Guess it was my time - 12v is dead

[Steve A.]

Yeah, the same thing was done with my R1S to drag it out of my garage. This video shows the method used for me (but on a Hummer EV in the video):

Yeah my tow truck operator said, some people don't like them to do that but considering we were standing in a torrential downpour I said, "do what you have to do."

Besides, it was on an slightly inclined parking lot only accessible from the rear since there was a curb in front of my R1S, so even if he could get down in the puddle and reach the special tool underneath to unlock the rear wheels (doubtful since I had it at the lowest ride height), it would have rolled back into his truck out of control.

No harm, no foul though.

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[shandel]

The passenger side of the frunk is completely unreachable without like... Crawling into the frunk itself. Which is absolutely doable if needed. So one side is accessible (drivers) but if they need to get to the passenger side it'll be silly. I mean, worth it, whatever it takes, because a tow isn't going to happen otherwise (if it comes to that), it's just gonna be silly. I'll request their smallest tech be sent

They just need to get into the driver side.

 

[RexRemus]

Actually, my tow truck operator just hammered some plastic skates underneath my R1S rear tires and dragged it up onto the flatbed, so yeah, it can be towed otherwise.

The issue is you cant get the tow truck IN to where the vehicle is. So you can't use the truck to drag it out. Anything over about 16ft long cannot make the turn into the small alley between the condos where I live.

So without the vehicle getting out of that area - which includes a steep ramp directly onto a busy road - on it's own power, a tow isn't happening. I'm not (and I assume no one else would either) pulling/pushing a 7K lb vehicle where it would require a 4 point turn to even line it up to get to the ramp (sans power steering assist) and then try to get it down that ramp, which also requires a near full-lock turn to get onto. Even with a winch on a vehicle at the top of that ramp I'd not try this - there's simply not space.

So skidplates or not - the vehicle isn't going onto a flatbed in it's current state and location

 

[Steve A.]

The issue is you cant get the tow truck IN to where the vehicle is. So you can't use the truck to drag it out. Anything over about 16ft long cannot make the turn into the small alley between the condos where I live.

So without the vehicle getting out of that area - which includes a steep ramp directly onto a busy road - on it's own power, a tow isn't happening. I'm not (and I assume no one else would either) pulling/pushing a 7K lb vehicle where it would require a 4 point turn to even line it up to get to the ramp (sans power steering assist) and then try to get it down that ramp, which also requires a near full-lock turn to get onto. Even with a winch on a vehicle at the top of that ramp I'd not try this - there's simply not space.

So skidplates or not - the vehicle isn't going onto a flatbed in it's current state and location

Well in that case, they do have an electronic tool which unlocks the rear wheels, so if they can get under your truck's rear, then at least it could be pushed/pulled but yeah the situation sounds risky given the ramp et. al.

 

[Trandall]

I don't have it handy, but in another 12V thread someone mentioned that their SC person said they had gotten a bad batch of batteries from their supplier and his Rivian fell between those build dates, so yes, they know about it but are just taking a *reactive* posture and letting them fail instead of a *proactive* posture and preventing them from failing. As always, cost-cutting is the prime objective.

It's possible both are true since I have no direct evidence the service tech. was incorrect, however the fact that OTA updates were identified by Rivian as the culprit as causing some 12V deaths and they released later OTA updates to improve 12V failure rate this tells me it is not solely bad batteries from a vendor. I think Rivian should update the 12V system and/or software including retroactively for existing customers. I agree with others sentiment that a bricked vehicle with little to know warning and without user error or failure to follow proper use is a real safety issue and a very bad look for any vehicle particularly an EV including especially a new-comer like Rivian.
Batteries should last minimum 3 years and if that is the life expectancy add a maintenance interval for replacement of the 12V battery/ies every 36 months that way it's clear what these vehicles need to operate without failure.

 

[RexRemus]

For illustrative purposes...

The gap between the buildings barely allows two regular cars to get by. Neighbor had an F150 out There and I could barely slip past in the R1S. The turn to the ramp has remnants of a gate that used to cover it making the actual area to make the turn much smaller than it would be. The ramp is pretty short and steep to get to the road.

Regular - not the big ones - Amazon, FedEx, UPS, USPS trucks DO NOT FIT up that ramp and the turn. They park on the street and carry stuff in by hand.

There's really not a viable place to get a flatbed. Even if they backed up onto the ramp and we were trying to push the R1S there - trying to make that turn AND line up to the ramp without something stupid happening would be riskier than I am willing to try in all but the most dire circumstances.

EDIT: This assumes a truly "dead" vehicle being pushed/pulled. If it can drive there's no issue. If it's dead, truly dead, it's not getting towed out. At best it would be pulled out into the alley enough to allow service to have more access to more things to possibly get it to drive to the street under it's own power. Otherwise it's not getting out of that garage and onto a flatbed.

 

[Trandall]

For illustrative purposes...

The gap between the buildings barely allows two regular cars to get by. Neighbor had an F150 out There and I could barely slip past in the R1S. The turn to the ramp has remnants of a gate that used to cover it making the actual area to make the turn much smaller than it would be. The ramp is pretty short and steep to get to the road.

Regular - not the big ones - Amazon, FedEx, UPS, USPS trucks DO NOT FIT up that ramp and the turn. They park on the street and carry stuff in by hand.

There's really not a viable place to get a flatbed. Even if they backed up onto the ramp and we were trying to push the R1S there - trying to make that turn AND line up to the ramp without something stupid happening would be riskier than I am willing to try in all but the most dire circumstances.

EDIT: This assumes a truly "dead" vehicle being pushed/pulled. If it can drive there's no issue. If it's dead, truly dead, it's not getting towed out. At best it would be pulled out into the alley enough to allow service to have more access to more things to possibly get it to drive to the street under it's own power. Otherwise it's not getting out of that garage and onto a flatbed.

Keep in mind for bricked vehicles that need to get moved out of tight spaces, like a garage or parking structure, they can jack up the truck enough to get low profile dolly under the tires then roll them to more accessible locations.

 

[RexRemus]

Keep in mind for bricked vehicles that need to get moved out of tight spaces, like a garage or parking structure, they can jack up the truck enough to get low profile dolly under the tires then roll them to more accessible locations.

If there's enough room to get a jack into place - but still the issues mentioned above - getting it TO a flatbed is going to be a nightmare regardless. This is not a driveway, not a spacious garage. The R1S barely fits and it's cheated over to where the passenger side is inches from the wall just to have space to get out the drivers door.

I do appreciate the thoughts and ideas, but this is definitely the worst place I could have a failure like this. I'd rather be mid-roadtrip to the most important event of my life because this issue would be a nuisance along the way. Where it is, if it's truly dead, it's going to be horrible to deal with.

 

[Trandall]

If there's enough room to get a jack into place - but still the issues mentioned above - getting it TO a flatbed is going to be a nightmare regardless. This is not a driveway, not a spacious garage. The R1S barely fits and it's cheated over to where the passenger side is inches from the wall just to have space to get out the drivers door.

I do appreciate the thoughts and ideas, but this is definitely the worst place I could have a failure like this. I'd rather be mid-roadtrip to the most important event of my life because this issue would be a nuisance along the way. Where it is, if it's truly dead, it's going to be horrible to deal with.

You have my empathy. As some have pointed out these are overall not super common but that's little consolation when they impact you. I always review these threads to see how they pan out in case it happens to me. Hopefully it's not fully dead. please keep us updated with the outcome. I do think it's valuable and appreciated by the group.

 

[RexRemus]

You have my empathy. As some have pointed out these are overall not super common but that's little consolation when they impact you. I always review these threads to see how they pan out in case it happens to me. Hopefully it's not fully dead. please keep us updated with the outcome. I do think it's valuable and appreciated by the group.

Will absolutely update when I get back home and can run through things with service - and the eventual outcome. I'm not going to be doom and gloom about it. It happens. I feel no vindictiveness or disappointment at "Rivian" - lots of 12v issues have come up, it's definitely a "thing". I just wish it had happened at any other time (when I was there) and at any other place. THAT is what upsets me. The added complications and difficulty to get something that's annoying, yes, but NOT a difficult "fix" to be completed, simply because of WHERE it happened.

But watch this space, I'll report back. And I do genuinely appreciate the community dialogue around this - good and the bad. We have a good group here for the most part and hopefully my experience will help others down the line.

 

[Cyberemeritus]

Since you have a June 2023 build vehicle it is possible you have only one 12V battery. Initially, “Launch Edition” Riviaans had two 12V batteries. This was done to reduce cost. If you do not have a 12V receptacle under the dash or in the frunk most likely you have one 12V battery. The 12V battery can be charged through the trailer connector located under the removable panel to access the trailer hitch.

 

[defcon888]

While this is a relatively minor thing to deal with now, WHERE it happened is the real issue. It's going to be an absolute nightmare to try and get this serviced.

The garage at my place is entirely unreachable for any flatbed to tow. The garage it's in it barely squeaks into and the drink area is inaccessible.

I am hoping it can be jumped from the rear well enough to let it back out a bit and have mobile service replace the 12v bits - but if that doesn't work this is going to get ugly, quickly

I had this happen to me last month.

This is what the tech had me do.

1. Soft reset = the button on the steering wheel, press and hold the outside ones until the screens reset and the Rivian logo displays. Test to see if it goes away
2. If that doesn't work. press and hold the outside button (left side) down while pressing and holding the EMERGENCY button until the screen goes dark and it starts downloading the software. Sit for a few mins. and try starting again.

If neither of those work, the tech told me when I get to work and charge it up, put the truck to sleep....don't check the app, don't do anything on the app. I did all the above and nothing worked.

When I got to the hotel I was staying at, the car naturally went to sleep and I didn't check the whole night. When I got up the next morning to drive....the battery issue was resolved. I still put in a service ticket and 3 days later the mobile tech showed up at my house and he tested it and said the battery was just "ok" and he said "I don't want you to have 'just ok', so I will replace it". He did and it has worked perfectly since.

I drove the R1T 145 miles to work with the battery indicator warning....no issues driving.

For reference. We picked our R1T up in May of 2023 from Sacrmento.

 

[TrashPanda]

Of course, EVERY part fails EVENTUALLY, but MTTF of < 1 year/25k miles for ANY vehicle is unacceptable.

I have owned more than a dozen ICE vehicles over the last 40 years, and most of them were large trucks/SUVs, but the shortest TTF of any OEM 12V battery that I've ever owned was 18 months.

For my Rivian R1S battery to fail in 8 months (23k miles) is simply unacceptable esp. considering the number of other owners w/ similar experiences on this forum alone. Obviously, Rivian got a bad batch or several batches from their supplier. It is what it is.

That said, not having a physical key stored in my keyfob like my Audi Q7 and my wife's Porsche Cayenne is a BAD design decision considering how EASILY it is to replace a 12V on EVERY ICE vehicle incl. my wife's Cayenne which is under the passenger floor.

Yeah the 12v on my old Camry lasted 12 years and didn’t give me issues. Service just recommended I replace it after testing it.

 

[RexRemus]

UPDATE 1

Spoke with Service today. Vehicle is totally dead, there was nothing to be done really (as far as soft/hard reset, etc) it's just dead.

Bit of other back and forth, asking about charger, explaining the logistical challenges getting things towed, etc. Ultimate outcome is going to be a remote service visit to try and replace the 12v with the access we have to the driver's side frunk. This is currently scheduled for 5/10 (~3 weeks away) which is... not ideal, but totally expected (Chicago SC). They are going to try and push it up if any earlier slots open as we're supposed to take a trip to Ohio next weekend but I am not holding out hope. We have another vehicle but it's certainly not ideal for the trip, but it'll do, worst case.

i mentioned jumping it off the rear panel, and the verdict was - since the 12v system has probably been sitting dead or very near dead for a few days now (as originally stated, this happened while I was traveling and couldn't do anything to the vehicle) that even if it did work, they would not feel safe having me drive the vehicle or relying on the 12v system to perform normally so, not worth doing. Better to just wait for a tech to get here and see what they can do. I agree with that guidance at this point. I don't think I could trust it right now and as bad as the current issue is with location at least it's not in the middle of the road, blocking traffic, etc. So yeah. Just gonna leave it till I can get a tech out here.

Hopefully we can get an appt. pushed up a bit sooner. Otherwise I'll update again in early May...

 

[Glembi2]

More power to ya, you are keeping a level head and not going ballistic.

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