WFTV - Florida woman can't get out of bricked R1S for 45 min. PSA: check your emergency release access panels

[Zoidz]

Sorry to hear about the vehicle failure but being "trapped in the vehicle for 45 mins" is purely on the owner who didn't RTFM. Presumably she was too overwhelmed by the situation to notice the manual pull handle on the door. I think the news story is simply an attempt to pressure Rivian to let them out of the lease.

RTFM for 2022-2024 Here on Rivian's web site and tell me what page it is on. Or I can save you the effort - it's NOT in the 2022-2024 FM.

Sponsored

 

[Zoidz]

Apparently you need to brush up on your search skills because the info is in the manual:

LOL, you need to brush up on your comprehension skills. We are talking about the EMERGENCY release, not the handle, DUH.

 

[ElGuano]

I made sure the guide showed me the rear door manual release mechanism on delivery.

I'm 100% confident my kids will not be able to access it, even if guided step by step. It involves getting your fingernails under this door trim and pulling it off (it has one-time-use clips so once it's off, you can't put it back on) and pulling a cable.

https://imgur.com/1ateAWT.jpg

Very similar to the Model X, where you have to pull off the speaker grille and fish out a tiny pull-cable.

I REALLY don't like how hidden the manual releases are. Why bother having one when it is going to be practically impossible for anyone other than the OCD owner of the vehicle to ever access?

 

[Cycliste]

Apparently you need to brush up on your search skills because the info is in the manual:

Doors is also in the Table of Contents. I added a red arrow to increase the teasing. There Is no Search method in the Rivian app. I downloaded a PDF of the Owner’s Guide, and search found instances of doors and manual without difficulty. I used Apple’s Files app to view and search the document.

 

[DrBad]

Sounds like someone didn't listen when they were told how to use their vehicle.

I listened but still every time I want to use my washers I pull or push 2 or 3 wrong things first

 

[Riviot]

This title is misleading and needs to be updated based on the facts:

"Florida Man disables interior car door handles and cuts electronics after updating wife's life insurance policy, bets it all on One Fast Bitch at the dog tracks"

 

[lefkonj]

I listened but still every time I want to use my washers I pull or push 2 or 3 wrong things first

Yeah but you don't give up and lock yourself in the machine and turn it on.......

 

[jimbones]

LOL, you need to brush up on your comprehension skills. We are talking about the EMERGENCY release, not the handle, DUH.

There seems to be some confusion about model years and gens and emergency releases. To clarify:

• The 2022-2024 manual you are referencing is for Gen 1.
• Gen 1 vehicles do not have a separate emergency release. You pull the normal mechanical handle twice. I guess you could say that IS the emergency release.
• Gen 2 vehicles have an electrical button as the normal door release and a separate mechanical release in the event of a power failure.
• The owner's manual screenshot referenced, that you couldn't find, is in the Gen 2 manual and is only applicable to Gen 2 vehicles. The reason you couldn't find it is because, as you shared with us yourself, you were looking in the Gen 1 manual.

 

[ElGuano]

I listened but still every time I want to use my washers I pull or push 2 or 3 wrong things first

Over the years I've driven various cars where the right stalk are the wipers on some, but the drive mode selector on others. And honest to god I've tried to put the car into reverse while driving in the highway in the rain. The "you don't really mean to do that" beep is jarring.

Nowadays, I ALWAYS hesitate a beat when turning on the wipers, because I need to be 100% sure I'm pulling the correct stalk

 

[ThirteenElectrics]

Umm... if I'm 'trapped' in a vehicle (ICE or EV) with smoke coming into the cabin, you can bet your sweet bippie that my foot will smash a side window, and I'll climb/crawl out.

Some small people don't have the strength or leverage for that.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Dear person who just went through something: it was ? your fault.

Even if she missed something in the manual, we can still relax.

 

[usulio]

I am sorry to be pedantic and correct everyone in this thread, but there is no Owner's Manual for Rivian vehicles. It does not exist. There is only an Owner's Guide. This actually tells you a lot about the psychology of a company that hides such ugly, functional things as door handles under single-use plastic trim.

 

[mudito]

WFTV Video - In a nutshell, she was driving, the R1S bricked on the road and smoke came out of the vents. Rivian or Roadside Assist told her to call 911. She could not get out of the vehicle for 45 minutes until someone discovered there is a manual emergency door release.

She was on the phone with "Rivian Support" - not sure if it was truly Rivian or the Roadside Assistance. But why did they not tell her about the release? Isn't that a basic responsibility for Roadside Assistance even if it is a 3rd party provider? It should be.

This should serve as a PSA for everyone to remember/check out the Emergency Release access panels in our RIvians AND tell our family members about it.

Rivian said it was an electrical short. They offered $1k as goodwill compensation, but the owner didn't trust the vehicle and Rivian took it back.

I like how they showed the owner's guide...

I would have just titled the story "Florida Woman Failed to learn how to operate her car and got stupidly trapped inside of it."...

RTFM, Lady, RTFM

 

[ThirteenElectrics]

I am so glad I don't have a gen 2. Plenty of people in Rivians don't read the exhaustive owner's manual looking to unearth hidden gems of workarounds for lethal problems. Passengers, kids, guests, all will never have read the manual. If a driver is incapacitated in a crash, they won't be able to help. Or they're stunned or in a panic.

This is one reason I got rid of my Model X. Submerge that car in water and everyone's dead. If you can't see the hidden release panel because of smoke, that's yet another way to die.

I believe the Scouts will have manual door handles. Another reason to switch to them.

 

[vandy1981]

I hate electronic door releases and think they should be outlawed. However, I'm pretty sure I would have been able to figure out the front door manual release because it's exactly where you would expect a release to be. It's a lot more intuitive than manual releases on other vehicles.

I would die a fiery death if an escape via the rear doors was necessary, even if I know where the release was.

Sponsored