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Rivian 2025.22 Update May Be Causing HVAC Cooling Delays
It feels like something changed with Rivian’s HVAC behavior since 2025.22 rolled out. Living in Florida, where humidity is always brutal, I’m used to cranking the system to “Lo” and full blast when I first get in my R1S or R1T. Normally, the air gets icy fast, making the cabin bearable within a minute or two. Lately, though, the system seems to just push outside-temperature air, almost like it’s just a fan running, before finally kicking in the compressor and cooling properly.
This isn’t a one-off glitch either. It’s been happening in both of my vehicles, which makes me think it could be tied to the update rather than a hardware issue. It feels like Rivian may have changed how the compressor engages, maybe to conserve energy or reduce stress on the system, but whatever tweak they made seems to have hurt real-world comfort in hot, humid climates. When it’s 95 degrees and muggy outside, there’s no room for “gentle” cooling strategies. You need cold air immediately, not five minutes later.
Based on replies to my tweet, this doesn’t seem isolated to my vehicles either. Other owners are reporting the same lag in cooling, which suggests the update may have adjusted HVAC logic across the lineup. If this is intentional, Rivian needs to rethink the balance between efficiency and comfort, especially for owners in regions where stepping into a parked EV already feels like stepping into an oven. If it’s just a bug, hopefully Rivian patches it soon, because right now, early summer drives are starting to feel way less comfortable than they should.
If Rivian doesn’t address this in a future update, I suspect we’ll see more people voicing frustrations, especially as the heat of August approaches.
I didn’t think this is just a Gen 2 problem. My Gen 1 R1S is exhibiting the exact same behavior.
Thanks for sharing, I adjusted the article to include both generations!
We noticed the same with our Gen 2. Not fun when you live in Phoenix, AZ!
Whenever you are en route to the vehicle, or within sight, hit the vent windows button in the app and then start the cooling. Put up windows once cool or sound is too loud at speed. Anecdotally, seems to reduce cooling time by 75%, and is faster than my other vehicles I’ve experienced.
I’ve noticed the same thing in my 1st gen r1t. The truck is parked under cover & I vent the windows & all, it just seems to take a lot longer to cool down
I have this issue. Was hoping the last update would fix it, but it did not. I have a service request submitted, hoping to get in the shop in the next few days.
If it is related to this issue, service won’t be able to do much.
I have no way to know if it is related. Could be too low/too much refrigerant, bad component, software, no way for me to know. but its is awful hot to drive (90+F in VA) so it needs looked at. It does cool on cooler days (50F air vent temps). But if I stop and park it in the sun on a hot day the air vent temp never gets below 75-80F. Soft and hard resets don’t help.
Gaithersburg MD Rivian Service Center serviced my A/C system and it works fine now. They found it low on refrigerant. Found no leaks. Came from the factory that way. 2025 R1T.
Good to know It’s not just me. It used to cool very fast. The extreme heat and humidity in NE Florida right now is not helping. It was less than 2 min in the past. I now start it 6-7 min ahead of time due to the current temps, just to get the cabin down to at least 74 before hopping in. Hope it gets fixed with next update.
My Gen 1 R1T does the same thing. Had it in for service and no results , no explanation.
I agree. I felt the same and thought the AC is not working. And I have a brand new 2025 R1T tri max ! Hopefully they will or have fixed it soon.
Yep, I didn’t actually think about it being update related but that makes total sense. I’m getting ceramic tint which might help but it takes a while to cool for sure
I agree if it’s a bug it needs to be fixed. I have no idea if it’s affecting my R1 though. I just open the app and set the temp 5 minutes before I leave. Takes a whopping 3 seconds and it’s exactly the right temp everytime I climb in. Easy peasy.
My cooled seats are getting weaker and weaker as well. Why can’t this truck just work when it comes to climate control? Mine is getting to the point where it is unusable on a very hot day. Come on Rivian!
To add to this I agree the cooling has been noticeably weaker. So much so that while driving home last week the A/C was clearly struggling and then my R1T Quad popped a 12V error, 4wD locked error and the. went into turtle mode limited to 61 all while on the highway. Mobile service is visiting tomorrow as this first presented itself as the app being unable to wake the truck and pre-chill before departures. This all started after the latest update.