A recall for any automaker is a huge blow, and rivian is going through one right now.
Rivian Automotive has announced a recall for about 13,000 vehicles it delivered to customers after discovering a minor structural defect.
In this video, we will talk about the recall and everything you need to know. Watch till the end because we tell you how to check if your vehicle is affected or not.
Rivian is issuing the recall for the vehicles because a fastener “may not have been sufficiently torqued; the nut could loosen fully in “rare circumstances,” as CEO RJ Scaringe described the issue in a letter to customers.
The recall has been issued for 12,212 vehicles, that is, nearly all of the vehicles Rivian has delivered to its customers.
The company has seen seven reports potentially related to this issue across its fleet to date and said an insufficiently torqued steering knuckle fastener “could cause excessive wheel camber, or, in rare instances, a separation, affecting the driver’s ability to control the vehicle, and increasing the risk of a crash.”
Though 7 reports is not a particularly concerning amount of complaints, Rivian issued the recall anyways “out of an abundance of caution.” The company said it is not aware of any injuries resulting from the issue.
The recall is a setback to Rivian, which has only recently overcome production problems and parts shortages to deliver its EVs to customers in meaningful volumes. The company also had to deal with the fallout of an embarrassing U-turn in March to raise prices on preorders.
Rivian says the recall is voluntary to fix an improperly tightened fastener that connects the front upper control arm and the steering knuckle.
Stick to the end of as we will show you how to check if your vehicle is affected.
Scaringe added that while only a small percentage of vehicles are potentially affected by the issue, Rivian has decided to recall nearly all of the vehicles it has delivered to customers so far. That’s because its records cannot confirm that the front upper control arm and the steering knuckle retention fastener for each front wheel were sufficiently torqued.
Rivian has built the capacity to address every impacted vehicle in the next 30 days. For most of the vehicle owners, the process will take a few minutes, requiring the fastener in question to be tightened to a higher torque tolerance.
Owners can schedule a Mobile Service appointment by calling 855-748-4265 or bring their vehicles to a Rivian Service Center without requiring an appointment.
A customer reported his experience going through the process. His electric truck did not need parts replacements. It took him less than 5 minutes to get the issue checked and sorted out, and he was on his way.
The recall usually doesn’t need replacement parts, but for the “very small percentage” where parts replacements are required, Rivian says it will make loaner vehicles available to owners. Furthermore, trip interruption and towing services will be available at no cost to customers.
While RJ Scaringe stressed that the issue is “extremely rare,” he advised owners to call Rivian immediately if they experience “excessive noise, vibration or harshness from the front suspension, or a change in steering performance or feel.” If they don’t feel safe driving their vehicle, owners should call Rivian, which will either send a Mobile Service vehicle to apply the fix or a team to pick up the vehicle and bring it in.
Now, affected vehicles include certain 2022 model year R1T pickups and R1S SUVs built during a 13-month period and EDV vans produced between December 10, 2021 and September 27, 2022.
That’s pretty much all the vehicles Rivian has delivered so far, although the safety recall report submitted to NHTSA notes that only 1 percent of the total number is estimated to actually have the defect.
