My Rivian R1S (Gen 2) Sent to Service Right After Delivery for Over 2 Weeks: Only 1 Out of 10 Issues Fixed
I’m still a fan and love 90% of my Rivian R1S Dual Max, but I believe sharing my experience will help future owners set realistic expectations—especially those transitioning from European luxury cars. For new readers unfamiliar with my journey, you can check out my recent article “Gen 2 Rivian R1S First Impressions: Stellar Drive, Disappointing Build Quality, and "Premium Audio"...” Many friends say I’m very tolerant, I guess it’s because I bought 3 Tesla cars before Rivian… Not sure if it’s good or bad.
TLDR
My brand new 2025 Rivian R1S Dual Max lost power and was limited to just 19 mph only 7 miles into my delivery day, along with several build quality issues identified before I even drove off. Rivian acknowledged the 9 panel/trim alignment issues, which I carefully documented with photos, as well as a motor failure. They quickly scheduled a service appointment. Over two weeks later, when I went to pick up the vehicle, only one alignment issue had been fixed. My glass roof became dusty and dirty with water marks, and the floor mats at both the driver’s seat and front passenger seat had visible footprints. No one had ever sat in the front passenger seat before I brought it back to the service center. Regarding the motor failure issue, they were unable to reproduce the problem and simply stated that the vehicle ‘should work as intended.’ Below are the exact words from the service center:
“The issue you experienced (referring to the motor failure issue) took a while to root cause because the bug that caused it is quite rare and we were unable to reproduce it. Your vehicle software has been reset and it should work as intended. And soon, a software fix for the rare issue is rolling out to prevent occurrences elsewhere in our fleet.”
The overall experience was deeply disappointing, but if there’s one thing they got right, it was giving me a Gen 1 Quad-Motor R1S as a loaner. Yes, it was dirty on the outside, not clean inside, and someone had clearly smoked in it—the steering wheel was even sticky. So why was this the right call? Because after driving the Gen 1 loaner for over two weeks, I appreciated my Gen 2 even more. The suspension, handling, ride quality, and even cabin noise are significantly improved. The difference is like night and day. I think Gen 2 R1S drives even better than my 2023 Model X Long Range.
Keep reading if you think my experience could be helpful.
UPDATE: Rivian reached out the next day, informing me that they had reviewed my case and the fitment issues with their leadership team. They’ve offered to have their certified body shop inspect and adjust my vehicle, stating they want to ensure the matter is resolved to my satisfaction. I’ll keep you all posted…
All THE ISSUES
As mentioned in my previous article, the silver moldings, front halo trim, and roof trims are misaligned. The liftgate sits lower than it should and isn’t flush with the roof. Additionally, the silver moldings on both sides, particularly near the rear of the vehicle, feel flimsy.
I spent 20 minutes walking the staff through my concerns, even showing him other nearby Rivian R1S vehicles for comparison, as mine was noticeably worse. I explained that, after owning three Tesla vehicles, I’m somewhat more tolerant of these cosmetic issues, but what really bothers me is the inconsistency—particularly between the left and right sides. He acknowledged my concerns and taped all the problem areas before I left.
The next day, another staff member called to review all the photos with me, ensuring they understood what needed to be done, which gave me hope and boosted my confidence. Two days after my vehicle was sent to the service center, they contacted me via the app chat to confirm that all parts had been ordered. A day later, they informed me that the parts had arrived—four days earlier than expected—and that they would begin working on my vehicle immediately.
Within a week, they informed me that most of the concerns had been addressed, resolving 8 out of the 9 alignment issues I reported through the Rivian app. I confirmed with them via the app that everything was handled and requested the vehicle back as soon as possible since I had a road trip planned the following week. They mentioned they were still trying to reproduce the motor failure alert and asked for the location and timestamp of when it happened, which I had already provided before sending the vehicle in. I shared the details again, and then the waiting began.
I followed up daily as my trip approached, but their response remained the same—they were waiting for the engineering team to investigate and would update me as soon as they had more information. I received this response for over 10 days until they finally said my vehicle was ready for pickup. They couldn’t reproduce the issue, and a hard reset seemed to have cleared the alerts. While I believe it was most likely just a software glitch, the way they handled the situation didn’t inspire much confidence. Losing power with my family in the vehicle, especially at high speed, would be a serious concern. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
However, when I arrived at the service center, I immediately spotted my vehicle parked up front and noticed that the most obvious alignment issue hadn’t been fixed at all. I had to ask them to walk me through what had actually been done. The technician came out—along with four more employees, likely because I didn’t look too happy at that moment. The gap between the silver moldings, the front halo trim above the windshield, and the side roof trim was impossible to ignore. On top of that, the upper right corner of the halo trim was noticeably off, sitting much lower than the adjacent trim.
If you look closer, the front silver molding had an exposed corner that should have been covered by a rubber seal, like the left side (see the picture below). When I pointed this out and showed that a nearby Gen 1 R1S had the corners properly covered on both sides, one of the staff members asked me to look at another Gen 2 R1S parked next to mine, which also had an exposed corner on one side. I explained that I had seen other Gen 2 vehicles without this issue and asked her to take another look at the Gen 1. She responded, ‘It’s not a Gen 2,’ as if being a Gen 2 justified the defect. Having multiple vehicles with similar build quality issues doesn't mean it's okay...
All these issues made me realize the Dark Package might be a good option since it would likely make these defects less noticeable. After receiving those unbelievable responses, I asked the technician again what had actually been done, and it became clear that nothing had been replaced. They had simply added adhesive—either glue or double-sided tape—between the gaps or under the moldings to prevent them from being flimsy. While the adhesive does make it a lot firmer, it doesn't resolve the misaligment issues at all. You can see the double sided tape in the below picture.
The only adjustment they seemed to make was to the liftgate, which is now flush. This appears to be the only issue that was truly fixed during the two-week service appointment.
They also mentioned they’d done their best and that there wasn’t anything more they could do, stating that the alignment issues weren’t adjustable. When questioned by a manager-like staff member, the technician confirmed he had measured the gaps and panels, and they were within spec according to Rivian’s standards. When I asked if they were saying this was normal and met Rivian’s quality standards, they confirmed that it did.
While it wasn’t the most satisfying answer—and it seems like they’ve picked up some bad habits from Tesla—I do understand that they can only work with what they’re given and didn’t build the vehicles themselves. The manager assured me that they would escalate my concerns to the quality team. I requested a response from the quality team, and they agreed. I’ll provide an update if I hear back. Below are more pictures to give you a sense of what ‘Rivian build quality’ might look like.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’ve invested like $10,000 in vehicle accessories and adventure gear for my R1S, which shows how excited I am to explore with it. While the vehicle itself is fantastic, the build quality and service efficiency are just not on par with other luxury automakers. I truly hope Rivian’s quality and manufacturing teams acknowledge these issues and address them before the mass production of the R2/R3 models begins in the coming years. If you know anyone at Rivian working in quality or manufacturing, please feel free to share this with them.
I’ll continue to wait and see what else Rivian does with my vehicle. In the meantime, my adventures are just beginning, and I’ll keep sharing my experiences and gear reviews. If you haven’t already, follow my journey by subscribing to my newsletter and following Mars Roamers on all major social media platforms. Adventure forever!
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