2023 Rivian R1S problems & reliability
71 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Rivian R1S, alongside 9 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 29 | 41% |
| Unknown OR Other | 16 | 23% |
| Electrical System → | 15 | 21% |
| Seats → | 12 | 17% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 7 | 10% |
| Suspension | 7 | 10% |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 8% |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 8% |
| Lane Departure | 5 | 7% |
| Steering | 5 | 7% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 22 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On XXX, at approximately 12:19 PM, I was in the drive-through lane at a Chick-fil-A in [XXX], with my child as a passenger. I was using one-pedal driving mode and had come to a complete stop with my foot off the accelerator. I turned briefly to hand my child an ice cream cup, and when I looked back at the road, the…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Jul 30, 2026
“Tension noise and creaking coming from suspensions. Special washers were needed in order to fill gaps in build tolerances.”
Suspension · filed Jul 10, 2026
“When an adult passenger is in the vehicle passenger seat, the passenger airbag light shows "airbag off" Approximate weight 130 pounds”
Air Bags · filed Jul 10, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Rear Toe Link May Separate
Preliminary Evaluation PE26004 · opened May 26, 2026 · open
Technical service bulletins
48 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2023 Rivian R1S. The 10 most recent:
Rivian is launching a technical service bulletin for some model year 2022-2026 R1T and R1S vehicles that might have an audible rattle originating from the B-pillar area when driving on rough road surfaces. Upon customer…
RSB-93-26-002-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2026
Rivian is launching a technical service bulletin for some model year 2022-2024 R1T and R1S vehicles that might have bubbles in the painted surfaces below the exterior door handles. On these vehicles, adhesive that…
RSB-56-25-002-2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2026
Rivian is launching a technical service bulletin for some model year 2022-2024 R1T and R1S vehicles that could have inadequate adhesion between the outer door panel and an internal reinforcement. On affected doors, the…
RSB-56-26-001-2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2026
Rivian is launching a technical service bulletin for some model year 2022-2024 R1 vehicles that may have ultrasonic sensors detached from the front fascia mounting area. After detachment, the ultrasonic sensor may…
RSB-86-26-001-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 19, 2026
Rivian is launching a technical service bulletin for some model year 2022-2024 R1T and R1S vehicles that may be susceptible to water ingress in the front HVAC assembly. This may result in damp or soggy carpets in the…
RSB-26-26-001-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 15, 2026
Rivian is launching a technical service bulletin for some model year 2022-2026 R1T and R1S vehicles that may be prone to noise and/or vibration from the door areas, particularly buzzing and rattling sounds. This results…
RSB-93-26-001-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2026
SMS Reminder sent to customers who had still open potential 12-volt failures.
12v Battery Low SMS 2 · Other · issued Feb 17, 2026
SMS sent to customers with potential 12-volt failure and advising need for replacement to avoid drivability interruptions.
12v Battery Low SMS 1 · Other · issued Feb 9, 2026
Rivian is launching a technical service bulletin for some model year 2022-2024 R1T and R1S vehicles that could have inadequate adhesion between the outer door panel and an internal reinforcement. On affected doors, the…
RSB-56-26-001-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 4, 2026
Rivian is initiating a customer satisfaction campaign for some model year 2022-2024 R1T and R1S vehicles. These vehicles may have HV battery connectors that are susceptible to corrosion in some climates. If corrosion…
RCA-30-25-001-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 21, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2023 Rivian R1S has 9 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2023 Rivian R1S?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.