2025 Rivian R1S Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe sudden lurching, surging, or unexpected speed changes, and sudden system shutdowns or screen blackouts while driving. Other recurring themes are exterior light failures, driver assistance features failing or disengaging, and steering pull or vibration. Mileage is rarely listed, and most reports come from very new vehicles, so these reports mostly reflect early ownership.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden lurching, surging, or unexpected speed changes

   • 13 complaints (24%)
   • median 2,200 mi at 0.6 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners describe the car lurching forward or accelerating on its own, including from a stop at a light, while reversing out of a driveway, or on the highway, sometimes with no accelerator input. In some reports the car kept moving forward after the driver lifted off the pedal, and braking was described as stiff, difficult, or accompanied by grinding and smoke. Some of these events ended in collisions, some describe sudden drops in speed, and a separate report describes a floor mat trapping the accelerator pedal. Where mileage is given, reports range from under 1,000 miles to about 13,500 miles.

   What to check: On a test drive, check how the car responds when the accelerator is released and how the brakes feel at low speed. Ask the dealer whether any accelerator or software service has been completed, and confirm that the floor mats are secured in place.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #11663279, filed 2025-05

   “On September 20, 2026 at approximately 10:29 a.m. CDT, while traveling on Interstate 30 between Greenville and Royse City, Texas, my 2025 Rivian R1S Gen 2 experienced sustained unintended acceleration in an active construction zone with concrete barriers and no immediate safe exit. I applied very heavy, sustained braking to counter the acceleration until we reached a break in the barriers and could leave the highway. Substantial smoke was then coming from the wheel/brake areas. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11766169, filed 2026-09
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Sudden system shutdowns, including loss of drive power

   • 17 complaints (31%)
   • typically at 0.7 yrs old
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle or its screens suddenly shutting down while driving or while parked, sometimes preceded by a warning message. In some reports the car lost drive power, could not shift gears from the drive stalk, or stopped in traffic, and in some cases a reboot restored function only temporarily. Other reports describe both screens going dark at highway speed, with the speedometer, turn signals, and safety alerts disappearing until the system came back. Mileage is rarely listed, and the figure given is about 2,400 miles.

   Recall 25V5370001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask the dealer whether the high-voltage distribution box grounding recall and the instrument panel ground nut campaign have been completed. During a test drive, confirm that gear selection, screens, and drive power respond normally.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving my Rivian R1S, 2025 at highway speeds, the infotainment screen went completely black, disabling the speedometer, blind spot monitoring, lane warnings, airbag/seatbelt alerts, and navigation. I had no access to critical safety information while transporting my children, creating a dangerous situation. Rivian service confirmed this is a “known bug” affecting many vehicles, but owners were not warned. Forums show this issue is widespread. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11681278, filed 2025-08

   “In late May 2025, I took delivery of a new leased 2025 Rivian R1S equipped with the MaxPack battery. Since delivery, the vehicle has had intermittent electrical issues with the USB-C ports that I reported on June 12th (approx 3 weeks from taking delivery), but on July 28, 2025, it experienced a sudden and complete electrical system failure while parked. Both the high-voltage and low-voltage systems shut down, leaving the vehicle entirely inoperable. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11679876, filed 2025-08
3. 3
   Exterior lighting

   Exterior lights failing, including hazard and high beams

   • 8 complaints (15%)
   • median 10,000 mi at 0.4 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe exterior lights that stop working, including the hazard lights and hazard switch, the SOS function, and the driver-side high beam. Some report headlights that fail in colder weather, and dealers reportedly said parts were not yet available for the related recall. Other owners say a turn-signal recall repair has no scheduled date, and the dashboard may show no warning for a high-beam fault. Where mileage is given, the figure is about 10,000 miles, and a headlight complaint notes failures during colder weather.

   Recall 25V085000Recall 25V387000Recall 26V508000

   What to check: Test each exterior light, including the hazard button, high beams, and turn signals, before buying. Ask the dealer whether the headlight or turn-signal recall repairs are complete, and confirm the status with the VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Regarding the Safety Recall mentioned below, I reached out to Rivian Service Center. They are not giving me an ETA to fix this and no alternate is given. Is there anyways NHTSA help me by making Rivian Automotive LLC take responsibility and address the issue sooner than later ? They dont have a fix for below safety recall and no ETA on when they can fix it. Its really disappointing to see the lack of accountability. Appreciate your help in this matter. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11685004, filed 2025-09

   “Hazard lights are inoperable this will be the second time going in for repair but 4th time it has occured. It also makes SOS inoperable and the roof lights. This is a safety concern that has not caused an accident but is a big issue since hazard lights are used when accident or emergencies occur and they are inoperable and this has been a frequent issue”

   NHTSA complaint #11727287, filed 2026-03
4. 4
   Forward collision avoidance

   Driver assistance features failing or disengaging

   • 6 complaints (11%)
   • median 2,200 mi at 0.6 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, and automatic emergency braking that stop working or disengage without clear alerts. In some reports the system switched from autonomous driving to adaptive cruise control with no warning, and the car went into a ditch. Other reports describe emergency braking that did not engage before a low-speed rear-end collision, or infotainment lag that disengages cruise control. Mileage is not listed in these reports, and a failure is described on the drive home after pickup.

   Recall 25V585000

   What to check: On a highway test drive, confirm that adaptive cruise control and lane keeping stay engaged and show clear alerts. Ask the dealer to confirm the vehicle runs software version 2025.18.30 or later, since the 25V585000 recall covers earlier versions.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicles autonomous driving has failed several times. The system changes from autonomous driving to adaptive cruise control without giving the normal alerts for the driver to take the wheel, giving me or my spouse no time to properly react. This system failing resulted in the vehicle going into a ditch. The autonomous driving automatically switched to adaptive cruise control without warning, the lane keeping system also failed as it gave no warning and did not push the vehicle back into the lane either. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11741159, filed 2026-05

   “While driving the entire computer shuts down and reboots, both screens go black for several minutes. Speed display disappears, turn signals stop working, after the screens come back on there are warning lights for emergency braking disabled, cruise control disabled, and the headlights won’t come on for several minutes.”

   NHTSA complaint #11698854, filed 2025-11
5. 5
   Steering

   Steering pull, vibration, or off-center wheel

   • 12 complaints (22%)
   • typically at 0.6 yrs old
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle pulling to one side, especially during acceleration or deceleration, and a steering wheel that sits off center even when driving straight. Some report a wobbly wheel, or vibration at highway speed that persists after alignment and wheel balancing. In some cases the pull is described as linked to stability control, and dealers have reportedly realigned vehicles that still felt off. Mileage is not listed, and some describe the pull or wobble as present from the first week of ownership or from the day of purchase.

   What to check: On a test drive, check for pulling or wheel vibration at highway speed, and note whether the wheel sits straight on a flat road. Ask the dealer for alignment and tire service records, and whether any steering or pull-related service update has been released for the vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The Rivian R1S that I own pulls hard to the right when you accelerate and then pulls to the left when you decelerate. I took it for repair and Rivian realigned vehicle and confirmed everything is as it should be. This behavior is tied to the Rivian Stability control and when the stability control is deactivated the steering issue stops. The issue is a safety concern as it's difficult to keep the vehicle in lane and straight with the stability control activated which turns to On each time you drive the car.”

   NHTSA complaint #11695067, filed 2025-10

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11663831, filed 2025-05

Buying note. Someone considering this model year may want to ask whether recall repairs for the lights, drive power, and driver assistance software have been completed, since some owners report that a recall repair part was not yet available. As these vehicles are newer, a buyer can check open recalls by VIN and test drive the lights, screens, and driver assistance features before purchase.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 53 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.