Has anybody lost their underbody shield yet?

[Christopher]

Driving on the highway and heard a loud bang. Had no idea what it was because the road was clear. But honestly thought nothing of it because this car makes a lot of random noises.

Next day I'm driving and I hear a lot of wind noise coming from under the truck. I pull over and take a look at the bottom of the vehicle and half of the underbody shield is ripped off. I called Rivian and they're going to call me back to tell me if it is safe to continue driving. I'm super bummed about this. I'm currently driving on the highway trying to find the cover on the side of the road. Few minor issues that I reported which haven't been resolved yet but, everything else has been great, nothing this severe.

I did see a post about somebody saying the screws were all loose and it completely slipped my mind. I didn't even check before I started driving to vehicle.

I'm assuming some wind may have gotten under the shield and just ripped it off.

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[DaveA]

That's crazy! Guess I know what I'll be checking on this evening.

 

[RexRemus]

This seems bad... Like really, really bad.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

the sheilding toward the end of the vehicle is the remaining peice left over correct? So the carbon fibre totally ripped in half?! Fuck!

Good thing all that aerodynamic efficiency directed the air to it like a hurricane

 

[Christopher]

Yes, it looks like that. I bet when it fell down it got caught in the pavement and then ripped right off.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Thanks for that shot. I've been meaning to pull the cover off on mine and take some measurements.

 

[opnwide]

And to clarify, does your vehicle have the $2000 extra shielding off-road option?

 

[Christopher]

I do not have the $2,000 option for the underbody shield.

 

[opnwide]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, they checked the weld!

 

[dleewla]

Driving on the highway and heard a loud bang. Had no idea what it was because the road was clear. But honestly thought nothing of it because this car makes a lot of random noises.

Next day I'm driving and I hear a lot of wind noise coming from under the truck. I pull over and take a look at the bottom of the vehicle and half of the underbody shield is ripped off. I called Rivian and they're going to call me back to tell me if it is safe to continue driving. I'm super bummed about this. I'm currently driving on the highway trying to find the cover on the side of the road. Few minor issues that I reported which haven't been resolved yet but, everything else has been great, nothing this severe.

I did see a post about somebody saying the screws were all loose and it completely slipped my mind. I didn't even check before I started driving to vehicle.

I'm assuming some wind may have gotten under the shield and just ripped it off.

WTF

if the screws get loose over time, wind is definitely going to get in there, which in turn loosens it more and then bam, this is what happens. and it sheared the carbon fiber right in half. just based on this pic, the screws look like they are at different depths. either it got that way while it was being sheared off or it was loose to begin with.

everyone, make sure to put this on your delivery check list: crawl under vehicle with flashlight to inspect screws. yikes

lot of empty space in there too. guess thats room for the max pack.

 

[Max]

WTF

that seems like a design flaw. if the screws get loose over time, wind is definitely going to get in there, loosen it more and then bam, this is what happens. and it sheared the carbon fiber right in half.

lot of empty space in there too. guess thats room for the max pack.

I think it is manufacturing issue. These R1Ts are too new for it to be matter of time. I have a feeling too many folks drink late on Sunday night in Normal before going to the plant on Monday morning. From everything I read, it looks like it is difficult to get one that does not have something loose. It is just matter of when and how you find out about it.

Edit: on second look, if this is front of the vehicle, it is hard to imagine why it would get ripped off like that unless it got caught on something when you were backing up.

 

[R1Sky Business]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, they checked the weld!

Too SooN

 

[AxelR]

Title made me think you were doing some crazy hardcore off-roading. This really sucks. Hopefully it’s replaced quickly.

 

[Christopher]

I have a punch list of about 10 items. Mostly small cosmetic items with the exception of the windshield washers not working. Rivian called me back about this issue and said it's not a safety issue and I can continue driving the vehicle. They said they will include it as part of the service plan for all the other items.

It sounds like it's going to be a while for them to get all the parts for the other issues I reported along with scheduling service, and picking up the truck to take it to the service center 200 miles away.

I'm hoping having this void in the bottom of the vehicle doesn't lead to a vortex just blowing road debris up into there. Thankfully I'm in Florida and have no intention of off-roading.

 

[Max]

This dude has some screws loose:

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