American electric vehicle startup Rivian reportedly recalls 5,030 R1S SUVs due to its reversing lights that may be invisible from particular angles, falling short of legal visibility standards.
Notably, this latest defect marks the automaker’s third recall notice for the R1S model this year. The prior two incidents were attributed to side airbags that may have been installed improperly and defective airbag sensors.
About the recall
To avoid potential crash risks, Rivian recalls 5,030 R1S models produced from November 19, 2021, to March 21, 2023, per the report.
Apparently, Rivian discontinued employing the affected parts on March 21 after discovering the potential use of non-compliant reverse lights on March 8.
Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) disclosed that Rivian would start notifying owners by May 20 at the latest.
The affected R1S will receive free light replacements from Rivian. Notably, redesigning the replacement lights has met Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) visibility standards.
“FMVSS 108; Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment. S6.4.2 requires that each backup lamp must meet applicable visibility requirements specified in Table V-a of the standard. Table V-a prescribes horizontal and vertical planes to the rear of the vehicle from which the optical center of at least one backup lamp must be visible. On certain R1S vehicles, the optical center of at least one lamp may not be visible from these planes. This condition represents a noncompliance with the visibility requirements of FMVSS 108.”
Rivian’s noncompliance description
In hindsight, Rivian built 24,337 EVs in 2022 and delivered 20,332 units to customers. In Q1 2023, the automaker enjoyed a YoY growth of 200%, producing 9,395 BEVs at its Illinois production plant, per EVMAGZ.
You can access the recall details here.
