12,000 Rivian R1S, R1T Recalled over Badly Tightened Fastener That Could Affect Steering

• Electric-vehicle startup Rivian has announced that it will recall 12,212 of its 2022 R1S SUVs, R1T pickups, and EDV commercial vehicles to fix an improperly tightened fastener.
• The fastener connects the vehicles’ front upper control arm and the steering knuckle, and there have been two reports of the fastener coming loose, according to documents filed with NHTSA.
• Rivian will begin notifying owners by November 24.

EV startup Rivian, responding to reports of an insufficiently torqued fastener that could cause excessive noise, vibration, and harshness, will recall more than 12,000 R1S, R1T, and EDV commercial vehicles built between December 2021 and the end of September 2022. The company called it a potential safety issue in its filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and said it will notify owners to arrange the fix by November 24.

The problem is described as an improperly tightened fastener that connects the front upper control arm and the steering knuckle. Rivian reported that its engineering staff reviewed one problematic vehicle on August 13 and listed six additional reports of problems with the fastener received by the end of September, including two where the steering knuckle “had become loose or separated.” The automaker said “a safety-related defect exists related to this matter” and added that the problem could affect a driver’s ability to control the steering, although the NHTSA filings do not describe any accidents or injuries as a result of it.

The recall may be for a relatively simple fix, but the number of vehicles being recalled also represents a large percentage of the total production from this young company. A Rivian spokesperson told Car and Driver that the company has built a total of 15,332 vehicles since it started production, including 14,327 so far in 2022, so a recall of 12,212 is a majority of all EVs it has built so far. The spokesperson would not comment on how many of those recalled are R1T pickups and how many are R1S SUVs or EDV commercial models.

Rivian has had production delays caused by supply-chain issues, in which it’s not alone as this is an industry-wide issue. Rivian said earlier this month that it is still on target to meet its goal of manufacturing 25,000 vehicles in 2022.

Other recalls for the new products have included one for an airbag sensor that did not work to deactivate the safety system if an infant seat was in the front passenger position, and another for an improperly attached seatbelt anchor. Both of those recalls were for only a few hundred vehicles.

While waiting to be notified, owners can check the NHTSA recalls site for more information and to see if their vehicle is affected.

Source: Motor - aranddriver.com