It’s hard not to like the Rivian R1T on first impressions. It is a handsome truck, it’s capable, powerful and overall it is much better than a brand new automaker’s first offering has any right to be. However, it’s one thing briefly experiencing a vehicle and another entirely to live with it as you start to notice problems, especially if it comes from an inexperienced automaker.
Edmunds says that after 5,000 miles with the Rivian R1T, much of the positive first impression has worn off. The publication says that even though many of the bugs it encountered early on have been fixed and it expects existing bugs to also be ironed out in the same manner, not all the negatives R1T are fixable through software updates...
The 5,000-mile report states that hardware-related problems “range from just minor annoyances in quality to parts actually coming loose or malfunctioning. For instance, the passenger side exterior window molding came loose and separated from the door, and this apparently coincided with the window not going up all the way - the two issues are probably directly related.
Four more quality issues they discovered include squeaky door handles (both the inside and outside handles squeak, albeit differently and probably for different reasons) and the steering wheel which makes a squeak-like noise when it is being turned. Another issue is that the driver’s door on their example didn’t seem to easily close and you have to slam it to get it properly sealed, as you can see in the video above.
But this type of quality issue is to be expected from a manufacturer that is learning to build cars while it’s actually building them. And the fact that the R1T is still as good as it is, problems and all, still gives Rivian a lot of credit for having very soundly engineered this still remarkable electric truck.
