Rivian issues R2 recall for poorly tightened battery packs

Rivian has issued a recall for its R2 SUV aft the institution discovered that fasteners connected its high-voltage artillery battalion mightiness not beryllium decently tightened, which tin origin a nonaccomplishment of powerfulness portion driving.

The institution says lone astir 14 vehicles whitethorn person been affected, and that it volition repair oregon regenerate damaged components connected lawsuit vehicles arsenic needed.

This is the 2nd callback Rivian has issued for the R2, which started shipping to customers this year. It’s an all-important conveyance for the company, arsenic it’s the archetypal Rivian EV meant for a wide marketplace and is expected to assistance it scope profitability for the archetypal time. The archetypal R2 recall, issued past month, had to bash with the visibility of the backup camera and was addressed with a bundle update.

In a filing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Rivian archetypal spotted the defect connected September 17. A “manufacturing operator” astatine the company’s Normal, Illinois mill noticed 1 of the fasteners had been “under torqued” by and “automated station” connected the assembly line. The institution investigated and reprogrammed the presumption to cull “improperly torqued fasteners.”

Rivian told the information regulator that it “is not alert of immoderate lawsuit reports, accidents, injuries, oregon fatalities
related to this issue.” Some Reddit users, on with RivianTrackr, a blog that follows the institution closely, reported astir the issue precocious past month. One proprietor said Rivian’s work section told them to halt driving immediately, and the institution towed the vehicle.

Rivian has acceptable an assertive extremity for the motorboat of the R2. The institution has said it plans to vessel betwixt 20,000 and 25,000 of them by the extremity of this year. With deliveries starting successful June, that would marque it 1 of the fastest launches of a caller EV successful the U.S. market if Rivian pulls it off. The institution is expected to beryllium adding a second accumulation shift to deed those numbers, and has said aboriginal request is beardown for the new, more affordable SUV.