Rear Shock Leak - Warranty Denied

[MountainBikeDude]

I can see both sides of this. Rivian shouldn't have to pay for it if your off-road driving broke the shock. At the same time, if your driving did not break it they should cover it, and Rivian is marketed as capable of going off-road. The arm has scrapes and gouges in that picture, so I can see how it looks to Rivian.

I don't know enough about suspensions and off-roading to have my own opinion as to whether or not the OP caused the shock leaking based on the damage presented, so I'll leave it there.

I could understand if it was a "Long Way UP" style ripped off the rear remote reservoir, but scratches on a control arm as evidence of wrongdoing/misuse as an excuse to deny a leaking shock is a bit of a stretch.

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[andrewgrhogg]

You will find this sort of warranty denial with Jeep Wrangler as well or any off-road vehicle. They’re basically warranting the suspension components for manufacturing defects. So not really unusual.

The only way you’re gonna win this is if you can prove that the leak is a defect rather than caused by the shock being overly compressed or compressed too quickly or bent.

I think if you were going to get a lawyer involved, the lawyer would try to get a suspension specialist to say that there is no visible damage to the shock itself like that it is bent, and that the leak looks more like a manufacturing defect, and may even look to prove that many other shocks with similar leaks have been replaced under warranty, proving that it is indeed a manufacturing defect.

referring back to another posters comment on going over washboard roads, etc. that’s much more likely to damage a shock than an impact to some other attached component. I think your best bet is to start asking Rivian questions that a lawyer might ask, such as can you prove that the shock is bent and can you prove that the leak would be caused by a hard impact. For example, if there is a high-pressure hose connected to the side of the shock and that’s where the leak is then that really has nothing to do with anything You’ve done to the shock and has everything to do with either a manufacturing or installation defect.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

You will find this sort of warranty denial with Jeep Wrangler as well or any off-road vehicle. They’re basically warranting the suspension components for manufacturing defects. So not really unusual.

The only way you’re gonna win this is if you can prove that the leak is a defect rather than caused by the shock being overly compressed or compressed too quickly or bent.

I think if you were going to get a lawyer involved, the lawyer would try to get a suspension specialist to say that there is no visible damage to the shock itself like that it is bent, and that the leak looks more like a manufacturing defect, and may even look to prove that many other shocks with similar leaks have been replaced under warranty, proving that it is indeed a manufacturing defect.

referring back to another posters comment on going over washboard roads, etc. that’s much more likely to damage a shock than an impact to some other attached component. I think your best bet is to start asking Rivian questions that a lawyer might ask, such as can you prove that the shock is bent and can you prove that the leak would be caused by a hard impact. For example, if there is a high-pressure hose connected to the side of the shock and that’s where the leak is then that really has nothing to do with anything You’ve done to the shock and has everything to do with either a manufacturing or installation defect.

I think in the case of @jjswan33, and others, myself included, that take their vehicles off into the mountains often, the suspension seals etc are bound to degrade more rapidly. It happens on all off-road vehicles even with more purpose built aftermarket dampers. To not expect that as an owner/user is a bit naive, and in line with your Jeep comment.

Where it stings is, Rivians dampening system is so bespoke, even though you understand failure is part of the game, the cost relative to the lifespan is where things start to fall apart a bit. I've had Bilstein, Fox, and Radflo suspension components over the years, and whileall were fantastic at their job, have a lifespan that starts to fall flat when heavily cycled on a back road. The positive with the Radflo's I had were they were able to be serviced with replacement seals, the downside was you'd have to remove them from your vehicle, send them away for a few weeks for that to happen. Great for a weekend off roader, not practical for a daily driver.

 

[jjswan33]

I think in the case of @jjswan33, and others, myself included, that take their vehicles off into the mountains often, the suspension seals etc are bound to degrade more rapidly. It happens on all off-road vehicles even with more purpose built aftermarket dampers. To not expect that as an owner/user is a bit naive, and in line with your Jeep comment.

Where it stings is, Rivians dampening system is so bespoke, even though you understand failure is part of the game, the cost relative to the lifespan is where things start to fall apart a bit. I've had Bilstein, Fox, and Radflo suspension components over the years, and whileall were fantastic at their job, have a lifespan that starts to fall flat when heavily cycled on a back road. The positive with the Radflo's I had were they were able to be serviced with replacement seals, the downside was you'd have to remove them from your vehicle, send them away for a few weeks for that to happen. Great for a weekend off roader, not practical for a daily driver.

I would add that my first air shock failure had nothing to do with off roading and more likely a bug in the new at the time 'camp level' feature. Or when my compressor exhaust froze that had nothing to do with off roading.

If Rivian had said hey you have rock sliders and I can see some scratches underneath, warranty denied, well then that would have been some BS.

I think folks thinking Rivian can't afford to fix these things are wrong, they are risking a lot more in lost sales when people realize these vehicles are 'soft' and will break and the cost to repair is astronomical.

 

[DuoRivian]

I can understand Rivian’s perspective as you do off roading and have significant scrapes/ gouches in the metal suspension parts. It is not a manufacturing defect if you, through your use, damage the underside of the vehicle.

 

[andrewgrhogg]

I think you are not looking at the suspension system overall and how it is designed. I have attached a picture. If you look at that i think you will find that any leverage forces on the air shock are going to be higher from a hit (pothole) at the wheel than they are at the control arm that has scrapes - longer lever arm. You will also see that the air shock is 100% isolated from the control arm - the only connection is through the wishbone and rubber bushings via leverage. i think if you went in with this diagram, told them they were full of shit, tell them you are willing to spend the time and money to sue them...and point out that there is no damage to any of the bushings (assuming they are in fact ok) then they will probably budge. The last thing they want is a public lawsuit and one that sets precedent and forces them to fix way more shocks in the future.

Having seen your images and the design of the suspension system i would argue, fairly strongly, that they are ripping you off and just looking for any excuse to not pay to fix/replace the shock.

 

[bigsky]

Hmm. Had any of the suspension parts not had any scrapes, scratches, etc., perhaps Rivian would have replaced the part as an in-warranty repair.
It's a judgment call, and the evidence does support Rivian's position in my view.
Worst case, Imagine somebody offroading, vehicle still in warranry; throwing vehicle off a cliff, then going to Rivian to claim warranty repairs for everything that got damaged after vehicle landing back on the ground.
Even so, Rivian still gave you a discount when it could very well and nicely tell you to go pound sand.

 

[grass man]

I noticed my 2024 R1S with 10k miles was leaking a small amount of oil on the ground and turns out the right rear shock is leaking from the top and is bad. Just heard from the Burbank SC (in SoCal) they will not cover under warranty due to seeing scrapes on the lower control arm and my aftermarket rock rails. Nothing is physically broken or bent and yes I have done some rock crawling. After muck back and forth with the local manager via email, a small discount was offered but still not covered under warranty.

Very disappointed that cosmetic marks on the underside of my very capable “adventure” vehicle invalidates the warranty. Makes me reconsider using this vehicle in the dirt in the future.

Has anyone encountered something similar? Any luck speaking with corporate or other support channels?

Pictures from the SC:

Wow, what a costly denial of claim.
This post got my attention in a frightening way.
I've got a SC appointment early next month to have both of my rear dampers assessed (hopefully replaced), as both appear to have been belching out fluid for quite a while.

No rock crawling in my case, but there has to be 1-2k miles of various off-road driving and hauling (dunes, dirt and mud, gravel washboard, deep potholes, and sometimes at considerable speed) as well as the abuse encountered on the "paved" streets and highways of the greater West coast.

The two front dampers and airbag/springs were replaced under warranty at 16-months/9k miles.

In all cases except one wheredeep sand pushed the front tire "spats" into the tire and ripped the entire front half of the wheel well liner out. They did give me a deep discount on all the parts required for me to replace it myself.

The pictures show the contrast of what I found and then a "clean" spot where I hit it with a pressure washer to illustrate the situation when I created the service request. Unfortunately, before I noticed that the caked mess was oil, I had power washed the lower components.

I received a phone call from the service center shortly after and they asked me to tell them what "color" the oil/grease was. I wasn't sure if my response would be used to limit my claim for a warranty replacement. What color would it be anyway? It's multiple layers of fluid buildup mixed with dust, dirt, mud, etc. Essentially it looks like black cake covering everything below the top of the damper.

Over the past several thousand miles I have noticed that when I drive over the extended speed humps on my daily commute, the rear nearly bottoms out when I'm set to soft damping.

I'm going to be pretty pissed off if they consider this normal or abusive operating in origin. I've had Bilsteins on a number of trucks and SUVs and have never had one fail. When/if I've decided to replace them, it's been because I've made changes to the geometry or worn them out at 50k miles or so.

 

[grass man]

I think you are not looking at the suspension system overall and how it is designed. I have attached a picture. If you look at that i think you will find that any leverage forces on the air shock are going to be higher from a hit (pothole) at the wheel than they are at the control arm that has scrapes - longer lever arm. You will also see that the air shock is 100% isolated from the control arm - the only connection is through the wishbone and rubber bushings via leverage. i think if you went in with this diagram, told them they were full of shit, tell them you are willing to spend the time and money to sue them...and point out that there is no damage to any of the bushings (assuming they are in fact ok) then they will probably budge. The last thing they want is a public lawsuit and one that sets precedent and forces them to fix way more shocks in the future.

Having seen your images and the design of the suspension system i would argue, fairly strongly, that they are ripping you off and just looking for any excuse to not pay to fix/replace the shock.

Thanks for this illustration.
My leaks originate from inside the dust cover at the top.
I wonder if these dampers are serviceable?
Do you happen to have that kind of info?

 

[grass man]

I’ve had my truck in 1x for suspension abt 6 months ago and 2x over the last 5 months to fix a charging issue. They (Burbank) worked on the charger locking pin and damaged the paint right next to the charge port they worked on. They then had the nerve to blame it on body work from the right rear quarter panel. After three horrific service experiences and abyssal QC Burbank’s ridiculous position put me over the edge. I threatened to sue them and still may.

Burbank SC seems more aggressive than SD SC in pushing back, but there is a ~6 month difference in my SD vs Burbank experience, so it could also just be the company is tightening its belt on instructions from corporate.

Frustrating to say the least and a real turn off.

Man, that would make ownership miserable.
Portland and Tualatin have been decent and I can count on them to make things right, even when they clearly mess up, like busting my roof glass when replacing the antenna/rear roof section due to the antenna failure. There was a significant set of deep scratches about waist level (they stood on my slider/running boards) after the roof components were replaced. I insisted on them repairing them and they eventually did, but not until after engaging in some tense arguments.

 

[grass man]

I would add that my first air shock failure had nothing to do with off roading and more likely a bug in the new at the time 'camp level' feature. Or when my compressor exhaust froze that had nothing to do with off roading.

If Rivian had said hey you have rock sliders and I can see some scratches underneath, warranty denied, well then that would have been some BS.

I think folks thinking Rivian can't afford to fix these things are wrong, they are risking a lot more in lost sales when people realize these vehicles are 'soft' and will break and the cost to repair is astronomical.

100% agree. Most of the warranty repairs (front dampers and air springs, axle shafts, passenger seat, body cladding, hood bracing, missing hardware, antenna) were performed in the first year (delivery was 10/22).

ps: I've seen your truck in the PDX SC. If I recall, you're selling and getting a 2nd Gen, no?

 

[jjswan33]

100% agree. Most of the warranty repairs (front dampers and air springs, axle shafts, passenger seat, body cladding, hood bracing, missing hardware, antenna) were performed in the first year (delivery was 10/22).

ps: I've seen your truck in the PDX SC. If I recall, you're selling and getting a 2nd Gen, no?

Sold it late last year. Currently rocking a ICE Promaster conversion and a Hyundai Kona EV. TBD on future Rivian plans.

 

[TollKeeper]

So just a little bit of thought process here...

Ford a few years ago advertised their Ford F-150 Raptor as being capable, and showed commercials of it jumping, doing Baja related things, etc.

Raptor owners then did the same thing.

In typical Ford fashion, frames got bent, control arms got bent, etc.

Ford was also denying claims of frames being bent, control arms being bent, etc.

This turned into several law suits in which Ford LOST. None were class action thou.

They advertised it this way, and why should a consumer not try to use it the way advertised.

If you are using it as advertised, which I believe you are, than the manufacture should be liable.

I would do as others have mentioned, and run it up the proverbial flag pole.

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