Rivian R1S Drive System Issues: Rear Motor Replacement

Rivian Mom · 2025-05-15T14:45:12+00:00

I've been using my phone's hotspot for months, and my Rivian connects to it automatically to run TuneIn and Spotify through the built-in apps on the main display. To be clear, this wasn’t Bluetooth streaming but actual phone data, and the apps worked perfectly without any issues. In Monday for the first time, I saw a Connect+ message pop up, even though the truck was linked to my phone’s data. I can still stream from my phone using Bluetooth, but the sound quality and user experience weren’t as good. This issue started between over-the-air software updates, though it might be tied to a specific date in the system. I tried a soft reset, but nothing changed. Has anyone heard if Rivian changed their policy on this? I remember Connect+ used to mention it provided "data" for streaming apps, suggesting you could use your own data instead. Now, it seems like you need Connect+ just to access the apps at all. I was surprised they allowed phone hotspots to work before, so this might be a deliberate change. I’m okay with paying for Connect+ if this isn’t just a temporary glitch. Any insights would be appreciated.

Rivian Mom

Active Wheeler

Wednesday at 12:43 PM

Recently, I had an issue with my Rivian R1S that had to do with my rear motor. Out of nowhere, my rear motor started acting strange and turns out it needed a full replacement. At first, I noticed a loud clicking sound and a jerky motion, like the motor was struggling, almost as if something was slipping. I brushed it off initially, but it kept getting worse.

Then, while driving the other day, I heard a loud clunk and a grinding noise from the rear motor. The dashboard lit up with a turtle mode icon and a drive system warning. The grinding eventually stopped, but the turtle mode stayed on, and I couldn’t switch drive modes, adjust ride height, or use adaptive cruise control. The rear motor completely stopped working. I dropped the car off at the service center, where it sat for 10 days, mostly waiting for a new drive unit to arrive from the factory.

I’ve got a service appointment this weekend to wrap things up, and I’ll share the repair details and how long it takes once I know more. Has anyone else run into this with their Rivian? How long did your fix take?

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