What breaks most · 2022 to 2026 model years
Rivian R1S problems by year
Owners have filed 161 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Rivian R1S across model years 2022 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2023 for air bags complaints, 2025 for exterior lighting complaints and 2024 for suspension complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2023, 2025, 2024
- Complaints on file
- 1612022 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 202373 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 241 fires · 13 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 5kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 39Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 | 12 | Air bags (3) | |
| 73 | 10 | 9 | Air bags (29) | |
| 17 | 5 | 6 | Suspension (5) | |
| 51 | 4 | 10 | Unknown or other (13) | |
| 14 | 3 | 2 | Latches and locks (3) |
What fails on the 2023 Rivian R1S
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 40% |
29 | 0 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Unknown or other | 22% |
16 | 2 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 21% |
15 | 4 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 16% |
12 | 0 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 11% |
8 | 3 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 10% |
7 | 3 | Shop all forward collision system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seat belts | 10% |
7 | 1 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
6 | 3 | Shop brakes parts for the 2023 Rivian R1S |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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OTA update 2023.42 failed to install and left car without working screens, the only way to really manage the vehicle's settings. No formal communication until mid-afternoon next day, approximately 16+ hours after problem became known. Rivian stating vehicle can be driven without speedometer and working systems.
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Rivian identified the recalls on our car model and are failing to get the vehicle to repair them since we are unable to get to the dealership.
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Car suddenly lost control, making zig zag movements, none of the safety sensors were working, car went off road and crashed into freeway side fence. Windows airbags deployed on driver window and passenger window behind driver seat
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Rivian R1S years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2023, 2025, 2024 carry the most filings on the Rivian R1S. The 2023 alone has 73 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Rivian R1S problem?
On the 2023 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 29 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Rivian R1S problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Rivian R1S complaints that include mileage is about 5,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.