Rivian R1S Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
234 NHTSA complaints (2022–2026).Complaint rate: 34.5 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.
Should I buy a Rivian R1S?
Quick answer from 234 NHTSA complaints · 2022–2026
Rivian R1S shows elevated crash or fire rates — buy with caution. 22.2% of reported complaints involved a crash — above the ~4% mainstream average. Most complaints relate to airbags. Inspect carefully or consider a different model in the same class.
- 2023 Rivian R1S· 46.9/10K sold
- 2022 Rivian R1S· 137.5/10K sold
- 2022 Rivian R1S· 137.5/10K sold
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- airbags — 36 complaints (5.6% involved a crash)
- electrical faults — 22 complaints (13.6% involved a crash)
- seat-related issues — 17 complaints (0.0% involved a crash)
- brakes — 14 complaints (57.1% involved a crash)
- unintended acceleration — 12 complaints (50.0% involved a crash)
What Happened to 2,334 Rivian R1Ss On the Road
Complaints record what owners reported. These are the outcomes actually recorded against 2,334 Rivian R1S VINs built 2022–2026 — accidents, title brands and odometer flags from our vehicle-history database, not from the NHTSA complaint file.
Do the complaint spikes show up in real accident history?
The Rivian R1S averages 3.3% accident history across all model years. Here is how the years flagged above compare on real records:
- 2022 — 2.4% of 288 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 3.3% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
Typical Rivian R1S on record: 1.2 owners on average, 10,425 average miles.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold — normalized for production volume so low-sales years aren't falsely rated "good".
Bottom line: The Rivian R1S has consistently lower complaint volume in 2023 compared to other years.
Avoid These Years
No years with significant complaint spikes.
Average
Better Years
Too New
Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $8.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold
Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales
Show raw complaint counts
Common Rivian R1S Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Airbags | 36 | 5.6% |
| Electrical Faults | 22 | 13.6% |
| Seat-Related Issues | 17 | 0.0% |
| Brakes | 14 | 57.1% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 12 | 50.0% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | 10 | 70.0% |
| Headlight/Taillight Failures | 9 | 0.0% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 9 | 77.8% |
| Steering Defects | 8 | 12.5% |
| Suspension Failures | 7 | 28.6% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (234 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 100% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 67,750.
On-road outcomes: Accident, title-brand, theft and odometer records for 2,334 Rivian R1S VINs in our vehicle-history database. Independent of the NHTSA complaint file — a complaint is what an owner reported, these are what was recorded against the vehicle. Year-level figures are shown only for model years with at least 200 VINs on record.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
Buying a Rivian R1S?
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