Continual suspension/alignment issues

[TXChips]

Update: The regional manager drove it on Monday and said my R1T was one of the smoothest she's driven. This is what each employee has told me, even prior to the vehicle to the service team finding out it needed a wheel and all 4 tires replaced due to them being defective and not able to be balanced.

They put it back on the alignment rack yesterday and while the toe didn't move, the caster did shift again after maybe ~30 miles of driving. The regional manager said this is just a byproduct of the way the truck's suspension is set up and this is the best that they can do.

I'm really unsure where to go from here because it does not drive straight. It drove straight at delivery but it has gotten worse since they started working on it. So clearly it CAN be better, they're just not able to get it there.

She mentioned the BBB Autoline if I want to dispute and try for a buyback, but I am just shocked that they're effectively saying this is the best we can do. I did send an email asking for written confirmation that the way the vehicle is driving is considered in spec for Rivian, so will want that confirmation prior to picking it up.

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[DaveA]

Update: The regional manager drove it on Monday and said my R1T was one of the smoothest she's driven. This is what each employee has told me, even prior to the vehicle to the service team finding out it needed a wheel and all 4 tires replaced due to them being defective and not able to be balanced.

They put it back on the alignment rack yesterday and while the toe didn't move, the caster did shift again after maybe ~30 miles of driving. The regional manager said this is just a byproduct of the way the truck's suspension is set up and this is the best that they can do.

I'm really unsure where to go from here because it does not drive straight. It drove straight at delivery but it has gotten worse since they started working on it. So clearly it CAN be better, they're just not able to get it there.

She mentioned the BBB Autoline if I want to dispute and try for a buyback, but I am just shocked that they're effectively saying this is the best we can do. I did send an email asking for written confirmation that the way the vehicle is driving is considered in spec for Rivian, so will want that confirmation prior to picking it up.

My alignment has never been perfect...this is with the stock AT Pirhelli's...I just had the SC put on 4 new stock Goodyear 20s and an alignment and now all is right with the world. Drive down to SA SC.

 

[bbonkk]

I have a gen 1 R1S with the same problem from the factory. Been in 4 times for alignment and soon was out of alignment. I did notice that about 2 months ago with an update the vehicle started to track closer to straight just before the last alignment and I cancelled the appointment because they said I would have to pay $400 for the alignment. I usually drive in all purpose and soft mode. The tire wear sucks bug time. First set of tires lasted 9K and these new ones are feathering and my not last 15K.

 

[TXChips]

Update: I asked for feedback as to why the vehicle pull to the right is considered in spec, this is what I received. To me, this does not seem like an acceptable answer as a vehicle should not pull while braking:

"The secondary concern on drifting, particularly while slowing utilizing regeneration is additionally a normal operation, especially in the high regeneration setting. This is due to the motor inside the drive unit generating friction. The drive unit does not have a limited slip differential, so at slow speeds this build up of friction results in an exaggeration in feedback based on road surface/conditions. IE, when pulling up to a stop light in high regenerative mode, you will feel the crown of the road, allowing movement to the right. When test driving under the same conditions you presented, there is movement to the right based on the road surface. When regeneration is moved to the lowest setting, the exaggeration of movement diminishes due to less friction."

 

[Harvey Mushman]

Interesting. If you put regen in 'low' and use your brakes does it still pull?

 

[TXChips]

Interesting. If you put regen in 'low' and use your brakes does it still pull?

Yes, I've only driven it in low and it still pulls.

 

[electruck]

Update: I asked for feedback as to why the vehicle pull to the right is considered in spec, this is what I received. To me, this does not seem like an acceptable answer as a vehicle should not pull while braking:

"The secondary concern on drifting, particularly while slowing utilizing regeneration is additionally a normal operation, especially in the high regeneration setting. This is due to the motor inside the drive unit generating friction. The drive unit does not have a limited slip differential, so at slow speeds this build up of friction results in an exaggeration in feedback based on road surface/conditions. IE, when pulling up to a stop light in high regenerative mode, you will feel the crown of the road, allowing movement to the right. When test driving under the same conditions you presented, there is movement to the right based on the road surface. When regeneration is moved to the lowest setting, the exaggeration of movement diminishes due to less friction."

There may be something to that but it certainly sounds like an excuse. I've got a quad motor so can't compare experience to that of a dual.

That said, don't let them distract you with discussion of things that are subjective. Pin them down on things that are measurable such as why toe goes out of spec so quickly after an alignment.

 

[Cal]

One thing to consider though is that there is no ONE alignment spec that fits when you have a vehicle with different ride heights. The “right” alignment will change with every ride height.

New to Rivian‘s but I remember seeing on this somewhere on this forum that you aren’t supposed to drive in conserve mode around town because the alignment is done in all purpose. Again according to the thread, it’s rightde height changes in other drive modes would cause uneven wear.

Is this true?

I only drive in the low drive height. I’m on a 2k mile trip and now wonder if my low preference is hurting my tires. I don’t use kneel or standard even when driving around town in all purpose.

 

[FreddyFugazi]

Update: I asked for feedback as to why the vehicle pull to the right is considered in spec, this is what I received. To me, this does not seem like an acceptable answer as a vehicle should not pull while braking:

"The secondary concern on drifting, particularly while slowing utilizing regeneration is additionally a normal operation, especially in the high regeneration setting. This is due to the motor inside the drive unit generating friction. The drive unit does not have a limited slip differential, so at slow speeds this build up of friction results in an exaggeration in feedback based on road surface/conditions. IE, when pulling up to a stop light in high regenerative mode, you will feel the crown of the road, allowing movement to the right. When test driving under the same conditions you presented, there is movement to the right based on the road surface. When regeneration is moved to the lowest setting, the exaggeration of movement diminishes due to less friction."

I have a 2025 R1T and don't experience any of this. I use low and normal ride height regularly and sometimes lowest. I am always in high regen mode. I even swapped from 22s to 20s without doing an alignment and the only time my R1T pulls to the right is when it torque steers at WOT. I agree that answer is unacceptable. Sorry you're dealing with such a headache.

edit: okay, I was not completely accurate in the above statement. I was just driving around and tried heavy regen braking from ~45mph in a few places, and on visibly flat roads it stayed straight but on visibly crowned roads it did pull to the right a bit.

 

[Megaman0025]

New to Rivian‘s but I remember seeing on this somewhere on this forum that you aren’t supposed to drive in conserve mode around town because the alignment is done in all purpose. Again according to the thread, it’s rightde height changes in other drive modes would cause uneven wear.

Is this true?

I only drive in the low drive height. I’m on a 2k mile trip and now wonder if my low preference is hurting my tires. I don’t use kneel or standard even when driving around town in all purpose.

Low ride height will cause increased wear on the insides of the tires.

 

[TXChips]

There may be something to that but it certainly sounds like an excuse. I've got a quad motor so can't compare experience to that of a dual.

That said, don't let them distract you with discussion of things that are subjective. Pin them down on things that are measurable such as why toe goes out of spec so quickly after an alignment.

The regional manager is chalking that up to inexperienced techs that required coaching. I pushed them on that and they said the alignment sweep is being done incorrectly so the initial toe shows off.

I have all the alignment records to document the issue persisting. But this is an exhausting experience and does not give me confidence in their ability to service.

 

[TXChips]

I have a 2025 R1T and don't experience any of this. I use low and normal ride height regularly and sometimes lowest. I am always in high regen mode. I even swapped from 22s to 20s without doing an alignment and the only time my R1T pulls to the right is when it torque steers at WOT. I agree that answer is unacceptable. Sorry you're dealing with such a headache.

edit: okay, I was not completely accurate in the above statement. I was just driving around and tried heavy regen braking from ~45mph in a few places, and on visibly flat roads it stayed straight but on visibly crowned roads it did pull to the right a bit.

This is where I'm not sure where the mechanical design ends and the safety fault begins. The adaptive suspension + regen you can't turn off seems like a bad combo.

 

[TXChips]

I picked up the vehicle and the issues are still present. The SC was firm that they consider the vehicle in spec and that they will not do any further work, despite the fact that they replaced a wheel, tires, road force balanced it at least twice, aligned it 5 times, etc during the 3+ weeks it was there.

Unsure where to go from here, stereotypical "I love the truck but...", this has been a very disappointing experience.

I do not want to look to 3rd party shops to fix this because I believe the SC would blame any future issues on other shops working on the truck, they were pushy on if I had anyone else touch the truck prior to bringing it in. They said if I had any further issues/concerns I'm welcome to pursue a BBB Autoline claim, this whole experience has been very weird and adversarial.

On, and the cherry on top is they left a big dent on one of the doors. 10/10 Rivian!

 

[electruck]

@TXChips without re-reading the entire thread, does your pulling under decel issue lessen if you're in snow mode (I believe this is the least regen possible)? what about if you shift into neutral and decel using the friction brakes?

what part of DFW are you in?

 

[TXChips]

@TXChips without re-reading the entire thread, does your pulling under decel issue lessen if you're in snow mode (I believe this is the least regen possible)? what about if you shift into neutral and decel using the friction brakes?

what part of DFW are you in?

Will try out some different variables but the talk track from the SC was that higher regen = more pull because of the lack of a LSD on the front motor.

North DFW, Plano/Frisco/Propser area

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