A new recall filed by Rivian with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today has put nearly 99,000 owners on notice over a defect that affects its entire lineup. That's right, it includes the R1T, R1S, and even its newest model—the R2.
The recall is over the vehicle's backup camera. And, no, nothing is physically broken with the vehicle hardware. Instead, it's all about the visibility of the rear-view camera when shifting in to reverse.
According to the recall filings, Rivian says that a the actual backup image could be occluded when drivers need it most (you know, when backing up). This is due to a software-induced pop-up which can inadvertently activate as a driver shifts the car into reverse while also simultaneously having the truck's stability control disabled. The combination results in a safety message that appears over the backup image which instructs the user to re-enable stability control.
It might seem like a silly problem that occurs in very specific circumstances, but it's a defect nonetheless according to the agency's regulatory requirements. The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards says that the camera image must activate within two seconds of shifting into reverse and be unobstructed. Rivian's pop-up, unfortunately, reportedly obstructed the camera view until the vehicle actually started moving.
In-car camera feeds have been a hot topic for Rivian drivers recently. Some owners on Reddit have complained that the latest Rivian OS2 update has caused cameras to feel laggy and have poor quality. Multiple people reported that their trucks' cameras freeze or take longer than the required FMVSS standards to launch when shifting into reverse.
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