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Rivian · Known Issues

2025 Rivian R1T Problems: 6 Known Issues

2025 model year · NHTSA recalls, manufacturer TSBs, and owner forum reports · Updated September 2026

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Issue summary

According to Au7o's research across NHTSA recalls, manufacturer TSBs, and owner forum reports, the 2025 Rivian R1T has 6 documented known issues, with 2 rated critical. The most serious are Rear Toe Link Joint Separation After Suspension Service (Recall 26V-003 / FSAM-1794) ($0-$0 repair) and Hands-Free Highway Assist Fails to Classify Lead Vehicle — ADAS Software Recall (25V-585 / FSAM-1744) ($0-$0 repair). Across all issues with published estimates, repair costs range from $250 to $3,500. DIY maintenance guides at au7o.io.

In This Article

  • R1T Electrical2
  • R1T Suspension1
  • R1T Body/Panels2
  • R1T HVAC1
  • Recalls18
  • FAQ
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In This Article

  • Electrical2
  • Suspension1
  • Body/Panels2
  • HVAC1

All 6 Known Issues

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ALL YEARS202620252024202320222021

On the 2025 Rivian R1T, on 2025 R1T and R1S vehicles running software older than 2025.18.30, the Hands-Free Highway Assist (HWA) perception stack can misclassify the vehicle directly ahead. HWA is a hands-off Level 2 system that controls steering, throttle and braking on limited-access highways and depends on correctly identifying a lead vehicle to command deceleration. When the lead vehicle is misclassified the system does not brake adequately and a collision can occur if the driver does not intervene. Rivian reported to NHTSA that on May 14, 2025 a 2025 R1S experienced this exact functional limitation and struck another vehicle at roughly 6 mph. The recall covers 24,214 vehicles, of which 4,386 are R1T pickups built July 10, 2024 through May 13, 2025 (the R1S share is 19,828, built from April 29, 2024) — the truck is genuinely named in the campaign, not swept in by association. This is a Gen 2 electrical-architecture vehicle; the Gen 1 2022-2024 Driver+ system is a different stack and is not covered by this campaign.

Common Symptoms

  • Hands-Free Highway Assist does not slow for a vehicle ahead
  • Late, weak, or absent automatic braking while HWA is engaged
  • Lead vehicle does not appear or flickers on the driving visualization
  • Unexpected forward-collision event while hands-free is active
  • Software version reads earlier than 2025.18.30

How to Fix

Free remedy delivered over the air. Install software version 2025.18.30 or later — Rivian pushed the fix on June 3, 2025 and estimates roughly 99 percent of the fleet took it automatically before the formal recall was filed. Check Settings > Software for your current version. If your truck is on an older build (common on vehicles parked long-term, stored without Wi-Fi, or with updates repeatedly deferred), connect to Wi-Fi and let the update complete, or call Rivian at 1-888-748-4261 and reference FSAM-1744. Until updated, do not rely on HWA hands-free; supervise the system and keep hands ready to brake.

Typical repair cost:$0 - $0

Research This Issue

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Community Reported
High ConfidenceVerifiedReviewed Aug 2026

On the 2025-2026 Rivian R1T, improperly manufactured front lamp assemblies on Gen 2 R1T and R1S vehicles can leave one or both front turn signals dead — the signal fails to illuminate and flash at all. Because the front turn signal is a required exterior lighting function, the condition is a non-compliance with FMVSS 108 (Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment) rather than a wear item, and surrounding drivers get no indication of an intended lane change or turn. Rivian first filed this as NHTSA campaign 25V-387 in June 2025. The supplier failed to fully contain the bad parts, so Rivian later expanded the population as NHTSA campaign 26V-508 (Rivian FSAM-1833), adding 625 model year 2025-2026 R1T trucks built October 1, 2024 through March 19, 2026 alongside 3,204 R1S units. A truck repaired under the original 25V-387 campaign can still fall into the expansion, so an already-completed recall does not close this out.

Common Symptoms

  • One or both front turn signals do not illuminate or flash
  • Turn signal works at the rear but not the front on the same side
  • Hazard flashers do not light the affected front corner
  • Possible exterior lighting fault message on the display
  • No visible signal confirmed during a walk-around check

How to Fix

Free recall remedy. Rivian service inspects the front turn signal lamp assemblies and replaces any defective lamp at no charge. This is a physical parts replacement, not an OTA — a service visit is required. Because of the expansion, re-check your VIN against BOTH 25V-387 and 26V-508 even if you already had turn signal work performed. Do a walk-around signal check periodically: the failure can be one-sided and the cabin may not always give an obvious fast-flash hyperblink warning on an LED system.

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Call to confirm they service Rivian vehicles and check your VIN, recall eligibility, parts availability, and appointment options.

Typical repair cost:$0 - $0

Research This Issue

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Community Reported
High ConfidenceVerifiedReviewed Aug 2026

On the 2022-2025 Rivian R1T, rivian technicians disassembled and reassembled the rear suspension toe link joint using an outdated service procedure in effect from April 1, 2022 through March 10, 2025. Joints reassembled under that procedure may not meet design intent and can carry unintended loads. Over time and vehicle motion the toe link joint can separate, causing the rear wheel to steer itself and producing a sudden loss of vehicle control without prior warning. Rivian recalled 19,641 previously-serviced R1T and R1S vehicles (12,610 of them R1T pickups) on December 26, 2025, filed with NHTSA as campaign 26V-003. Separately, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened preliminary evaluation PE26-004 covering roughly 114,922 R1T and R1S vehicles after owner reports of left-rear toe link separation, so the investigation population is far larger than the recall population. Note this is a SERVICE-induced defect: only vehicles that actually had rear suspension work performed in that window are in the recall, which is why VIN lookup matters more than model year here. Rivian reported one crash with alleged minor injuries as of January 5, 2026.

Common Symptoms

  • Sudden loss of steering/directional control
  • Rear of vehicle wanders or feels loose under cornering
  • Clunking or knocking from the rear suspension
  • Visible rear wheel toe/camber change or wheel tucked inward
  • Vehicle pulls or darts unexpectedly

How to Fix

Free recall remedy. Rivian replaces the rear toe link bolts on both sides using the updated (post-March 10, 2025) service procedure. Check your VIN against NHTSA campaign 26V-003 / Rivian FSAM-1794 — model year alone does not determine inclusion, prior rear suspension service does. Owner notification letters were scheduled to mail by February 24, 2026. If you experience rear-end wander, a sudden change in rear toe/alignment, or clunking from the rear suspension, stop driving and contact Rivian service rather than waiting for the letter, as the failure mode is separation without warning.

Find a Rivian dealer

Choose to share your location for this search, or enter an area below. Your search location is sent to Google to find dealers.

Open Rivian dealer map in Google Maps ↗

Call to confirm they service Rivian vehicles and check your VIN, recall eligibility, parts availability, and appointment options.

Typical repair cost:$0 - $0

Research This Issue

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Community Reported
High ConfidenceVerifiedReviewed Aug 2026

On the 2022-2025 Rivian R1T, the R1T's motorized hard tonneau cover over the bed is an R1T-exclusive assembly (the R1S has no equivalent) built from articulated panels driven by a single motor. Early covers suffer from panels falling out of synchronization with each other, at which point the mechanism jams mid-travel and the panels can bind, deform, or physically break apart. Dirt, grit, and trail dust entering the track accelerate the failure — exactly the use case the truck is sold for. Owners report failures very early in ownership, and a substantial number report that factory REPLACEMENT covers subsequently failed as well, indicating the original design rather than a single bad batch. A jammed cover often leaves the bed either stuck open (no security or weather protection) or stuck closed (no bed access), and the truck may flag a fault and restrict the cover's operation. Rivian eventually acknowledged the design and offered a redesigned cover retaining the single motor but adding an updated spring system to keep the panels aligned, reinforced panels and gearing, and a cleaning provision to keep debris out of the mechanism.

Common Symptoms

  • Powered tonneau cover jams partway through travel
  • Grinding or straining noise from the cover motor
  • Panels visibly misaligned, buckled, or separated
  • Cover stuck fully open or fully closed and unresponsive
  • Fault message about the tonneau cover on the display
  • Cover reverses direction or refuses to complete a cycle

How to Fix

Rivian offered R1T owners with broken powered tonneau covers a redesigned replacement cover, priced around $500 for owners buying in and covered without charge in many warranty cases — confirm current coverage with Rivian service since the program terms have shifted over time. The redesigned unit adds a revised spring/sync system, reinforced panels and gears, and debris cleaning. Preventatively: keep the tonneau tracks clear of sand, mud, and gravel, do not force a cover that has stopped mid-travel (forcing it is what breaks panels), and cycle the cover fully open or fully closed rather than leaving it parked partway. If the cover jams, stop operating it and book service rather than attempting repeated retries.

Typical repair cost:$500 - $2,500

Research This Issue

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Community Reported
High ConfidenceVerifiedReviewed Aug 2026

On the 2022-2025 Rivian R1T, the gear tunnel is an R1T-exclusive storage compartment between the cab and the bed, closed by two powered drop-down doors. Owners report two opposing failure modes. In the first, the latch will not release: the actuator motor whirs or buzzes loudly but the door does not open, leaving cargo locked inside. In the second, the latch will not engage: the striker hook bounces off the latch instead of catching, so the door reports 'unable to latch or close', the truck drops into a reduced or safe drive mode, and the door can swing open in motion and dump its contents. A related failure involves the door's internal hinges — including the door that carries the onboard compressor hose — breaking under load. Root causes reported by owners and technicians include a weak or worn latch mechanism, and in at least some cases an electrical connector that was never fully seated at the factory. Owners also warn that using the emergency mechanical release on a stuck door can make the situation worse and complicate the eventual repair.

Common Symptoms

  • Loud buzz or whir from the gear tunnel door with no movement
  • Gear tunnel door will not open from the touchscreen or app
  • 'Unable to latch or close' message and safe/reduced drive mode enabled
  • Door pops open or fails to stay shut while driving
  • Latch hook visibly bounces off the striker instead of catching
  • Broken or sagging gear tunnel door hinge

How to Fix

Have Rivian service diagnose before pulling emergency releases. Where the cause is a loose or unseated electrical connector behind the trim covering the safety release, reseating the connector fully restores operation at no parts cost. Where the latch mechanism itself has failed, the latch assembly is replaced — a comparatively straightforward repair once the part arrives, though part availability has been the main delay. Broken door hinges require door assembly replacement. Repairs are typically covered under the basic vehicle warranty on affected model years. Do not repeatedly cycle a buzzing, non-opening door, and do not force the emergency release on a stuck gear tunnel door.

Typical repair cost:$250 - $1,200

Research This Issue

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Community Reported
Medium ConfidenceVerifiedReviewed Aug 2026

On the 2025-2026 Rivian R1T, this is a Gen 2 specific issue and does not apply to Gen 1 trucks. For model year 2025-2026 Rivian replaced the Gen 1 (2022-2024) PTC resistive cabin heater with a heat pump, which is far more efficient in cold weather but mechanically far more complex — it runs the refrigerant circuit in reverse to pull heat from ambient air. Gen 2 owners report an unusually loud compressor (commonly described as a jet engine or lawnmower noise from the front of the vehicle when heat or A/C is active), followed in a meaningful number of cases by a 'Thermal system fault' message and complete loss of cabin heat. Some failures are refrigerant loss from a leaking heat pump / AC compressor, which drains the circuit and takes cabin cooling down with the heat. Others present as slow warm-up: owners directly comparing a 2025 to a 2024 report the Gen 1 truck heating almost immediately while the Gen 2 takes five-plus minutes and never fully warms the footwells. Loss of heat also means loss of windshield defrost, which is a genuine safety problem in freezing or wet conditions. There is no NHTSA recall for this — it is a warranty pattern, not a campaign. Separately, Gen 1 trucks have their own HVAC problem addressed by service bulletins RCA-26-24-002-1 and RSB-26-26-001-1, covering a faulty front HVAC case drain that leaks water into the front footwells.

Common Symptoms

  • 'Thermal system fault' message on the display
  • No cabin heat and no windshield defrost
  • Very loud jet-engine or lawnmower noise from the front when heat or A/C runs
  • Cabin takes five or more minutes to warm, footwells never get warm
  • Loss of A/C cooling alongside loss of heat (refrigerant leak)
  • Puddle or refrigerant residue under the front of the vehicle

How to Fix

Have Rivian service diagnose rather than assuming the compressor. A meaningful share of Gen 2 thermal complaints — particularly stuck valve behavior and slow warm-up — are resolved by an OTA software update to the thermal control strategy, so confirm you are on current software first. Where the compressor has genuinely failed or the circuit has lost refrigerant, service replaces the heat pump compressor assembly (and recharges the system) under the basic vehicle warranty on these model years; expect meaningful downtime, as owners report part availability running from a week to over a month. For Gen 1 water-in-the-footwell complaints, reference bulletins RCA-26-24-002-1 (replace front HVAC assembly drain valve) and RSB-26-26-001-1 (inspect for water ingress and apply additional HVAC case sealant).

Typical repair cost:$0 - $3,500

Research This Issue

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Community Reported
Low ConfidenceVerifiedReviewed Aug 2026
NHTSA Recalls18 recalls

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2025-2026 R1S and R1T vehicles. One or both front turn signals may fail to illuminate and flash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Campaign #26V50800006/08/2026

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2022-2027 R1S, 2022-2026 R1T, and 2027 R2 vehicles. The rearview camera image may be obstructed by a notification when in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Campaign #26V59700016/09/2026

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM

Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2022-2023 R1T and R1S vehicles. A software update may have deactivated the defroster and defogger system controls.

Campaign #23V783000
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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common Rivian R1T problems?

According to Au7o's research across NHTSA recalls, manufacturer TSBs, and owner forum reports, the 2025 Rivian R1T has 6 documented issues. The most frequently reported are: Rear Toe Link Joint Separation After Suspension Service (Recall 26V-003 / FSAM-1794), Hands-Free Highway Assist Fails to Classify Lead Vehicle — ADAS Software Recall (25V-585 / FSAM-1744), Powered Tonneau Cover Panel Desynchronization and Mechanism Breakage. Of these, 2 are rated critical and should be addressed promptly.

Is the Rivian R1T reliable?

The 2025 Rivian R1T has 6 known issues compiled from NHTSA recalls, manufacturer TSBs, and owner forum reports. 2 issues are rated critical: Rear Toe Link Joint Separation After Suspension Service (Recall 26V-003 / FSAM-1794) and Hands-Free Highway Assist Fails to Classify Lead Vehicle — ADAS Software Recall (25V-585 / FSAM-1744). Prospective buyers should inspect for these issues and factor potential repair costs into their purchase decision. Regular maintenance following the manufacturer's schedule helps prevent many common problems.

How much does it cost to fix common Rivian R1T problems?

Repair costs for known Rivian R1T issues range from $0 to $3,500, depending on the specific problem and whether you choose DIY or professional repair. The most critical issue, Rear Toe Link Joint Separation After Suspension Service (Recall 26V-003 / FSAM-1794), typically costs $0-$0 to repair. Au7o provides step-by-step DIY maintenance guides that can help reduce repair costs.

What is the 2022-2025 Rivian R1T Rear Toe Link Joint Separation After Suspension Service (Recall 26V-003 / FSAM-1794)?

Rivian technicians disassembled and reassembled the rear suspension toe link joint using an outdated service procedure in effect from April 1, 2022 through March 10, 2025. Joints reassembled under that procedure may not meet design intent and can carry unintended loads. Over time… Repairs typically run $0-$0. Severity: high.

What is the 2025 Rivian R1T Hands-Free Highway Assist Fails to Classify Lead Vehicle — ADAS Software Recall (25V-585 / FSAM-1744)?

Content on this page was compiled with AI assistance using NHTSA complaints, TSBs, owner reports, and public automotive data. While we strive for accuracy, this information may contain errors. Always verify repair procedures and specifications with your vehicle's service manual or a qualified mechanic.

Data compiled from NHTSA recalls, manufacturer TSBs, automotive forums, and AI-assisted research. No aggregated owner-report counts available for this vehicle yet.

Recalls
18
  • FAQ
    • 21/11/2023

    EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

    Rivian Automotive, LLC. (Rivian) is recalling certain 2023-2024 EDV, R1S, and R1T vehicles. The headlights may be improperly aimed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamp, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."

    Campaign #24V36700023/05/2024

    EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

    Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2025 R1S and R1T vehicles. One or both front turn signals may fail to illuminate and flash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

    Campaign #25V38700011/06/2025

    + 13 more recalls. Check all on NHTSA.gov

    Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check recalls specific to your vehicle.

    On 2025 R1T and R1S vehicles running software older than 2025.18.30, the Hands-Free Highway Assist (HWA) perception stack can misclassify the vehicle directly ahead. HWA is a hands-off Level 2 system that controls steering, throttle and braking on limited-access highways and depe… Repairs typically run $0-$0. Severity: high.

    What is the 2022-2025 Rivian R1T Powered Tonneau Cover Panel Desynchronization and Mechanism Breakage?

    The R1T's motorized hard tonneau cover over the bed is an R1T-exclusive assembly (the R1S has no equivalent) built from articulated panels driven by a single motor. Early covers suffer from panels falling out of synchronization with each other, at which point the mechanism jams m… Repairs typically run $500-$2,500. Severity: medium.

    What is the 2025-2026 Rivian R1T Front Turn Signal Lamp Assembly Inoperative — FMVSS 108 Recall (25V-387, Expanded as 26V-508 / FSAM-1833)?

    Improperly manufactured front lamp assemblies on Gen 2 R1T and R1S vehicles can leave one or both front turn signals dead — the signal fails to illuminate and flash at all. Because the front turn signal is a required exterior lighting function, the condition is a non-compliance w… Repairs typically run $0-$0. Severity: medium.

    What is the 2022-2025 Rivian R1T Gear Tunnel Door Latch and Actuator Failure — Door Stuck Shut or Will Not Latch?

    The gear tunnel is an R1T-exclusive storage compartment between the cab and the bed, closed by two powered drop-down doors. Owners report two opposing failure modes. In the first, the latch will not release: the actuator motor whirs or buzzes loudly but the door does not open, le… Repairs typically run $250-$1,200. Severity: medium.

    What is the 2025-2026 Rivian R1T Gen 2 Heat Pump Compressor Failure — 'Thermal System Fault' and Total Loss of Cabin Heat?

    This is a Gen 2 specific issue and does not apply to Gen 1 trucks. For model year 2025-2026 Rivian replaced the Gen 1 (2022-2024) PTC resistive cabin heater with a heat pump, which is far more efficient in cold weather but mechanically far more complex — it runs the refrigerant c… Repairs typically run $0-$3,500. Severity: medium.