Rivian Lemon Law Attorney in California

Rivian owners deal with a service model unlike most car brands: no dealerships, service centers and mobile vans booked through an app, and frequent over-the-air software updates. That setup can be convenient, but it can also leave you unsure how to document a problem that keeps coming back. This page is for California owners and lessees of the R1T, R1S, R2 and Rivian commercial vans.

California's lemon law covers Rivian vehicles like any other new car or truck. If Rivian cannot fix a warranty defect within a reasonable number of attempts, you may be entitled to a repurchase, a replacement, or a cash settlement. Rivian's warranty guide also adds a dispute resolution step you should know about before you file anything, which we explain below.

Rivian Warranty Coverage and Lemon Law

Rivian publishes its terms in a New Vehicle Limited Warranty Guide for the R1T and R1S. The guide we reviewed (effective June 28, 2024, covering the 2022 through 2025 model years) lists:

• Comprehensive warranty: 4 years or 50,000 miles for most configurations, and 5 years or 60,000 miles for 2022 to 2024 vehicles with the Large battery pack and Quad-Motor drivetrain.
• Battery pack and drivetrain: 8 years, with a mileage limit of 120,000, 150,000 or 175,000 miles depending on the battery pack and motor configuration. The battery warranty covers a pack that loses 30% or more of its rated usable capacity during the warranty period.
• Corrosion (perforation only): 8 years, no mileage limit.
• Seat belts and related parts: 8 years or 100,000 miles.
• Adjustments: 1 year or 12,000 miles.

Rivian updates its guide regularly, and the R2 and commercial vans have their own documents, so check the current guide for your vehicle in the Rivian app or on Rivian's website.

For pre-owned vehicles, Rivian's support page says a used Rivian keeps the remainder of its original New Vehicle Limited Warranty. That matters because, since Rodriguez v. FCA US (2024), ordinary used cars sold without the new-car warranty generally no longer qualify under the new-vehicle part of the lemon law. Certified, demo and company-owned vehicles sold with remaining factory warranty can still qualify, and our firm takes those cases. The defect needs to be reported to Rivian while the applicable coverage is active.

Rivian Recalls and Complaints by the Numbers

From our database of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records for the 2021 and newer model years:

• 25 recall campaigns covering Rivian vehicles
• 543 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Most common recall areas

Most recalled models

Most common complaint areas

Recent Rivian recalls

• R2: Electrical System (26V625000, 2026-09-29)
• R1S, R1T, R2: Back Over Prevention (26V597000, 2026-09-16)
• R1S, R1T: Exterior Lighting (26V508000, 2026-08-05)
• R1S, R1T: Seat Belts (26V009000, 2026-01-15)
• R1S, R1T: Suspension (26V003000, 2026-01-05)
• Edv: Seat Belts (25V816000, 2025-11-25)
• R1S, R1T: Forward Collision Avoidance (25V585000, 2025-09-08)
• R1S, R1T: Electrical System (25V537000, 2025-08-21)

See every Rivian recall or check your VIN for recalls.

Common Rivian Problems in Recalls and Complaints

Rivian has issued 25 recalls since the 2021 model year, and owners have filed 543 complaints, according to NHTSA recall and complaint data. Rivian only began deliveries in late 2021, so nearly its entire U.S. history falls inside this period.

What the recalls cover

Exterior lighting is the most common recall component, with 5 recalls. Seat belts and air bags follow with 4 each, then equipment and the electrical system with 3 each and suspension with 2. Vehicle speed control and steering each have one. Lighting recalls typically involve turn signals or lamps that may not work as required. Seat belt and air bag recalls usually concern a part that may not restrain an occupant as designed, such as a retractor, anchor or pretensioner. Recent examples include a turn signal recall on the R1S and R1T and a suspension fastener recall.

Six Rivian recalls were fixed with an over-the-air software update, about one in four of the total. None carried a do-not-drive or park-outside warning.

What owners report

The complaint data is spread more evenly than at most brands. Air bags account for the most complaints at 61, followed closely by forward collision avoidance at 59 and "unknown or other" at 56. The electrical system has 48, suspension 36, seat belts 28, steering 27 and vehicle speed control 25.

Forward collision avoidance and speed control complaints usually describe driver assistance features acting unexpectedly, such as braking for no clear reason, warnings that will not clear, or adaptive cruise behaving erratically. Suspension complaints in vehicles with air suspension often involve ride height changes, warning messages, or a ride that suddenly turns harsh. Electrical problems in an EV can range from a dead 12-volt battery to charging faults or screens that go blank.

How a Rivian Lemon Law Claim Works

Rivian handles warranty repairs through its own Rivian Service Centers and mobile service, scheduled through the Rivian app. Some issues are addressed remotely by software. Rivian's warranty guide notes that service records should show the service center location or mobile service identification number, the dates, the work performed and your VIN.

Get every visit in writing

After each service center or mobile visit, download or request the repair invoice or work order from the app. Read it right away. Confirm that it describes your complaint, the date and the odometer reading. If a technician closed the request as "no issue found," note that the visit still happened. Keep screenshots of the service request you submitted, since your own description of the problem is useful evidence.

Software updates deserve their own log. In our experience, a software update can count as a repair attempt, and we have seen the same update tried 5 or 6 times without fixing the problem. Save the release notes and the date for any update meant to address your issue.

Do not wait for a problem to get worse before booking service. In our experience, the biggest mistake owners make is putting off that first visit. The mileage offset that reduces a buyback is measured from the first time you reported the problem, even if Rivian could not verify it then, once the defect is later confirmed. An early service request in the app starts that clock at a lower mileage and creates a record that the issue existed.

Rivian's warranty guide states that California's presumption cannot be asserted until you first use BBB AUTO LINE, the third-party dispute program Rivian participates in. That is permitted under Civil Code 1793.22(c) when the program qualifies. It affects only the presumption. It does not stop you from bringing a lemon law claim.

Rivian's purchase agreement also includes a dispute resolution and arbitration section. Have an attorney review your paperwork before you take any of these steps, because the order matters.

The presumption itself

Within 18 months of delivery or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first, California presumes a reasonable number of attempts has been made if the same nonconformity has been subject to repair 4 or more times, a defect likely to cause death or serious bodily injury has been subject to repair 2 or more times, or the vehicle has been out of service more than 30 cumulative days. The presumption is one way to prove a case, not the only one.

Recall-related claims often resolve in about 1 to 3 months from the first call, while litigated cases take longer. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. For a rough estimate of what a repurchase might return, try our lemon law calculator.

Popular Rivian Models We Handle

Rivian R1S

The R1S is Rivian's three-row electric SUV. It appears in 22 recalls and has 302 complaints since the 2021 model year, the most of any Rivian.

Rivian R1T

The R1T is the brand's electric pickup, with features such as a gear tunnel and power tonneau cover. It appears in 18 recalls and has 207 complaints. Many R1T and R1S recalls cover both vehicles, since they share a platform.

Rivian R2

The R2 is Rivian's smaller, newer electric SUV. It has 2 recalls and 8 complaints so far.

Rivian Electric Delivery Van (EDV)

The EDV is a commercial delivery van, sold mostly to fleets. It has 3 recalls and 25 complaints. Large fleet vans usually fall outside the lemon law, since a business vehicle qualifies only if it is under 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight and the business has no more than five vehicles registered in California.

California Lemon Law for Rivian Owners

The Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act protects Rivian owners and lessees in California. If Rivian or its authorized repair facilities cannot fix a warranty defect after a reasonable number of attempts, the manufacturer must repurchase or replace the vehicle (Civil Code 1793.2(d)).

A vehicle is presumed to be a lemon if, within 18 months or 18,000 miles of delivery, the same problem was repaired 4 or more times, a defect that could cause death or serious injury was repaired 2 or more times, or the vehicle was out of service for repairs for more than 30 days in total (Civil Code 1793.22). Many vehicles outside that window still qualify while they are under warranty. New, leased, certified pre-owned, demo and dealer vehicles can qualify; ordinary used cars without a new-car warranty generally no longer do after Rodriguez v. FCA US (2024).

What you can recover

• Buyback: your down payment, payments, taxes and fees, minus a mileage offset, with the loan or lease paid off.
• Replacement with a comparable new vehicle.
• Cash and keep: a cash settlement while you keep the vehicle.
• Civil penalty of up to two times your damages if the manufacturer willfully failed to comply (Civil Code 1794(c)).

What it costs

You pay nothing, win or lose. We are paid only if you win, and the manufacturer pays our fees, including in settlements. If a case is lost, our firm covers the costs.

Estimate your refund with the California lemon law calculator, read how a California lemon law attorney can help, or visit our Los Angeles lemon law attorney page. Call 877-536-6620 for a free case review.

Rivian Lemon Law FAQ

Do I have to go through BBB AUTO LINE before suing Rivian?

Not to bring a claim. Rivian's warranty guide says you must first use BBB AUTO LINE before asserting California's lemon law presumption, but you can still prove your case without the presumption. Talk to an attorney before choosing a path.

How do I get repair records from Rivian?

Repair invoices and service requests are available through the Rivian app. Download each one, check that it lists your complaint, the date and mileage, and keep screenshots of updates and messages.

Rivian fixed my problem with an over-the-air update, but it came back. Does that count?

In our experience, a software update meant to fix a reported defect can count as a repair attempt. Save the release notes and report the recurring problem in writing.

Does Rivian's battery warranty cover range loss?

Rivian's guide says normal gradual capacity loss is not covered, but a pack that loses 30% or more of its rated usable capacity during the warranty period is. Check the current guide for your model year.

I bought my R1T used. Can it still qualify?

Possibly. Rivian says a used vehicle keeps the remainder of its New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Whether a used purchase qualifies under the lemon law depends on how it was sold, and we take certified, demo and dealer or company-owned vehicles.

What will a Rivian lemon law case cost me?

You pay nothing, win or lose. We are paid only if you win, and the manufacturer pays our fees, including in settlements. If a case is lost, our firm covers the costs.