Rivian is under investigation for rear suspension failure on R1 models

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is Investigation How does the electric car manufacturer Rivian service the rear suspension components of its vehicles, after receiving two reports from owners who lost control of their cars while driving.

The federal safety regulator’s Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) said Thursday that both vehicles had previously undergone maintenance, and one of them had been involved in a collision before the work was completed. According to ODI, Rivian first became aware in March 2025 that the rear toe link — an important part of the suspension that helps keep the wheel straight — had a “sensitivity to service procedures,” prompting the company to update how it handles the part during service and repairs.

The ODI investigation will look into how and why the rear toe link in Rivian R1 vehicles is sensitive to “expected road and service conditions,” compare two failure cases provided by owners, evaluate Rivian’s current toe link repair procedures, and evaluate the condition of other 2023-2024 R1 vehicles.

ODI said nearly 115,000 vehicles could be affected.

Rivian in January 2026 He pointed out Nearly 20,000 vehicles to include those that received foot link service “prior to the March 2025 improvement,” according to ODI.

“Vehicle safety is a top priority at Rivian. Rivian data indicates that the R1 toe link joints are performing as intended,” the company said in a statement to TechCrunch. Rivian also said that one of the vehicles involved was handled by a third-party repair facility.

Both owners who filed the complaints reported a sudden loss of control after a bolt “broken” in the toe link, according to ODI. In one case, the driver of a Rivian R1 suddenly lost control at highway speeds, swerved into another car, and then “collided head-on into a guardrail,” according to his complaint.

In the other case, a Rivian owner said his R1S “swerved over adjacent lanes, over the bike path, onto the side walk and then back onto the road and the side walk” after the same left rear toe link broke. “It left me with neck pain for days, and my Apple Watch kept trying to call 911 thinking I had been in an accident,” the owner wrote in his complaint.

The probe comes like Rivian Less than two weeks away From the start of deliveries of the long-awaited R2 SUV, which the company expects to sell in much larger quantities than its other vehicles. Rivian Plan too To add more than 50 new service centers by the end of 2027, giving it more than 150 total locations, and expanding its fleet of mobile service trucks as well.

Rivian said the R2’s simpler design should help reduce the level of service required. “Reducing mechanical complexity during assembly results in higher quality assurance when vehicles roll off the production line, while at the same time improving the ease and cost of servicing your vehicle should the need arise,” the company says. books In February.