2025 RIVIAN R1S Complaints

While my wife was driving our 2025 Rivian R1S (approx. 13,500 miles), the vehicle was at a complete stop when it began to slowly roll forward on its own, followed by a sudden surge of acceleration, despite no input on the accelerator. This unexpected movement caused the vehicle to collide with a Tesla directly in front and involved another two vehicles. This incident posed a serious safety risk and could have injured pedestrians or other drivers. There were no warning lights or error messages before or during the incident. The cause is UNKNOWN at this time. Rivian has not yet inspected the vehicle, but we are requesting log preservation and a full review. This behavior has not been replicated since, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. We believe this may indicate a malfunction in the propulsion system, regenerative braking transition, or creep mode behavior. The incident has been reported to Rivian for investigation.

One week into owning the vehicle a notification popped up. “Airbag system needs service”

12 volt battery replacement performed by a mobile tech 6/20/25. The battery is located under the front passenger seat. Two of the bolts anchoring the seat to the frame were not tightened after the service. This was only discovered when braking lightly during driving, resulting in movement of the seat and a minor injury to the occupant. Shortly thereafter, documented and reported to Rivian. They sent another tech to inspect and replaced the bolts (damaged by seat movement). Video of seat available, not able to attach.

Emergency exit of the rear doors does not include a manual door pull lever or cable obvious to the occupant. The panel to remove to access the release cable, and the cable to pull is not intuitive nor is it reasonable to believe a small child or an older occupant would be able to remove said panel or pull the cable to exit the vehicle. We were told occupants should exit through the front doors in the event of an emergency. This is not an acceptable strategy and I'm urging the NHTSA to recommend Rivian include manual handles in the rear doors.

Vehicle: 2025 Rivian R1S VIN: [XXX] Purchase Date: [XXX] Component/System Affected: Passenger Airbag / Occupant Detection System (ODS) Issue Description: The passenger airbag system in my 2025 Rivian R1S intermittently fails to detect a front seat passenger, causing the airbag to remain disabled even when an adult occupant is properly seated. The airbag status indicator reads “Passenger Airbag Off” despite full occupant weight in the seat, presenting a clear safety hazard in the event of a crash. This issue occurs unpredictably during normal use. The vehicle was first brought to a Rivian Service Center from June 11 to June 14, 2025, and is currently back in service as of June 23, 2025 for the same unresolved problem. However, the Rivian service team has stated they cannot replicate the issue, despite repeated attempts and my documentation of its occurrence. Safety Risk: Failure of the passenger airbag to activate under proper seating conditions poses a serious risk of injury or death in a collision. This appears to violate FMVSS No. 208 (Occupant Crash Protection) and may stem from a malfunction in the Occupant Detection System (ODS) or associated components. Request for Action: I urge the NHTSA to investigate this issue as a potential defect affecting the 2025 Rivian R1S platform. A malfunction in a federally mandated safety system, especially one that is intermittent and difficult to replicate, requires immediate regulatory scrutiny. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On [XXX], our 2025 Rivian R1S lurched forward while stopped at a red light, waiting to make a left turn. The driver, [XXX] , had her foot off the accelerator when the vehicle suddenly surged forward. She slammed on the brake, and the vehicle briefly bounced back — but then lurched forward again, striking the stopped vehicle in front a second time. There were no warnings or alerts on the dashboard. The incident was captured on video and shows a clear case of unintended forward acceleration. This may be linked to Rivian’s accelerator pedal recall or a software malfunction affecting braking or propulsion systems. I have video footage of this accident but was unable to upload the file. We are concerned about the safety risk this presents to other drivers and are requesting an NHTSA investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The vehicle steering wheel has never been straight since the day I purchased it but I thought it was normal because of the roads I drive on then it got worse and worse. Now it pulls to the left when accelerating and the steering wheel is wobbly. The steering wheel is off center by about 1-4 degrees even when the wheels are going straight. After searching on the forums and NHTSA website I found that this was an issue with 2022-2024 models. I worry that the issue has not been resolved with the 2025 model years. I have been asked to pay for an alignment which I don't mind but i wonder if other owners are having the same issue.

I was passing another vehicle on the road when the accelerator pedal got stuck on the all-weather floor mat and made the car virtually uncontrollable. I used the brakes to pull the car off the road and to a complete stop before engaging the parking brake and reaching down to dislodge the pedal.

I have owned cars for more than three decades and never had a windshield crack. In the first three months of owning a Rivian R1 S I had two windshield cracks from a simple pebble on the highway. Multiple owners are describing the same issues, but Rivian refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem, but literally two cracks in three months and I have never had this happen.

Hazard light switch stopped functioning one day. It is completely unusable and is a safety issue. Rivian cannot provide an ETA to fix the issue.