Rivian Recalls First Batch of R2 SUVs Over Battery Fastener Issue

Rivian has issued a recall for its R2 SUV after discovering that some fasteners on the high-voltage battery pack may not have been tightened to specification, a condition that could lead to a sudden loss of power while the vehicle is in motion. According to the company, roughly 14 vehicles could be impacted, and Rivian says it will either properly torque the fasteners or replace any damaged parts at no charge to owners. All affected units are currently sitting at service centers where they are undergoing inspection, the automaker confirmed.

The defect was first flagged on September 17 when a worker at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois plant noticed that an automated station on the assembly line had under-torqued one of the fasteners. The company launched an investigation and subsequently reprogrammed the station so it would reject any fasteners that did not meet torque requirements. Rivian told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it has not received any customer reports, accidents, injuries, or fatalities tied to the problem. Even so, some Reddit users and the RivianTrackr blog had already been discussing the issue in late September, with one owner saying the service department advised them to stop driving immediately and arranged a tow.

This marks the second recall for the R2, which only began reaching customers earlier this year. The previous recall, issued last month, concerned backup camera visibility and was resolved through a software update. The R2 carries enormous strategic weight for Rivian as its first mass-market EV and a key piece of its push toward profitability for the first time. The company has set an ambitious target of delivering 20,000 to 25,000 R2s by year’s end, and with deliveries having started in June, hitting that number would make it one of the quickest new EV launches in the U.S. market. Rivian is expected to add a second production shift to meet those goals and has said early demand for the more affordable SUV has been robust.