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its an offroad vehicle - shouldn't have to avoid anything....
I'm not sure if the picture perspective is misleading? @dogcheeselaundry - is it possible (I know this sounds "out there") that the suspension bottomed out and the tie rod actually hit a frame member which bent it, as opposed to the impact force alone? Can you see any marks/damage above the tie rod where it bent? Just curious...
Every vehicle has its limits. To serve as a caution for others, how fast were you going and roughly how deep was the pothole? Iām not trying to assign blame or criticize, but we do need to figure out what we should NOT be doing with these trucks in order to avoid expensive damage. I didnāt see this in another post so please forgive me if you discussed this and I missed it. We spend a fair amount of time on rough dirt roads and Iām wondering what self-imposed speed limits I should observe and how bad a surface has to be before we get our Rivian. Thanks!
Tie rods are supposed to be weaker than the rest of the system to prevent damaging more expensive stuff.Little update: I sent an email to the Rivian Guide and after a few days got directed back to the service center. Spoke with the service manager. Had a bit of a bizarre conversation that I think was to cover for his mechanic / advisor who were overzealous:
"We recommend that you replace the steering rack because whatever bent your tie rod could have damaged the rack".
"Do you actually know the rack is damaged?"
"No - but it could be and we won't know until after if we just repair the tie rod."
"So let''s replace the tie rod - and save me $4000 - and if we need to go back in and swap out the rack that's on me"
"OK"
<inner and outer tie rods replaced plus alignment for $1357 and truck drives fine>
Broader issue is that I really didn't hit anything substantial - so I personally consider this a weak point that would be worth looking for stronger aftermarket options. Of course maybe that will put too much stress onto the steering rack itself...so I certainly would welcome expert input and any aftermarket suggestions. Including photo of the tie rod for y'all to see.
When is the hybrid Tacoma coming out?
Tie rods bend like this when the front of the wheel is forced to turn in against the other one. The angle of the bend doesn't indicate much other than that's just the direction the metal decided to fatigue.
Also...along the same lines as above, it would helpful to know what suspension setting you were in. Obviously, I would expect a higher possibility of damage in a lower setting but if you're in Standard or above, that could be more of a concern. Any additional information would be helpful when in similar situations - I like to explore some of the fire roads here in Colorado and they can get a bit sporty sometimes.
Man, that really sucks! I sincerely hope they get you fixed up soon. I believe you're right in chalking this up to "new manufacturer" problem but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. This issue, while obviously not unheard of, seems to be rare. I hope you will get it fixed soon and get to enjoy the truck as it is really awesome. Best of luck!This sounds too similar to my own story. tl;dr Rivian probably manufactures faulty tie rods from time to time. The whole drama between the used car dealership, GEICO (my auto insurance), and Rivian continues. This has turned me off from ever buying a car from a new automaker or buying a used car.
Background: I bought a used Rivian R1T that had 10k miles on it, and looked practically brand new. The 20min test drive was buttery smooth, I thought there were no problems with the truck.
I drove it off the lot back to my house, which was an 11 mile trip through Seattle city roads. When I tried to back out of my driveway, I was unable to pull forward/reverse anymore. I thought I had maybe hit something, but didn't see anything. It was also dark (driving at 9pm~), so it was hard to tell what was going on. When I tried to reverse again, I heard a loud groan from the left side of my car. The car at that point was able to move forward, so I thought maybe things were fine, I just backed over a bump or something.
I made it out about half a mile before my steering wheel started to shudder and vibrate, and it was hard to keep the car straight. I tried to pull into the nearest parking lot to go back home, but at that point, I realized that the left front wheel had locked into a hard right position. I luckily was on a quiet residential street, so I parked on the side of the road and was able to get back home. I called Rivian Roadside Assistance, who towed the car and drove it to the Bellevue service center.
Turns out the tie rod on the left side totally bent and then snapped!
I have been in a tense discussion between my used car dealership, GEICO, and Rivian to figure out who's liable for paying for my $5k in repairs (tie rod replacement + steering rack replacement), or $1.4k (just replace tie rods + wheel alignment).
I've discussed with an attorney using my employer's legal insurance plan, who said that, given the damage, it's most likely Rivian who manufactured a bad tie rod. He said there was no way I could've bent and snapped the tie rod like that unless I was driving 40mph and hit something, like another car or curb (which I didn't). Rivian technicans spotted no damage to the wheels or underside, to suggest I hit anything at the speeds that would normally be required to bend and snap a tie rod like this.
Rivian isn't recognizing this as a manufacturer warranty issue. My attorney recommended I file a NHTSA safety report issue so that it eventually gets recognized, and to keep the broken tie rods in a box.
Just another kink to work out for a new automaker. The actual Rivian customer service has been responsive and great, other than the fact they aren't recognizing this tie rod breakage as a manufacturer warranty problem.
The truck is awesome to drive, assuming it works.
View attachment 51901
Good luckā¦mine set me back $1300 or so all in. They replaced both upper and lower tie rods. In other news the Landcruiser hybrid is available in the spring.Getting myself into a similar situation. Hit a pot hole at 30-35 mph and put a solid bend in my tie rod. Will update and see if the service center will take this on as defect issue.
100% file an NHTSA complaint.This sounds too similar to my own story. tl;dr Rivian probably manufactures faulty tie rods from time to time. The whole drama between the used car dealership, GEICO (my auto insurance), and Rivian continues. This has turned me off from ever buying a car from a new automaker or buying a used car.
Background: I bought a used Rivian R1T that had 10k miles on it, and looked practically brand new. The 20min test drive was buttery smooth, I thought there were no problems with the truck.
I drove it off the lot back to my house, which was an 11 mile trip through Seattle city roads. When I tried to back out of my driveway, I was unable to pull forward/reverse anymore. I thought I had maybe hit something, but didn't see anything. It was also dark (driving at 9pm~), so it was hard to tell what was going on. When I tried to reverse again, I heard a loud groan from the left side of my car. The car at that point was able to move forward, so I thought maybe things were fine, I just backed over a bump or something.
I made it out about half a mile before my steering wheel started to shudder and vibrate, and it was hard to keep the car straight. I tried to pull into the nearest parking lot to go back home, but at that point, I realized that the left front wheel had locked into a hard right position. I luckily was on a quiet residential street, so I parked on the side of the road and was able to get back home. I called Rivian Roadside Assistance, who towed the car and drove it to the Bellevue service center.
Turns out the tie rod on the left side totally bent and then snapped!
I have been in a tense discussion between my used car dealership, GEICO, and Rivian to figure out who's liable for paying for my $5k in repairs (tie rod replacement + steering rack replacement), or $1.4k (just replace tie rods + wheel alignment).
I've discussed with an attorney using my employer's legal insurance plan, who said that, given the damage, it's most likely Rivian who manufactured a bad tie rod. He said there was no way I could've bent and snapped the tie rod like that unless I was driving 40mph and hit something, like another car or curb (which I didn't). Rivian technicans spotted no damage to the wheels or underside, to suggest I hit anything at the speeds that would normally be required to bend and snap a tie rod like this.
Rivian isn't recognizing this as a manufacturer warranty issue. My attorney recommended I file a NHTSA safety report issue so that it eventually gets recognized, and to keep the broken tie rods in a box.
Just another kink to work out for a new automaker. The actual Rivian customer service has been responsive and great, other than the fact they aren't recognizing this tie rod breakage as a manufacturer warranty problem.
The truck is awesome to drive, assuming it works.
Inner and outer?
