Owners have filed 45 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the exterior lights, electrical, and acceleration and cruise control. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2025 Rivian R1S: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Engine off, key in hand0/1
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/5
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2025's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Rivian R1S. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| Electric | 4WD | 371–410 mi range |
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Rivian R1S, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Headlights pack with wet snow and stop lighting the road, which makes lane lines hard to see. Cold weather also brings intermittent headlight failure, reported at about 10,000 miles. Two filings are mostly about waiting for a recall repair, with parts unavailable and no timeline from Rivian. Other failures include a hazard light switch that stops working, a turn signal that fails on a left turn, and a dead driver-side high beam. The only warning for that high beam is an adaptive high beam message.
Screens go black at highway speed and take the speedometer, turn signals, blind spot monitoring, and safety alerts with them. In one report the whole computer reboots for several minutes. It comes back with emergency braking and cruise control disabled and the headlights out. Rivian service reportedly calls the blackout a known bug. One filing describes sudden acceleration and deceleration without driver input on a busy road. Others cover headlamps packed with snow and no washer or heat to clear them, plus repeated failed repairs of the drive cam storage readout.
Unintended acceleration is the most serious pattern in this group. One crash report describes the SUV rolling forward from a stop and then surging into the vehicle ahead at about 13,500 miles. Other reports describe an accelerator that stays down while regenerative braking is unavailable, a stiff brake pedal, and grinding and smoke from the front tires during a hard stop. In one case the pedal catches on the all-weather floor mat while passing. Every report here describes a loss of control.
Pulling to one side under acceleration and the opposite way when slowing is a recurring complaint. One report ties the pull to stability control, which turns back on each drive. Other reports describe an off-center wheel, wobble, and shaking at highway speed. An alignment and a wheel rebalance do not fix the shaking, and service points to an ongoing engineering investigation. The most severe case starts with a shutdown warning shortly after a charging stop. Power steering and braking then go unresponsive as the SUV slows in traffic.
Lurching forward while the driver reverses with the brake pressed causes one crash. In that report the SUV hits two parked cars and totals one. The other reports describe driver-assist dropouts. Adaptive cruise and highway assist disengage at speed when a lagging infotainment screen is swiped, and the audio often cuts out at the same time. In another case adaptive cruise and lane keeping fail on the drive home from pickup. Service traces that failure to a front radar that needs replacement.
Windshields crack and chip again and again. One report counts six failures in eight months, and the new glass cracks within days of replacement. Washer fluid leaks out whenever the washers run, and the leak continues after three repairs. That leaves no way to clear a dirty windshield while driving. The backup camera also fails to come on in reverse and needs a system reset every day. The problem returns after an ECU replacement, and service reportedly treats the camera as a convenience feature.
Drive cuts out completely and leaves the SUV stopped, sometimes in the middle of traffic. One report describes a drive stalk error, a jolt, and a loud noise from the front axle at about 2,400 miles. Everything then goes dead, with no hazard lights or power steering, and a tow is needed. In another case an isolation fault blows the high-voltage safety fuses while parked and leaves the SUV inoperable. A separate drive stalk failure clears with a reboot, and service fixes it by replacing the steering column control module.
Door mechanisms keep closing on anything caught between the handle and the door during auto-locking. Fingers can get pinched or trapped, one filing reports an injury, and children face particular risk. A second report covers an SUV delivered without the driver door release cable installed. That leaves no manual way out during an emergency or power failure. Both complaints concern getting out of the vehicle safely, not parts wearing out over time.
Excerpts from complaints R1S owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
Driver side high beam lights are out or malfunction. No warning on dashboard except for "Adaptive High Beam not working." When the high beam assistance is set to Off, and I turn on the high beam manually, there are no warnings about the high beam malfunction whatsoever.
Filed with NHTSA, August 2024
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.
Filed with NHTSA, March 2025
Winter weather led to snow buildup on the headlamps which made them useless. Fortunately this was during the day so there was plenty of sunlight. If this was at night, I would not have had any visibility and would have needed to stop every few miles to clean the headlamps. My BMW uses washer fluid to clean my headlamps and the xenon's are hot enough to melt snow. Neither of these are in the Rivian
Filed with NHTSA, February 2025
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.
Filed with NHTSA, November 2025
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.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 ranks second for owner complaints among 4 R1S years, about 1.7 times the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2025 is the second model year of the R1S's second generation (2024 on).
It includes the 2024 update.
What changed for 2024
Recall repairs are free at any Rivian dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2022-2025 R1T and 2022-2026 R1S vehicles. The bolts that secure the second-row driver and passenger side seat belt retractor assemblies may be improperly tightened.
Risk: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not adequately restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Rivian will inspect and tighten the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 2, 2026. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1795.
Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2022-2025 R1S and R1T vehicles that previously had service performed. The toe link may have been reassembled incorrectly during service procedures performed before March 10, 2025.
Risk: The toe link joint may separate, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Rivian will replace the rear toe link bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 17, 2026. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1794. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning February 24, 2026.
Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2025 R1S and R1T vehicles operating a software version prior to 2025.18.30. The Hands-Free Highway Assist (HWA) software may fail to correctly identify a lead vehicle.
Risk: Failure to detect another vehicle increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Rivian has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 17, 2025. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1744.
Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2025 R1S and R1T vehicles. An improperly grounded connection inside the High Voltage Distribution Box (HVDB) may cause a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Rivian will inspect and repair the HVDB ground strap joint or replace the high voltage battery pack as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 17, 2025. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1723.
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.".
Risk: Turn signals that do not function properly, failing to indicate the driver's intention to change direction, increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Rivian will inspect and replace the front turn signals as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 22, 2025. Owners will receive a second notice once the remedy becomes available. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1693.
Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2022-2025 R1T and R1S vehicles. The D-ring bolts for one or both front seat belt anchorage assemblies may not have been properly installed.
Risk: An improperly secured seat belt may not restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Rivian will inspect and properly secure the seat belt anchorage assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 8, 2025. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1681.
Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2025 R1S and R1T vehicles. The headlight low beams may fail to illuminate when starting the vehicle in cold weather. 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.".
Risk: Headlight failure can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Rivian will replace the headlight control modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 22, 2025. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1612.
Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) is recalling certain 2025 R1T and R1S vehicles. Software version 2024.39.30 may prevent certain exterior lights from turning on when the Car Costume feature is activated.
Risk: Deactivated exterior lighting reduces the vehicle's visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Rivian has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 18, 2024. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1552.
Rivian Automotive, LLC. (Rivian) is recalling certain 2025 R1S vehicles. The steering column control module (SCCM) may be missing cruise control markings. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Control and Displays.".
Risk: The driver may not know how to activate or deactivate the cruise control without the proper markings, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Rivian will inspect and replace the SCCMs as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 18, 2024. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4264. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1532.
Cars shoppers compare with the Rivian R1S, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
