Is the 12V battery issue really a issue?

[Badtoro]

I'm picking up my R1T this weekend and I'm getting nervous about all the 12v horror stories, including 2025 gen2s. I have read a lot of reddit posts, Facebook posts, and watched you tube channels about having dead 12v that left them stranded. Some are folks that picked up their Gen2 R1 the same day. Is this really that big of a problem? Is there a lithium battery option or another option to try to hedge my bets it wont happen to me? I understand people come on the web to complain more than people come on the web to praise a product but the anxiety is real for me on this one.

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[Nixapatfan]

Yes it's an issue, not that big of a deal if you understand how it happens and keep track of drain per day. Yes there is a lithium option if you want it. There are a couple giant threads discussing all the nuances and prevention ideas. Search for vampire, phantom drain, 12v battery you'll find them.

 

[mudito]

The Lithium option is widely non-recommended around this forum with very strong arguments against it. I haven't seen many (just remember reading one) who have it installed it and it's still happy about it long-term, but even with that it's Gen1, not Gen2 that I'm aware.

@Badtoro While YES it's an issue on G1 vehicles and might be for Gen2, this is something that Rivian is definitely on top of. I would not stress myself out about it specifically, if you charge daily or very often it should be less of an issue to you.

 

[Zoidz]

Yes, it's an issue, but I imagine/presume/hope that Rivian identified the root cause and that's why they are replacing batteries. I'm speculating that it was a manufacturing defect problem by the battery OEM? Hopefully limited to Gen 1 models before some date? [Shrugs]

 

[KootenayEV]

Yes, it's an issue, but I imagine/presume/hope that Rivian identified the root cause and that's why they are replacing batteries. I'm speculating that it was a manufacturing defect problem by the battery OEM? Hopefully limited to Gen 1 models before some date? [Shrugs]

Mine is in getting the 12v replaced right now (went in for other warranty stuff, and this showed up) - tech noted that when they made some changes to the 12v charging protocol last year, they went a bit too aggressive which was killing 12v a bit sooner than needed (though at least you would get warned about it properly!). He indicated they've tweaked it since then.

 

[mudito]

Mine is in getting the 12v replaced right now (went in for other warranty stuff, and this showed up) - tech noted that when they made some changes to the 12v charging protocol last year, they went a bit too aggressive which was killing 12v a bit sooner than needed (though at least you would get warned about it properly!). He indicated they've tweaked it since then.

FYI, OP asked for Gen2 specifically

 

[KootenayEV]

FYI, OP asked for Gen2 specifically

I was replying to a comment on Gen1. But the charging algorithm is likely similar for the 2 generations regardless.

 

[LL75]

why stress when you really can't do anything about it to prevent it from happening? Even rivian can't even figured out why since they doing voluntarily swapping. My 2 years old R1s got swapped last week voluntarily and my 6 months old r1t got swapped while doing PTC installation (they didn't even tell me about it).
12V dead happened to all vehicles including ICE, so relax, and enjoy your new ride.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

There is no reason to stress.

1. You have a warranty.
2. If you are affected by service bulletin on 12V batteries, Rivian will contact you. Since yours is gen2, you are either not affected or they would have already addressed it production.
3. Vehicle datalogs are monitored remotely. If something is a miss it would be flagged to alert a human's attention, who would then contact you to take next steps.
4. If the battery is failing, you'd most likely get a fault alert in your driver display. In which case you contact Support or Service and work with them to get an appointment set up.
5. Once your vehicle is in, the service center will either provide a loaner (if available) or set you up with an Enterprise rental. With the rental, they have Enterprise come and pick you up. You choose whatever rental car that Enterprise location has available on-hand. They will require your driver's license and a credit card (for placing a temporary hold, standard rental car practice). When your Rivian is ready for pickup, you don't even need to return the rental to Enterprise. You drive it to the service center and leave the keys with Rivian staff. It's easier than renting at an airport.
6. Lastly, why worry so much about things you "heard/read on the internet"?! People go online to complain, it's what they do. I bet you for every complaint there are at least 10x more people who have no problems. And some people would rather complain than take steps to resolve problems. Makes no sense to worry about things that have yet to happen or may never happen. Deal with problems as they come. 12V batteries going bad isn't a EV exclusive. It happens to ICE cars too. In that respect, it's a nonissue that's been given way too much oxygen.

 

[mudito]

There is no reason to stress.

1. You have a warranty.
2. If you are affected by service bulletin on 12V batteries, Rivian will contact you. Since yours is gen2, you are either not affected or they would have already addressed it production.
3. Vehicle datalogs are monitored remotely. If something is a miss it would be flagged to alert a human's attention, who would then contact you to take next steps.
4. If the battery is failing, you'd most likely get a fault alert in your driver display. In which case you contact Support or Service and work with them to get an appointment set up.
5. Once your vehicle is in, the service center will either provide a loaner (if available) or set you up with an Enterprise rental. With the rental, they have Enterprise come and pick you up. You choose whatever rental car that Enterprise location has available on-hand. They will require your driver's license and a credit card (for placing a temporary hold, standard rental car practice). When your Rivian is ready for pickup, you don't even need to return the rental to Enterprise. You drive it to the service center and leave the keys with Rivian staff. It's easier than renting at an airport.
6. Lastly, why worry so much about things you "heard/read on the internet"?! People go online to complain, it's what they do. I bet you for every complaint there are at least 10x more people who have no problems.

Yes. This.

 

[good2go]

I'm picking up my R1T this weekend and I'm getting nervous about all the 12v horror stories, including 2025 gen2s. I have read a lot of reddit posts, Facebook posts, and watched you tube channels about having dead 12v that left them stranded. Some are folks that picked up their Gen2 R1 the same day. Is this really that big of a problem? Is there a lithium battery option or another option to try to hedge my bets it wont happen to me? I understand people come on the web to complain more than people come on the web to praise a product but the anxiety is real for me on this one.

I have had no issues. And I do absolutely nothing other then plug in nightly and drive it.

 

[good2go]

Yes it's an issue, not that big of a deal if you understand how it happens and keep track of drain per day. Yes there is a lithium option if you want it. There are a couple giant threads discussing all the nuances and prevention ideas. Search for vampire, phantom drain, 12v battery you'll find them.

How does the lithium battery work in cold climates. -10?

 

[NY_Rob]

How does the lithium battery work in cold climates. -10?

You can check their website for the min/max environmental recommendations.

https://www.ohmmu.com/

 

[ads75]

My gen1 12v died 1.5 years ago, in my driveway, while my main battery was charged to 70% the day before. Rivian has done alot of updates since then. One of my “issues” was it took mobile service almost 3 weeks to get to me because they described me as remote (nearest service center at the time was 2.5 hours away). Turned out the mobile tech lived about 1 hour away from me. Rivian has probably hired more mobile techs since then, they opened several service centers since then. But if you don’t live near a service center, I would be hesitant to buy.

A lot of other manufacturers, including ICE, have had 12v battery problems also, not just Rivian. I think more and more electronics drain the batteries, even in standby/resting/off. Extreme temperatures, hot or cold, can also drain a battery quicker, so try to keep in mind where that person may be geographically, and time of year.

 

[ChadS]

Yes it's an issue, not that big of a deal if you understand how it happens and keep track of drain per day. Yes there is a lithium option if you want it. There are a couple giant threads discussing all the nuances and prevention ideas. Search for vampire, phantom drain, 12v battery you'll find them.

I think there are plenty of threads that document the potential issue, but I do think its a fairly significant issue. I know there are a lot of us that have had 12v failures with no warnings. Just a brick in the garage or driveway. Mine was even plugged in to my L2 charger when it did.

I still love my truck, but I do think it shook my confidence in the truck and that has been 6 months ago that it happened. I dont think I will keep the truck out of the warranty period, but will buy another or possibly the Scout before 2028.

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