This did happen not long after using the camp level feature for lunch but not sure it’s related, though It is possible. After the damage to the suspension I was having a lot of issues with overheating the compressor, it also limited me some due to camp mode and it trying to reset the level on our way out which limited me to 8mph but I was able to reset that issue.

This post is giving me Range Rover maintenance nightmare vibes …

 

[Riviot]

Isn’t the concern that this might be a hardware issue so not patchable. If there are leaks or the compressor is too weak then that needs SC action.

Yes, and...
It puts a ton of air into the bags, more than ride height adjustment, so it's probably causing leaks and stressing compressors.

 

[opnwide]

This post is giving me Range Rover maintenance nightmare vibes …

Yep.

 

[AxelR]

I stand corrected. Definitely would have loved the extra 1/2 in of clearance in the wheel well then.

I’m pretty sure you’re being funny as 1/2 inch would have made no difference with a broken suspension.
Someone mentioned Land Rover maintenance… hopefully we don’t get there.

 

[jjswan33]

I’m pretty sure you’re being funny as 1/2 inch would have made no difference with a broken suspension.
Someone mentioned Land Rover maintenance… hopefully we don’t get there.

I wasn’t being funny. As we were driving out it was barely rubbing at some points when I would turn the wheel so the extra 1/2“ of clearance in the wheel well could have helped.

 

[mini2nut]

I see an aftermarket “old school” coil spring shock setup being offered in the future for the R1T.

The air suspension diagnostics, parts and labor will be pricey after the warranty expires due to faulty actuators, bags, air lines, air compressor, etc.

 

[iansriv]

This post is giving me Range Rover maintenance nightmare vibes …

I almost wrote the exact same thing.

 

[Speedrye]

I almost wrote the exact same thing.

I keep seeing stories of how EVs will lower maintenance time/costs, but have yet to see any proof of that with modern EV design.

 

[NY_Rob]

I keep seeing stories of how EVs will lower maintenance time/costs, but have yet to see any proof of that with modern EV design.

Depends on the EV.... Rivian threw in a lot of "upgrades" when designing their first vehicles. An R1T without air suspension, glass roof, motorized tonneau, "autopilot", motorized air vents, 4-motor drive, etc... would have been a much simpler vehicle to build and maintain as it ages. I can't imagine many original R1T owners will be keeping their first gen vehicles well after the OEM "bumper-to-bumper" warranty expires.

My 2017 Bolt had none of the parts/systems mentioned above. I had it 3.5yrs and put almost 45K miles on it.... and it was never in the shop for anything but a strictly cosmetic issue (that was covered under warranty). It literally cost me a set of wiper blades to maintain for 45K mi of use.

 

[Davethadog]

This is why I own a tacoma now instead.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Yeah I did a hard reset as one of the first things, I was hoping the suspension got in some weird state after using camp level. I also did one again yesterday and that is how I cleared the 8mph limit while it was trying to reset my level.

My VIN is 31XX range and is approaching 18k miles.

That was probably a mistake. My experience with the 8 mph limitation is it's because the truck knows that the suspension pressures aren't exactly what they should be. I had the limitation stick while the truck was pogoing/diving corner to corner after playing with the leveling system with just a single wheel up. Driving around a little bit (which the truck told me to do) helped it reset.

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