Gear Tunnel and Cab Water Intrusion

[agsogg]

I agree but I’ve been in car forums for the last 16 years so I’m pretty well versed in following issues vs. reality. What’s always stuck with me is first model year production is always full of issues and by Y2/3, it’s ironed out and near perfection. True of every major brand both ICE and EV.

Makes me OK with a Q4 2023 or Q1 2024 delivery.

Maybe I shouldn’t regret having a second half of ‘23 estimated delivery date.

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[jerseyff]

I have not noted any water intrusion into my gear tunnel since delivery, and that has included 22.90" of rain and opportunity per my weather station at the house.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Yeah man...the list of problems grows by the day, if not hour. This is getting out of hand. I have a week left to make a decision.

This reminds me of the 2012/2013 initial rollout of the Tesla Model S. When I picked up my car in February 2013, the delivery guy was oddly thankful for me purchasing the car. Turns out they had massive numbers of cancellations due to bad press and reported problems in forums. EVs weren’t as popular back then and Tesla was still very much a struggling startup, so it actually almost bankrupted the company.

This won’t happen to Rivian because their backlog is larger and they have cash to weather the storm. I did end up bringing in my early Model S a few times for servicing of minor problems (including a water intrusion issue - manufacturing misapplication of a sealant) but I loved that car. And at no time did it leave me stranded.

 

[Gsxr150]

You have a week (or 1,000 miles) to return the truck to Rivian if you don't like it. Since you are on the fence, maybe it would make sense to get it, drive it to ~900 miles, spray it with a hose, check for squeaks/weird noises/panel misalignments and at the end of the week, see if you loved it more than you thought or if there's something about it you still don't like.

I understand a week isn't a super long time, but I think much of your concerns may be alleviated after having a handful of days with the vehicle and checking things out thoroughly.

Even if there is something not to your liking, see what it would take to get fixed or see how much a dealer would buy it from you for.

Pretty much, if you're a pre March 1 reservation holder, I don't see the benefit in canceling without any of these options first, unless you have talked yourself out of it.

By the way, I completely understand your point. I felt the exact same way when I got my first Tesla (a model 3). All I heard for the weeks/months leading up to it were: "I love this car" or "it has had so many issues" which made it difficult to decide.

In the end, I decided there was no other vehicle that I was happy with after test driving about a half dozen others and so I took the plunge. It ended up having a couple of minor things fixed within the first week.

However - all were fixed in 24 hours and one service visit, got the vehicle back and drove the absolute heck out of it on cross country road trips, put tens of thousands of miles on it and never regretted it!

That's a great story! Yeah, wife and I chatted about that last night. The only catch would be them taking my trade-in on delivery day. Fine and all, but they are giving me the LOW end of trade, and of course the tax credit wouldn't apply if my car was gone. Anyhow, my issues to deal with, ha.

 

[Gsxr150]

This reminds me of the 2012/2013 initial rollout of the Tesla Model S. When I picked up my car in February 2013, the delivery guy was oddly thankful for me purchasing the car. Turns out they had massive numbers of cancellations due to bad press and reported problems in forums. EVs weren’t as popular back then and Tesla was still very much a struggling startup, so it actually almost bankrupted the company.

This won’t happen to Rivian because their backlog is larger and they have cash to weather the storm. I did end up bringing in my early Model S a few times for servicing of minor problems (including a water intrusion issue - manufacturing misapplication of a sealant) but I loved that car. And at no time did it leave me stranded.

I agree, I think Rivian can weather the storm as well. I don't want to hijack the OP's thread, but it makes you think. I feel bad that he is having issues. Hopefully they can fix it once and he'll be on his way.

 

[AllInev]

I have had my R1T in several heavy downpours with no water getting into the gear tunnel. Some miss aligned door gasket on this particular vehicle?

I've also been in a few downpours with no water getting into the gear tunnel. In addition, I've washed my car many, many times and have never had any water getting into the tunnel.

 

[RBR1S]

Strongly considering selling off car when it comes in. Lots of issues to work out. Rivian is going to go broke trying to fix and redesign their manufacturing to eagle these issues. Anyone in PNW with this issue yet?

Why would anyone have to wait for a rainy season.... Take it to the car wash. Or take it wading through 3 feet of water like Rivian says it can handle. If it doesn't leak through either of those, it's likely not going to. I mean several days of rain at no pressure is not going to push on a seal or gasket the same as the pressure of a carwash, especially if you shoot the water into the gaps around the tunnel door.

 

[GreenBeast]

Update: Entire floor of inside of truck is soaked too. Now I don't really know where the water came from. My original thesis is still my strongest but man, it must have pooled up in the GT and then ran all the way into cab. Entire - I mean entire - floor is soaked. Glad to hear this might just be a me problem but watch out for first rains in your area.

 

[GreenBeast]

Why would anyone have to wait for a rainy season.... Take it to the car wash. Or take it wading through 3 feet of water like Rivian says it can handle. If it doesn't leak through either of those, it's likely not going to. I mean several days of rain at no pressure is not going to push on a seal or gasket the same as the pressure of a carwash, especially if you shoot the water into the gaps around the tunnel door.

I had previously washed my truck and didn't see any water ingress but then again, the car wash lasts all of 3 min and it rained for hours...

 

[crashmtb]

Update: Entire floor of inside of truck is soaked too. Now I don't really know where the water came from. My original thesis is still my strongest but man, it must have pooled up in the GT and then ran all the way into cab. Entire - I mean entire - floor is soaked. Glad to hear this might just be a me problem but watch out for first rains in your area.

The gear tunnel compartment is part of the cabin, so if water gets in there while parked nose down on a slope, it stands to reason it’ll keep moving forward.

Curious to see what the point(s?) of entry is.

 

[SASSquatch]

I agree but I’ve been in car forums for the last 16 years so I’m pretty well versed in following issues vs. reality. What’s always stuck with me is first model year production is always full of issues and by Y2/3, it’s ironed out and near perfection. True of every major brand both ICE and EV.

Makes me OK with a Q4 2023 or Q1 2024 delivery.

Pay the man!

 

[Nermal]

Strongly considering selling off car when it comes in. Lots of issues to work out. Rivian is going to go broke trying to fix and redesign their manufacturing to eagle these issues. Anyone in PNW with this issue yet?

I had an early instance I'd posted on where water had been found in the storage tray under dash and some drops seen from around rear view mirror. Rivian took it seriously even though I never saw it after that and noted that on my ticket. They took what sounded like a close look when it went in for a wellness check, seat recall and some punch list items and they found nothing out of the ordinary. I feel like it was a clogged condensate or rain drain anomaly.

We drove through several heavy rains after that first water observation. All sealed spaces remained bone dry. Fast forward a month after service visit, driving in NC on I40 through longest stretch of heavy rain I can recall - again - all sealed spaces bone dry. This past couple of months I might put our rainfall propensity up against PNW. All sealed spaces remained bone dry. The vehicle is designed to be a submarine to a depth of 3m and I'd wager 98:100 times executes to that spec.

If you're extremely risk averse, there's a bunch of other reasons this vehicle may not be for you. Fear of reliving Greenbeast's experience probably should be way down your list.

 

[Gsxr150]

Send update after talking to service...

 

[Bearmountain]

Yeah man...the list of problems grows by the day, if not hour. This is getting out of hand. I have a week left to make a decision.

Sounds good tell them you don't want it and give me your slot ))

 

[mini2nut]

The truck was engineered to safely drive through 36” of water. That‘s a pretty amazing feet for a BEV that has high/low voltage wiring harnesses and a huge battery pack.

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