J's Rivian
New member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2025
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 2
- Rivian
- 2021 Gen 1 R1T
Every day, I get to see articles posted by different people on various issues. Recently, I came across three threads on the same consumer reports article ranking Rivian dead last in reliability. The last one is from someone who isn't even a Rivian owner, who talks about how Rivian needs to do better before they consider purchasing one. Setting aside the utility, or lack thereof, of making such a post, everyone speaking to Rivian's reliability forgets one thing.
There is a strong inverse correlation between a machine's complexity and reliability. The simpler a machine, the less likely it will experience a malfunction, everything else being equal. Rivian is at the cutting edge of vehicle design. For a 7k-pound SUV that accelerates to 60 in 2.9 seconds and runs an almost 10-second quarter mile. Who else is getting that kind of performance out of ANY vehicle, let alone such an atypical sized and weight vehicle? You can count the cars in the same class on one hand.
People need to understand that being first or being best at something is an arduous task. Rivian could make their vehicles Toyota-level reliable if they used Toyota-level parts. That would give you the reliability you want, but your car would function like the cutting-edge vehicle from 30 years ago. If that's what you want, go ahead and buy it. Those cars all say Toyota or Lexus on them and are available everywhere.
To expect your vehicle to push the boundaries of what's possible while having the same reliability as a vehicle with proven technology that's been refined for many years is asinine. Those buying performance vehicles for a while are used to their fickle nature. If you're mad about Rivian's backlog or vehicle reliability, you should purchase a Ferarri. Tell the Ferarri dealer you're sick of how long the service is taking, and they will tell you that you should feel fortunate you have the privilege of owning a Ferarri. A Bugatti Veyron's oil change is in the five figures; tires are 20K minimum on one of those.
A rocket launch takes a crew of thousands and months of preparation. Those are two examples of machines of increasing complexity requiring increasing technical support. I have a pressure washer that I've had for years and haven't ever changed the oil in it or done any other maintenance, yet every year I go to fire it up with its stale gas and crappy oil, and it fires right up and washes off what I need to be cleaned. Not a very complex machine but it handles heaps of abuse.
Rivian's level of performance and complexity explains why the same consumer report that rated Rivian last in reliability rated it first in customer satisfaction. Despite its flaws, Rivian gives me the most vehicle possible. If I have an issue with it, that's the price I pay for buying a car on the bleeding edge of commercially available technology.
Can Rivian get better at service? Of course, they can, but they aren't going to win in reliability ever. Rivian can have fewer flaws, and they have over time, but there will still be flaws. Everyone must ask themselves what they want from a vehicle because all manufacturers have trade-offs. If you want the most extraordinary possible vehicle, Rivian is a good place to look; if prioritizing incredible bites you in reliability, you willingly made that trade.
Don't be one of those owners who expects their state-of-the-art vehicle to get new features added to the software monthly but have all those updates work flawlessly. Who wants to be able to run an 11-second 1/4 mile on their way to the Rubicon trail yet have all the mechanicals function like the slow Toyota with potato cameras and a software interface that looks like it was coded by a HS student for his science fair project.
There is a strong inverse correlation between a machine's complexity and reliability. The simpler a machine, the less likely it will experience a malfunction, everything else being equal. Rivian is at the cutting edge of vehicle design. For a 7k-pound SUV that accelerates to 60 in 2.9 seconds and runs an almost 10-second quarter mile. Who else is getting that kind of performance out of ANY vehicle, let alone such an atypical sized and weight vehicle? You can count the cars in the same class on one hand.
People need to understand that being first or being best at something is an arduous task. Rivian could make their vehicles Toyota-level reliable if they used Toyota-level parts. That would give you the reliability you want, but your car would function like the cutting-edge vehicle from 30 years ago. If that's what you want, go ahead and buy it. Those cars all say Toyota or Lexus on them and are available everywhere.
To expect your vehicle to push the boundaries of what's possible while having the same reliability as a vehicle with proven technology that's been refined for many years is asinine. Those buying performance vehicles for a while are used to their fickle nature. If you're mad about Rivian's backlog or vehicle reliability, you should purchase a Ferarri. Tell the Ferarri dealer you're sick of how long the service is taking, and they will tell you that you should feel fortunate you have the privilege of owning a Ferarri. A Bugatti Veyron's oil change is in the five figures; tires are 20K minimum on one of those.
A rocket launch takes a crew of thousands and months of preparation. Those are two examples of machines of increasing complexity requiring increasing technical support. I have a pressure washer that I've had for years and haven't ever changed the oil in it or done any other maintenance, yet every year I go to fire it up with its stale gas and crappy oil, and it fires right up and washes off what I need to be cleaned. Not a very complex machine but it handles heaps of abuse.
Rivian's level of performance and complexity explains why the same consumer report that rated Rivian last in reliability rated it first in customer satisfaction. Despite its flaws, Rivian gives me the most vehicle possible. If I have an issue with it, that's the price I pay for buying a car on the bleeding edge of commercially available technology.
Can Rivian get better at service? Of course, they can, but they aren't going to win in reliability ever. Rivian can have fewer flaws, and they have over time, but there will still be flaws. Everyone must ask themselves what they want from a vehicle because all manufacturers have trade-offs. If you want the most extraordinary possible vehicle, Rivian is a good place to look; if prioritizing incredible bites you in reliability, you willingly made that trade.
Don't be one of those owners who expects their state-of-the-art vehicle to get new features added to the software monthly but have all those updates work flawlessly. Who wants to be able to run an 11-second 1/4 mile on their way to the Rubicon trail yet have all the mechanicals function like the slow Toyota with potato cameras and a software interface that looks like it was coded by a HS student for his science fair project.
