Why Some Early Rivian Owners Are Losing Patience With Software Fixes
A Reddit post making the rounds this week has struck a nerve with a lot of Rivian owners, and it highlights a frustration that’s been bubbling under the surface for a while.
The post, titled “The Wet Handshake: Rivian’s Ignoring of Long-Term Bugs Is Getting Old,” comes from an owner with two R1 vehicles. It references RJ’s early comment that the R1 represents Rivian’s handshake with the world, and argues that, at least on the software side, that handshake doesn’t feel very strong today.
Instead of focusing on missing features, the post calls out long-standing issues that have reportedly stuck around for a year or more. HVAC systems behaving erratically on road trips, driver-assist features disabling themselves in light mist or snow, USB-C ports resetting under load, confusing navigation behavior, misleading preconditioning messages, and inconsistency in Snow Mode regen are some of the examples cited.
Individually, these are annoyances. Taken together, they point to a deeper concern around follow-through. Many commenters echoed similar experiences, especially around driver-assist reliability and climate control, suggesting these aren’t isolated edge cases.
The bigger issue raised is perception. As Rivian talks more about R2, autonomy, and future platforms, some early R1 owners feel like the vehicle that introduced the brand to the world is no longer getting the attention it deserves. For a group that largely helped build Rivian’s reputation, that feeling matters.
To be clear, Rivian ownership experiences vary widely. Plenty of owners still report extremely positive experiences and say their R1 is the best vehicle they’ve ever owned. But the consistency of certain complaints, particularly around software polish and service responsiveness, is hard to ignore.
This conversation comes at an important time for Rivian. With R2 on the horizon, expectations will only rise. Mainstream buyers will be less forgiving of long-standing issues, which makes tightening up the everyday experience on R1 more important than ever.
Rivian has already proven it can build compelling vehicles. The next step is proving it can consistently clean up the small things that shape long-term trust.
Jose’s Note
Throughout my own Rivian ownership, I’ve definitely run into a few software annoyances and minor frustrations, but nothing that would stop me from buying another Rivian or recommending one to someone else. Despite the quirks, I still believe in the product, the direction of the company, and what Rivian is building long-term.
I bought an R1T 6 months ago after being interested in the brand for years. The idea of the vehicle is fantastic, the QC of the vehicle and service experience is severely lacking for any price, let alone a $90k+ vehicle. Rivian is going to win over some consumers with a test drive like they did me, but they’re going to lose 10x others due to word of mouth from poor ownership experiences like my own. They have 100% bit off more than they can chew.
Service waits are still 4+ months, my Gen 2 has been in 6 times in a year of ownership and it’s been towed in for serious issues twice. It’s currently in the service center again and been in for over a week and they haven’t even started working on my vehicle. Also the closest service center is almost 200 miles from me. I’ve had to take a ton of time off work for service issues for this vehicle. I absolutely would not purchase a Rivian again and I’m not extremely concerned about how long service wait times will be once they start delivering R2’s. Every single software updated has seemed to cause new bugs and issues. It’s extremely disappointing.
I can’t say I’ve experienced any of the issues identified in the “Wet Handshake” post, but I’ve noticed a lot of little things that distract from an otherwise great experience:
– lack of “resume” function for cruise control (like every other automaker except Tesla)
– the audio app covers up some options in Spotify and Tidal, requiring you to swipe it away to access them
– the inability to view playlists in Spotify and Tidal without switching the audio over
– the Spotify app will randomly switch to a different playlist than the one I selected
– not showing the battery temperature while charging (yet still showing the motor temps?)
– Rivian Premium audio still very inferior to the old Merdian system, especially in bass output and clarity
– snowflakes have 6 sides, not 4 (Tesla gets this wrong too)
– the inability to put the wipers into service mode when set to Auto
– the audio and cruise control toggles on the steering wheel are exactly opposite that of Tesla (and I’m sure many R1 owners are current/former Tesla owners)
– cannot access the cameras from the app
– no garage door opener toggle in the app
– electronic door handles are a solution in search of a problem… if you have to include manual releases anyway for emergency situations, then why bother?
– unlocking slow to respond when using phone as key
– the truck will unlock and let me into the vehicle only to then say that it cannot detect a key
– it would be nice to have a separate “button” for the heated steering wheel instead of having to go into the seat heating/cooling submenu… there’s room on the screen
The unlocking is the worst for me.. Stand by the truck, put everything in your hands somewhere else, open the app, click unlock.. So frustrating.
As a R1T Gen 2 owner I can’t say I’ve experienced ALL these but I do have a growing list of annoyances and software weirdness myself. I wish Rivian would prioritize these very fixable issues this versus $$$ pie in the sky autonomy goals, or distracting bicycles, toys and the like. Owner UI frustrations are far, far more important to the future of Rivian and we all want them to succeed. Having leased my 2025 and loving my truck it leaves me wondering about their future, and my own, I’m in a seemingly growing camp of Scout reservation holders thinking towards 2027/8. If Rivian thinks loyalty is endless – they’re whistling past the graveyard in my opinion.
thank you for highlighting this. there are so many annoying little bugs like this that makes a great car not as much fun to drive. Between this and the extended delays in delivering promised features I worry for the R2.
I agree so many minor issues that makes ownership not so great, and some forgotten promises that have not been solved. The mayor one for me, is a way of keeping 4wd enabled in all purpose for Dual motor vehicles. Driving in mountainous road with front wheel drive is sketchy. Maybe having a conserve mode like quad and tri motor vehicles. Currently I have to drive either on snow mode or reduced stability to keep both motors engaged which is not optimal
Ive had a 2026 R1S since September. First week of November a message popped that DC charging was disabled. Spent a week at the service center before they said it was a software issue, not hardware and that a new build would come out “in the next week or so” to fix it. Its now been a month since I dropped it off and it’s still not fixed. I dont have a level 2 charger at home, so I’m stuck with slowly trickling a charge overnight to recoup what I used during the day.
As exciting as the new features are, I really wish some smaller builds with bug fixes would come out outside the usual cadence.
But wait… here’s some Halloween themes!
Thanks for the balanced write-up, Jose. Your platform feels much more even-handed than places like RivianForums, where raising concerns often gets painted as being anti-Rivian crybaby instead of realizing that highlight issues improves the product. I’m a big supporter of the brand and genuinely want Rivian to succeed, but I also don’t want to feel left hanging after making a six-figure investment and placing my trust in the company.
I’m approaching two years of ownership and have had 17 service center visits on a $104K truck. That experience has unfortunately turned off all of my coworkers and their families who were considering Rivian. I still love the vision and the potential, but the product quality today leaves a lot to be desired.
Because of that, I don’t see myself buying another first- or even second-generation Rivian model—R1, R2, R3, or anything else. Fool me twice, shame on me.
As an early adopter, I totally get that some of the promises made wont be able to be delivered upon in the current configuration of our vehicles. HOWEVER, even the big bad Tesla did right by their earliest adopters eventually (with amply public pressure). The first gen R1 vehicles ALL need to receive hardware retrofits for the cameras and ADAS systems. That is without question the biggest misrepresentation made to our initial release vehicles. Secondly, any vehicles that are repeatedly repaired for major system failures need to be taken out of circulation by the company, full stop. Early VIN builds are engineering builds prone to quirks and failures and simply frankensteining them back together is unsafe and irresponsible. You think this is going to get any better or easier to get these fixes when they have 100K+ more R2 vehicles that are going to start getting produced this coming year. Goodwill from consumers has run out, they need to get it together now.
Thank you Jose for this site. If anyone saw RJ’s interview at the Atlanta Rotary club a few weeks back (check youtube), he literally said Gen1 driving assist was a “throw away” platform for Rivian. When the interviewer commented on what Gen1 buyers should do, RJ said “they should buy Gen2”. Really disappointed to hear this attitude towards those of us who waited years and have been very patient with our Gen1 “growing pains”. I also can’t wait to see what Scout brings and ironically likely utilizing the VW-Rivian software stack.
He’s an engineer with excellent education from MIT, but remember he’s an engeer. He answered like an engineer without any consideration for loyalty, customers, sympathy or empathy for humans, or understanding of economic investment from initial buyers. It was a 100% honest response, so there is our answer. Loyalty is NOT a 2-way street with Rivian or Tesla or Ford or GM or any of these companies.
And Rivian owners should act accordingly when they’re buying their next vehicle. Rivian benefitted from brand perception and perceived empathy from RJ, the company is showing that that is not sustainable.
Also very funny that RJ is acting as interim CMO when this is how he talks, he needs some better media training.
Billions will do that to ya!
My R1T is #9151. I’ve got 65000 miles on Doc Brown and enjoyed every one. Im not sure if anyone has owned any vehicle made since the early 2000s but they all have issues and little quirks. For a start up manufactuer…i think Rivian is doing just fine. Can they improve?? Sure but damn. I have not had a vehicle that hasnt had some quirk in a long time. The most reliable cars i ever owned were 80s and 90s Hondas. You could beat the shit out of them and they just kept going. Love my Rivian…and best vehicle i have ever owned. Period
Out of all of the complaints, the only one I occasionally have is the little bit of slowness with proximity unlocking. I’ve actually been really impressed with the polish of the Rivian software overall.
Now, some of the stuff the complaints are about are things I never use (like, I don’t think I’ve ever used a single USB-C plug in my car, other than for my recording hard drive), but it does seem like these “bugs” are few and far between. Certainly not to anywhere close to a “crisis” level that this Reddit post seems to suggest.
Check the floor on your drive and passenger side to make sure your carpet isnt just riddled with water, moisture and mold. Fingers crossed you got a good one and avoided this manufacturing plague.
Mine did that ‘ I thought I left my kids soccer socks or something. I’m like why does it smell like wet rag…. If you have the weather proof mats double check cause you won’t tell it’s wet cause the rubber. Mold all up in the backside.
Had that problem. Noticed it while I was vacuuming under the mats. Put in a service order and was seen within two weeks. HVAC system replaced under warranty (40k miles) They gave me a loaner R1T to use. Have had the truck for almost 4 years and still love it. The service was seamless. No more moisture or problems.
This is way better than my Ford Expedition King Ranch that needed a new AC compressor during the warranty period. I had to fight with the dealer to prove it was covered and then it took a month to get it replaced. Even with their growing problems, I’ll take the Rivian service any day.
As a ’22 R1T owner I suppose I’m lucky to not be experiencing all these annoying issues. Proximity locking is annoying, yes. And Spotify still freezes regularly when transitioning from home wifi, but that’s about all of the issues that are still noticeable for me. I probably have some of the same issues others complain about too, but they just don’t bother me enough for me to care.
What I do care about is the PTC fiasco. Rivian finally did right by early R1T buyers by offering a retrofit, which was awesome! But they didn’t bother to offer a solution for the unlucky folks who happened to buy Nov’22 to Apr’23 models. That is the one and only item that continues to sour the Rivian ownership experience for me.