E
World Of EVEditorial

2026 Rivian R1S problems & recalls

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering the 2026 Rivian R1S and owners have filed 14 complaints. The most-reported area is forward collision avoidance (3 complaints). 3 complaints describe a crash.

Other model years:2025202420232022
Recalls
3
Complaints
14
Crash reports
3
Fire reports
0
Injuries
2

Recalls (3)

Sep 16, 2026#26V597000

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."

Risk: An obstructed rearview camera image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Rivian has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 9, 2026. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1866. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 9, 2026.

Aug 6, 2026#26V508000

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."

Risk: Turn signals that do not function properly 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 28, 2026. Owners may contact Rivian customer service at 1-888-748-4261. Rivian's number for this recall is FSAM-1833. This is an expansion of Recall 25V387. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 31, 2026.

Jan 15, 2026#26V009000

Seat belts › Critical fasteners

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.

Owner complaints (14)

What owners reported to NHTSA, by component. One complaint can name several components.

  • Forward collision avoidance3
  • Latches/locks/linkages3
  • Electrical system2
  • Steering2
  • Fuel/propulsion system2
  • Vehicle speed control2
  • Structure2
  • Service brakes2
  • Exterior lighting1
  • Power train1
  • Back over prevention1

Complaints over time

Dec 2025: 5 complaintsJan 2026: 1 complaintFeb 2026: 0 complaintsMar 2026: 1 complaintApr 2026: 0 complaintsMay 2026: 1 complaintJun 2026: 3 complaintsJul 2026: 1 complaintAug 2026: 2 complaintsDec 20252026
Complaints filed per month. Peak: 5 in Dec 2025. Hover a bar for its count.
Complaints filed per month
MonthComplaints
Dec 20255
Jan 20261
Feb 20260
Mar 20261
Apr 20260
May 20261
Jun 20263
Jul 20261
Aug 20262

Recent owner reports

Aug 27, 2026Exterior lighting, Forward collision avoidance

While I was traveling, I suddenly got a brake light fault, turn signal fault, and front camera fault warning messages that appeared on the computer. Rear driver's side tail light/turn signal light stopped functioning and the rest of the brake lights are stuck on, including the rear third tail light while driving and when vehicle is locked/idle. Rivian had me perform soft and hard resets, but that did not solve these problems. Rivian states they are unable to assist me further until I drive it to a service center located near my home.

Aug 18, 2026Electrical system

The contact owns a 2026 Rivian R1S. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the GPS feature on the center digital screen failed to provide the accurate miles per hour traveled as designed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the GPS feature was delayed by approximately 2 MPH. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 500.

Jul 9, 2026Steering

Within 48 hours of picking up my new 2026 Rivian R1S Dual Standard, I experienced a power steering fault while on a public roadway to where the vehicle entered a crawl mode and the power steering stopped working. The car was not steerable. I spent an hour on the phone with Rivian emergency roadside support and they had me perform a reset of the vehicle which restored the steering. However, it was still recommended by roadside service that the vehicle be looked at by the service team so it was towed to Gaithersburg service center. The problem was later identified in the system logs as a known f…

Jun 12, 2026Power train, Fuel/propulsion system

PROPULSION FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEED — KNOWN DEFECT — NHTSA MFR COMMS XXX & XXX VEHICLE: 2026 Rivian R1S Dual Standard, VIN [XXX], LFP battery. Delivered XXX. 702 miles at incident. INCIDENT XXX: Complete unwarned propulsion failure on [XXX] at highway speed. Dashboard showed 8% SOC immediately before failure — no warning, no alert. Vehicle lost all propulsion 5 miles from nearest charger. Stranded 7 hours. $225 out-of-pocket towing/transport costs. DEFECT: Rivian Hudson NH service (WO-000002294461, INV_20260608-150458) confirmed 13% HV battery cell capacity imbalance via diagnostics — dashbo…

Jun 12, 2026Fuel/propulsion system

SUPPLEMENTAL COMPLAINT — This filing supplements VOQ No. XXX filed XXX for the same vehicle and incident. The original complaint contained factual inaccuracies that this filing corrects. PROPULSION FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEED — KNOWN DEFECT — NHTSA MFR COMMS 11026123 & 11026124 VEHICLE: 2026 Rivian R1S Dual Standard, VIN [XXX], LFP battery. Delivered XXX. ~700 miles at incident. INCIDENT XXX: Navigation showed 8% SOC buffer on arrival at destination 5 miles away — active system assurance of sufficient range. Simultaneous audible alarm and dashboard warning then fired with approximately 15-20 se…

Jun 7, 2026Steering, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance

Driver was making a left hand turn and as the turn was initiated the driver had no control of the vehicle. The vehicle system took over driving, causing substantial damage to the vehicle. Weeks leading up to the incident, the display and certain systems were not responding or provided errors. Following a reset each time, the vehicle would be operational.

May 18, 2026Structure, Latches/locks/linkages

When backing into a parking spot on two separate occasions the drivers door popped open while the vehicle was in motion and the doors were locked after my knee brushed against the button to open the door while the car was in motion.

Mar 23, 2026Structure

Summary of the problem: The rear liftgate on my Rivian failed to detect an obstruction while closing and continued to close despite contact with a person. What happened: While the rear liftgate was automatically closing, I was unaware it was coming down and walked into it. The liftgate made contact with my upper body/face and did not stop or reverse as expected. Instead, it continued closing and forced me to the ground. Safety issue: The liftgate’s safety sensor failed to detect a human obstruction, creating a serious risk of injury. This is especially dangerous for children or shorter indiv…

Rivian R1S news

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall and complaint records, updated Oct 1, 2026. Complaints are owner reports and are not verified by NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.