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Shattered Rear Window - R1T

Shzeph

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I think Rivian should seriously consider their glass quality. Or change their partner who provides their glass
Having now been through two new windshields in the space of a month, I heartily agree
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atebit

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This whole glass thing with Rivian is bullshit. They have to know that their glass sucks. The question is how to get them to acknowledge it?

Yes, I get that ā€œbad experiencesā€ will tend to accumulate on the forums. I havenā€™t done the math, but it sure seems like there arenā€™t enough of these on the road that would garner this amount of glass problems in so short a time. Or else, weā€™re just a bunch of unlucky bastards.
 

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Yikes. Did you have to pay for both?

I need to stop coming here. You guys are giving me some massive anxiety. šŸ˜°
The first one I had to pay for upfront, though insurance reimbursed me (minus the deductible)

The second one got cracked like two days after it was installed. I guess someone at the SC felt bad for me, because Rivian covered the second replacement entirely
 

Jay

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Having now been through two new windshields in the space of a month, I heartily agree
Two already? I'm surprised why rivian is not taking any action yet as they sure should be able to track number of windshields being ordered by service centres for repair
 

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Shzeph

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Two already? I'm surprised why rivian is not taking any action yet as they sure should be able to track number of windshields being ordered by service centres for repair
Yupppppp

First one started as a small chip, but then cracked in a big arc from the side to the top

Second one was weird; rock hit the windshield, but there was no external damage. Instead, it was a stress fracture within the glass, they guessed because the internal laminate split or something like that
 

macwinpro

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I take my RT1 through an automated drive through car wash all the time. No issues at all so far. Ill be second guessing that option from now on.....
 

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My gut feeling is a piece of debris from the blower. But let's blame it on the glass manufacturer - #4 below - Nickel Sulfide inclusions!

Risk Factors for Spontaneous Glass Breakage

ā— Edge damage. Considerable stress can build around chips, cracks, or other imperfections in the edges of a tempered glass window. Over time, environmental stressors like temperature, wind, and road vibrations can put those glass imperfections under even more stress, which triggers spontaneous breakage.

ā— Thermal stress. Extremely hot or cold temperatures can prompt glass contraction and expansion, and if the thermal stress exceeds the glassā€™s strength, the window will break. If you notice your vehicle windows become ridiculously hot in the sun or incredibly cold in winter, try to park in a covered area to minimize thermal glass stress.

ā— Window frame changes. When the frame of a vehicle window incurs damage or changes shape for other reasons, the tempered glass inside it may no longer get adequate cushioning and protection. Driving vibrations, heat transfer from the vehicle frame, and excess frame pressure can all damage the edges of the glass and contribute to spontaneous breakage.

ā— Nickel-sulfide particles. When small pieces of nickel-sulfide get trapped within a sheet of tempered glass, they can compromise its strength and integrity. You probably wonā€™t be able to detect nickel-sulfide in your vehicle window, and in reality, the risk factor for this issue isnā€™t high due to stringent glass manufacturing standards. Itā€™s good to be aware of the potential risk nonetheless.
 

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Longreach

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Automatic car washes have drying blowers that are FAR FAR more powerful than a leaf blower, so it should be able to withstand a light duty leaf blower even if there was a small stone thrown.

The common denominator here seems to be the windshield, roof and backlight are all in the same greenhouse frame and all seem to have anomalous glass failure rates. Iā€™m going to guess there is a combination of greenhouse rigidity or flex, mounting clearances, and adhesive design/application for movement that are not quite right when working together. The Munro tear down showed an unexpected use of materials and itā€™s possible an unexpected interaction is occurring. Itā€™s happened before, even with more experienced legacy manufacturer body design guys who draw on years of experience the young Rivian guys donā€™t have.

Hopefully the failure data is coming in fast enough for the engineers to notice and determine if there is a design or installation problem.
 

electruck

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Automatic car washes have drying blowers that are FAR FAR more powerful than a leaf blower, so it should be able to withstand a light duty leaf blower even if there was a small stone thrown.

The common denominator here seems to be the windshield, roof and backlight are all in the same greenhouse frame and all seem to have anomalous glass failure rates. Iā€™m going to guess there is a combination of greenhouse rigidity or flex, mounting clearances, and adhesive design/application for movement that are not quite right when working together. The Munro tear down showed an unexpected use of materials and itā€™s possible an unexpected interaction is occurring. Itā€™s happened before, even with more experienced legacy manufacturer body design guys who draw on years of experience the young Rivian guys donā€™t have.

Hopefully the failure data is coming in fast enough for the engineers to notice and determine if there is a design or installation problem.
I wouldn't rule anything out at this point but my money is on the glass being the problem, not the structure or installation.
 

Headingley

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Thanks for posting. My guess is this is a problem with the glass and not anything you did. Unfortunately the concerns with these vehicles are mounting.
 

atebit

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Maybe Rivianā€™s already subliminally projecting their attitude on this. Itā€™s stamped on every windshield.

FUYAO!
 

kizamybute'

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Sure seems like Rivian may be using some type of unique (cheap) glass. While maybe not a huge widespread problem, does seem like the roof glass, and now apparently the rear window glass, are pretty fragile.

I've seen videos of thieves trying to break into cars that pound like crazy on windows to try and break them and they don't break. We've now seen a few issues with the roof where the glass has shattered with apparently light pressure. Now, the rear window?

Just like the tonneau cover needing a complete redesign, possibly the roof and window glass needs a new supplier that can provide stronger glass?

Even blowing a rock into this thing with a leaf blower, shouldn't have caused it to shatter like that. At worst, maybe a crack at the point of impact, but spread to shatter the entire window?

Wondering if maybe somehow the glass was already cracked and not noticed? Then the leaf blower just pushed it over the edge?

Very interesting. For an "Adventure Vehicle", I already feel like I have to be so careful with my truck to avoid some of the issues. Adventure vehicles are supposed to be really tough. If these issues are more widespread, then the Rivian is a little too fragile. Hoping these are just one-off rare events, rather than flaws with the materials.

Is Rivian charging you to replace the glass?

If Rivian is charging for the glass, wondering if it might be better to use a company like Safelite to replace the glass? I think they use their own suppliers rather than actual factory glass, thus what they use might be more up to industry standards than whatever Rivian is using? I don't know if they do more than just windshields?
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