Rivian software stability is a real issue we don't talk about

[RoJo]

Yeah, still working normally today. Has been fine since Sunday. Did you try a full reset (left steering wheel + hazard)?

I did, maybe it needs another one.

Sponsored

 

[carsly]

BTW, I suspect this is why Tesla does just a few big updates a year - Spring Update, Holiday Update - with the rest being bug fixes and small improvements. Pushing new features constantly breaks things. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate my YouTube but it would be good if my blind spot cameras just kept working and turn signal cancellation worked and my streaming music services, through the paid Connect+ for added insult, would stay logged in.

 

[Zoidz]

I'm not sure if this is practical or not, but maybe Rivian could have maintenance releases every 6 months where the target is to address all existing bugs and performance issues so a bundle of tested stable features are released at once for people who prioritize stability. All other releases would be feature releases where new features are made available and known issues are fixed, as we're getting now.

If that's possible then we should be able to specify installing all releases or maintenance releases only in the UI. I think this would satisfy the people who value stability over everything else (maintenance releases only) and the people who want the latest features and sign up for all releases.

I'd stick with all releases but I understand why others would rather have a completely stable platform, even if it means being behind on the latest features for a while.

Just a thought.

As an example using the pretty reliable 4-week timing:

2024.51 would have been the second maintenance release of 2024 and it would have included all features through the previous release of 2024.47 and fixed all previously-identified issues.

2025.06 would have introduced new features

2025.10 would have fixed issues from 2025.06 and introduced new features

2025.14 would have fixed issues from 2025.10 and introduced new features

2025.18 would fix issues from 2025.14 and introduce new features

2025.22 would fix issues from 2025.18 and introduce new features

2025.26 would be the first maintenance release of 2025 and it would include all features through the previous release of 2025.22 and fix all previously-identified issues

edit: clarity

Conceptually similar to "Microsoft Cumulative Update" - as opposed to Fortigate Firewalls. If you defer over multiple updates, which is fairly common in the IT world for various reasons, Fortigate "highly recommends" installing specific updates sequentially or the configuraton could break. They even have a tool online where you specify your current version and the target update version, and it will tell you which versions to install sequentially to get to the current version. I get it but to me it's still a , really?

 

[SoCal Rob]

Conceptually similar to "Microsoft Cumulative Update" - as opposed to Fortigate Firewalls. If you defer over multiple updates, which is fairly common in the IT world for various reasons, Fortigate "highly recommends" installing specific updates sequentially or the configuraton could break. They even have a tool online where you specify your current version and the target update version, and it will tell you which versions to install sequentially to get to the current version. I get it but to me it's still a , really?

Some people are risk-averse when it comes to updates and some folks just don’t want frequent changes. I just figured this was potentially a good compromise for the early adopters like us and the more conservative folks.

Heck, Rivian could do the maintenance (bug fixes and performance improvements only) release annually at the beginning of the year so the holiday workload is lighter when lots of employees tend to be out of the office.

 

[Taco Corp]

I had my Gen1 RIT for 2 1/2 years with barely any issues, swapped for Gen2 R1S, and weekly or sometimes more frequently, I've been seeing:

• Shift into reverse, and the cameras are just black, soft reset required
• Driving and one or both screens go black, but don't reboot (seems better since last update)
• Audio, constantly saying "No media available" for any source, even when it's actively playing a track, sometimes searching for an artist or track will kick it into gear
• Maps - POI search unavailable - Back to Google I go but a reset will usually fix this.
• PAAK (or Gen2 key fob) only works about half the time and alternates between opening the doors when I'm 50' away or waiting until I can almost touch the door.

I'm kind of used to it at this point, and I don't have a lot of faith that the diagnostic scan they want to run at the next available appointment at in early August after one or more software updates in the interim, will help find bugs from April/May. Mainly just annoyed that coming up on three years in with Rivian, the software from Gen1 in 2022 seemed to be more stable.

 

[carsly]

I don't think I've shared this one, this was after an update. What's wrong with this picture?

 

[SoCal Rob]

I don't think I've shared this one, this was after an update. What's wrong with this picture?

If I had to guess, the rear camera is envious of the other cameras.

Seriously, though, does that happen consistently and does a reset fix it?

 

[carsly]

If I had to guess, the rear camera is envious of the other cameras.

Seriously, though, does that happen consistently and does a reset fix it?

Was a random one-off, and has not reappeared after a reset but every "update" brings some kind of low-impact oddness like this or high-impact dysfunction like losing blind spot cameras.

 

[csharp]

I don't think I've shared this one, this was after an update. What's wrong with this picture?

That's a feature!! Hulk mode.

 

[FlightDoc]

I'm hit by a new bug in my Gen2 almost daily. In 19 months of Gen1 ownership I really didn't have issues. Maybe I was lucky?

So far this week:

Map stuck in dark mode, requiring infotainment reset. This fix it temporary, however.
When in Nav, map view randomly zooms out to see the full North American continent. I haven't found a fix. Nav on the driver screen still works fine. Only the center screen affected.

Always an Adventure. It's in the Rivian moto, right?

Yes and this happened to me this week multiple times while navigating through Nebraska and the electron desert of the Dakotas. Also terrible at finding chargers. That’s a fail. ABRP not great at finding best chargers. Best tools are PlugShare, Google Maps, and a brain.

 

[TM1]

Coming from a Tesla, I'm really disappointed in the Rivian software on my Gen 2 R1S.
Sometimes I can't start the car because it doesn't see my phone.
Opening the garage door is a 50-50 chance.
Remembering my seat position on easy access settings (or remembering to lower me) has gotten better, but there is still about a 10% chance of it not working. Alexa demands a certain syntax to set the fan speed to a different setting, of which I don't always remember how I have to phrase the command.
Yes, blinker auto shut off is quirky. I'm thinking of disabling it.
Limited functionality in the scroll wheels.
Pretty iffy lane keep assistance.

OK, yes, all first world problems, but still, the world has changed and I expect better.

 

[pointless]

I've been frustrated with how the Apple Music app is so bad. Almost always have to navigate multiple screens to get something to play, instead of just hitting play from the steering wheel (like it does on the Model Y).

2020 Model Y was stuck in dark mode, required reboot.

We can add R1T frequently not moving the seat to my saved settings, prompting me to 'Remember' the changed settings. Re-selecting my profile usually works.

I'll add (usually one, but sometimes both) map light randomly stays on when shifting in to Reverse. No resolution from service center while it was in for fried heater.

 

[1pinhigh]

Situation: My wife took my son to a doctor's appointment this morning in our 2025 R1S, all good. Some time during the drive the infotainment display just showed a Rivian logo - nav, climate control, etc. were all gone and unlike a Tesla you can not do a soft reset while driving. Luckily the drivers display was still on and she knew where she was going so proceeded to the appointment. Coming out of the appointment the vehicle was dead. Both screens were just black. Get out, lock, unlock, no change. My son Googled the reset procedure and the soft reset did nothing. He then found the hard reset and was able to get the vehicle restarted. WTF?!

I've owned a number of EV's from Polestar and Tesla over the last few years. Total number of times I've had an unresponsive vehicle: zero.

But this isn't it. Every time there is a software "update" something gets knocked out. One time it was Spotify (soft reset and log back in), another time it was TuneIn (hard reset and log back in twice), another it was my blind spot cameras - just AWOL as was the turn signal cancelling on highways despite both being set to 'on' in settings and nothing changing on my end.

It's one thing if I had a five or six year old vehicle and software updates were buggering things, I'd still be peeved but would understand a bit better. This is a Feb 2025 delivered 2025 model year Gen 2 - theoretically this is the first thing Rivian is engineering and testing against. As a dual motor, it's probably the largest part of the fleet being delivered in 2025. There is nothing newer available, this is as good as it gets in terms of the computing and networking stack. Where is the QA?

Somehow we're supposed to believe Rivian is ready for autonomous driving? Even regular driving seems to be hard to keep going. This isn't some $40K ID.4, MachE or Ioniq 5. This rig costs twice as much as all of those. Heck, I purchased a used Tesla Model Y last September for the kids and that has had fewer issues by far than this Rivian.

Be better Rivian, be better. Not at advertising and brand marketing but you can't tout "software defined vehicles" while not being so good at software. And yes, VW will figure this out as well.

Great thoughts! Everytime a new update comes out, something quits working or doesn't work like it did prior to the update. Luckily for me, it's not been quite as big an issue like you had. It's very frustrating and seems like software quality control is nonexistent.

 

[TM1]

Oh yes, and having to manually turn the cameras on when I'm parking. Add that to the list.

 

[carsly]

Oh yes, and having to manually turn the cameras on when I'm parking. Add that to the list.

I think that qualifies as "Adventuring" and is a feature, not a bug.

Sponsored