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- An R1T and R1S owner says he is considering an outing of the Rivian property after his experiences.
- He had problems with not one but two R1TS, one of which Rivian bought him.
- This case is a good example of how startup brands sometimes have several folds to train.
A “longtime rivian client close to abandonment” is the way the owner at the center of this story is described. And honestly, nobody wants to feel this after buying a car, especially not a luxury vehicle that starts at $ 70,000 and can easily exceed $ 100,000. However, this is the reality for this customer in particular after several purchases from Rivian. Here is their story – and it is certainly worthwhile.
Online forums are often filled with all kinds of comments, but it is rare to see someone write more than 1,600 words on their personal experience. Nevertheless, this is exactly what a user named Portdirect recently did Rivianforums. Their message, partly entitled “Why I do this to myself”, always generates reactions more than 10 days after its publication.
Read: Guess how much it costs to repair this R1T Rivian
In the wire, they detail their experience as a buyer starting with the purchase of an R1T van. “It was almost perfect, except for a blatant problem: a paint defect spotted when I picked it up from the factory in normal, it. I almost rejected the delivery, but given the train journey (and Rivian’s insurance, it would be a simple solution that I could manage later), I went forward and I brought it back to The house. This “simple correction” has turned into a nightmare of several months, “admits the owner.
Problems cannot appear
In mid-2024, they placed the truck for correction of the painting. Initially, the store said it repainted the entire panel. The following month, when they called the customer, it was not because the truck was ready but because it fell from the elevator. While the store said it would solve the damage, other problems continued to appear.
“The collision center called daily for almost a week with strange reports – a minor scratch during reassembly, while waiting for the parts, repainted and” cooked for 48 hours. Everything seemed disturbing and far from the simple corrective that Rivian had promised, “they wrote, and frankly, who could blame them? Things have not improved from there.
When the owner went to get the truck, he would have found the dirty bed, as if he had been used to work during his stay at the store. The camera that shows that the bed no longer worked and each time they bring the truck for a solution, something else would be wrong. Less than three months after the painting is corrected, he started to wrinkle and crack.
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The owner gave Rivian another chance, this time by sending the truck to another body workshop. However, when this did not go well either, the car manufacturer agreed to buy the truck and offered a goodwill credit of $ 10,000 to the purchase of another R1T. But, as you can guess, the story does not stop there.
The second R1T was not a charm either
The new R1T, a second generation model, arrived at the customer on December 13 of last year. They say that “Rivian has promised an inspection” at the press level ” – essentially the same meticulous exam they would give a vehicle intended for a renowned automobile review – which in fact pushed our delivery of more than a week for “ Give them time to get it perfect ‘. I hoped, but this optimism disappeared almost immediately. »»

Obviously, the door of the speed tunnel to fall When the client’s wife opened it. Then the whole truck was stuck at 4 MPH because he thought that the door of the gear tunnel needed an interview. It took 30 minutes before the owner could drive the truck correctly.
Problems, problems and more problems
Since then, they have had problems with the windows, the steering wheel, the rounds of the doors, the poorly aligned doors that really paint, the camera problems, incoherent braking and software problems that require regular resets to function properly. Now the owner says “I am tired of feeling like a perpetual beta tester for the consistency of construction and quality of service. What they do with their second generation R1T is always something they find.
Community comments

What is wild is how many people in the Rivian community have arisen to sympathize with this customer. “It took 10 months to solve my problems, after going back and forth and appointments and what no. 60 days without my R1T. I cannot the law on lemon in AZ on a lease (I plan to buy at the end of the lease assuming that everything is fine), “said a spectator.
“Feel that you browse it several times. Mine is also down with a hydraulic suspension line leak and the first meeting is 2 months. They say that it is catchy so no precipitation, I do not agree that it is sure to drive, so will sit in the aisle for the moment, “they wrote.
Related: a Rivian R1 began to smoke while the driver was “trapped” inside, I could not open the doors
“Irony here is that my EV flees oil with a pan below and my ice cars are not. They really need to repair the service as soon as possible, while waiting for months for serious problems is crazy, “said another user.
None of this means that Rivian is a bad brand or that he does not do everything he can to improve his products. In fact, this same customer points out that the reason they stick to the brand is that they have an R1 which is “a rock star”. It “works apparently perfectly”. Without a doubt, having this positive experience can temper the negatives to some extent.
The reality is that startup brands like Rivian – and many other electric vehicle companies arise on the left and right – do not have the network or the established history of inherited brands. While buyers might want to enter something new and hip, accept that you are essentially registering to become a beta tester can come with the territory – even if you are not aware of the start. As is the case with any important purchase, it is essential to go there with wide open eyes.
Implications R2 and R3

Being in the eyes wide will be even more key for more buyers in the near future while Rivian launches the R2 and R3 platforms. The reason is that these cars are supposed to be much more affordable, available for many more people and finally find themselves in many more garages and households on a national scale.
It seems great for Rivian and his stock market course, but how will he manage the increased need for services that will inevitably come with more cars on the road? To follow, quality insurance at the factory should be tight enough for the calls for services for production problems are rare. In addition, Rivian (and other brands in a similar position) should consider how their customers use their cars differently.
Ask me anything: we test the R1 Rivian 2025, do you have any questions?
R1S and R1T buyers probably have more than one additional car to drive if their rivian is out of service. R2 and R3 buyers are not also likely to have this luxury. As a commentator of the forum said: “My T is my only vehicle, so I knew from the start if I found myself in a cycle of pain like yours that I read, I would be forced to bail out Rivian, what whatever the way big fan I am.
While Rivian seeks to extend his scope, the question remains: can it juggle with growing demand with quality service and coherent production? Only time – and, probably more forum posts – will say it.
