2022 Rivian Edv

On September 22, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 25011 to investigate and assess allegations of seat belt performance concerns in certain Model Year (MY) 2022-2023 Rivian Electric Delivery Van (EDV).  ODI has received fourteen (14) Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) reporting potential failures of the driver’s front outboard seat belt anchorage system. The anchorage utilizes a steel-braided cable linked to the seat frame, which supports the seat belt webbing that secures the occupant in the event of a crash.  The VOQ describe instances in which the steel-braided cable frayed, unraveled, or completely severed, potentially leaving the occupant inadequately restrained during vehicle operation.  A partial or complete separation of the seat belt pretensioner anchor cable can significantly degrade occupant restraint performance in a crash.  A damaged cable may also prevent the pretensioner from removing belt slack at the onset of a vehicle crash impact, which could reduce airbag effectiveness and increase the risk of injury. ODI’s investigation sought to determine whether the seat belt assembly’s integrity, design, durability, mounting position, installation method, or manufacturing deficiencies could have contributed to the reported condition. Following the opening of the investigation, Rivian Automotive, LLC (Rivian) determined that the seat belt pretensioner anchor cable contained a safety defect in the subject vehicle population and filed a Part 573 Defect Information Report. Recall 25V-816 is intended to address MY 2022-2025 Rivian EDV vehicles. Rivian has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update and will inspect and replace the driver’s seat belt pretensioner assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on January 19, 2026. This recall action seems to resolve the concerns reported by customers.  The recall scope includes MY 2024-2025 vehicles in addition to MY 2022-2023 vehicles identified in this investigation.  Accordingly, ODI is closing Investigation PE25011. The agency will continue to monitor field performance, complaint trends, and recall completion rates to assess the adequacy of the remedy.  ODI reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future developments. To review the ODI reports cited in this Closing Resume, go to NHTSA.gov and search the associated ODI Report Identification Numbers.

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

seat belt anchor failure

NHTSA ID

11693870

Incident

Oct 15, 2025

Same as several of our Rivian vehicles, the seat belt anchor is failing causing a major safety concern.

NHTSA ID

11691721

Incident

Sep 18, 2025

Same problem as many of our Rivian vans, the seat belt is coming loose at the anchor point causing a major safety concern.

NHTSA ID

11691720

Incident

Sep 18, 2025

The seat belt anchor for the lap belt has separated from the anchor point. It appears the cable is pulling apart as can be seen in photos I will be attaching. This is a huge safety concern however Rivian is telling us this is from a driver sitting on the seat belt. I am denying this accusation because we have cab facing cameras that detect this kind of behavior.

NHTSA ID

11679086

Incident

May 14, 2025

During normal operation of the this vehicle, the seatbelt pretensioner cable snapped when the driver attempted to buckle the seatbelt. This is where the lap belt portion is attached to the seat. The cable is frayed and breaks. This same defect has occurred on 5 of our 34 vehicles of the same make and model in the last 12 months. The manufacturer has replaced the first four failures and advised that we need to pay for the repair. This is a Rivian produced Amazon delivery vehicle. Online forums show this being reported by Amazon drivers throughout the country, so it is not an isolated incident. If this cable were to break during an accident, the occupant would no longer be restrained by the seatbelt. The manufacturer has advised us that this is the result of seatbelt misuse, the part is being stressed by drivers sitting on the seatbelt. I find it hard to believe that a component designed to withstand extreme g-force pressure would be damaged from a 180 pound person sitting on it. There must be some flaw in the material, workmanship, or design.

NHTSA ID

11673844

Incident

Jul 15, 2025

We have a fleet of these Rivian delivery vehicles and they all have the same issue: the shift lever is made of inferior materials and insufficiently designed. The operator manipulates the shift lever to place the vehicle in drive and the lever breaks off. The vehicle is then stuck in gear and cannot be shifted. This is causing near miss incidents due to the operator being unable to safely control the vehicle. Example: operator places the vehicle in "D" to drive forward but is then unable to place the vehicle in "R" to reverse backward, or to place the vehicle in "P" to park. There are no warnings or indications that the failure is about to occur. These units have been inspected by the manufacturer and their representatives but they refuse to address the concern and prefer to instead charge the owner/operator for replacement of the defective part.

NHTSA ID

11589630

Incident

May 19, 2024

The new Amazon Rivian EDV vans lack passenger-side airbags. Amazon is requiring Driver Trainers to sit in the passenger "jump seat" for 3+ hours a day for on-the-road training tests. The government requires front airbags for both the driver & passenger, yet Amazon is requiring Driver Trainers to sit in a seat without proper safety protections. The van also has a blue metal pole in front of the passenger seat that people could hit their heads on, and there is a hard surface behind the head that could be hit during whiplash. If the government requires front airbags, how can Amazon require it's employees to sit a vehicle without them? The official Rivian EDV operating guide PDF is attached here which confirms the lack of passenger-side safety features & airbags. Amazon claims that safety is their #1 priority, yet they are not providing basic safety for their Driver Trainers.

NHTSA ID

11508793

Incident

Feb 22, 2023

Rivian is initiating a customer satisfaction campaign for some model year 2022-2024 EDV and RCV vehicles. These vehicles may have been manufactured with a front passenger side door that is prone to cracking. If cracking occurs, the door is unable to be latched in the open position. Vehicle ingress and egress is not affected. Rivian will install a reinforcement plate onto the front passenger side door and a shim in the door track to prevent this condition. Rivian is launching this campaign for customer satisfaction and to ensure the quality of Rivian vehicles.

FSAM-1408 - Rivian is initiating a customer satisfaction campaign for some model year 2022-2024 EDV vehicles which, to date, have been delivered solely to Amazon. These vehicles may have been manufactured with an HVAC blower that is subject to premature failure in regions with high ambient temperatures. Rivian will replace the HVAC blower with an improved version. Rivian is launching this campaign for customer satisfaction and to ensure the quality of Rivian vehicles. This revision is an expansion of the vehicle population

Rivian is initiating a customer satisfaction campaign for some model year 2022-2025 EDV and RCV vehicles. On these vehicles, the connection between the instrument panel harness and body harness could become corroded if it is exposed to liquid that is spilled in the instrument panel cup holder or adjacent areas. If corrosion occurs, the vehicle may not be able to turn on, may not be able to shift into drive or reverse, and/or may enter into a reduced performance safe-state mode with a fault indicator light illuminated on the driver display alerting the driver to have service performed on the vehicle. Rivian will install a water shield to protect the connection. Rivian is launching this campaign for customer satisfaction and to ensure the quality of Rivian vehicles.