Rivian bulletin 12V Follow Up SMS
What it saysWe’ve identified your R1T/R1S as needing a service appointment related to its 12V battery. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Rivian filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Feb 21, 2025, received Mar 5, 2025, about the electrical system. It names 4 model years (2023–2024). A manufacturer communication is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWe’ve identified your R1T/R1S as needing a service appointment related to its 12V battery. Please bring your vehicle in to prevent a 12-Volt Failure, which could leave you unable to access or drive your vehicle—and may even require a tow. Contact our Service Operations Center now at 1-855-RIVIAN-5 / 1-855-748-4265 to schedule an expedited appointment. Act fast to avoid issues!
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12V Follow Up SMS | Other | Feb 21, 2025 | 11015122 | PDF, 59 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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A weekly email, sent only in a week when Rivian files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 145 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 29 of them name Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
Rivian released a software update that bricked my vehicle. It is drivable but the infotainment screen and safety features are inaccessible. It is unclear what features work and which ones do not. Rivian has only released limited information on Reddit, and there has been no other formal communication to impacted owners.
2023 Rivian R1S · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Nov 14, 2023 · ODI 11555021
On October 12, 2026 at about 10:20 PM ET, I got into my 2024 Rivian R1S, parked in my driveway at home in Leesburg, VA, to drive away. The driver display immediately showed all of the yellow warning telltales together with a critical electrical system alert, and the vehicle could not be shifted into any gear.
2024 Rivian R1S · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 30, 2026 · ODI 11774682
Following an over-the-air software update to the infotainment system (2026.31), Rivian replaced the persistent exterior ambient air temperature display on the primary screen with an internet-dependent third-party weather forecast feed.
2024 Rivian R1T · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 13, 2026 · ODI 11770983
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the electrical system
Source: same model, same component group16 other manufacturer communications filed against these Rivian models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Rivian list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSAM-1712 | Service bulletin | Aug 6, 2026 | Rivian is initiating a customer satisfaction campaign for some model year 2025 vehicles that may have a loose or cross-threaded ground nut i… |
| FSAM-1785 | Service bulletin | May 19, 2026 | Rivian is launching a technical service bulletin for some model year 2022-2024 R1 vehicles that may have ultrasonic sensors detached from th… |
| FSAM-1755 | Service campaign | Mar 5, 2026 | Rivian is initiating a customer satisfaction campaign for some model year 2023-2024 R1T vehicles that were built with a rear zone control mo… |
| 12v Battery Low SMS 2 | Other | Feb 17, 2026 | SMS Reminder sent to customers who had still open potential 12-volt failures. |
| 12v Battery Low SMS 1 | Other | Feb 9, 2026 | SMS sent to customers with potential 12-volt failure and advising need for replacement to avoid drivability interruptions. |
| SOC IMBALANCE | Other | Jan 16, 2026 | SMS sent to LFP owners impacted by SOC Imbalance alerting them that their efforts have resolved their HV Battery Pack concern and may charge… |
| FSAM-1635 | Service campaign | Nov 14, 2025 | FSAM-1635 3-Day SMS ● Message 1: ● Urgent Notice from Rivian: Action required for your R1. Our records indicate the 12V battery in your vehi… |
| RCA-78-25-004-1 | Service campaign | May 13, 2025 | Rivian is initiating a customer satisfaction campaign for some model year 2025 R1T and R1S vehicles that may have been built with upper and… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Rivian, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Rivian 12V Follow Up SMS a recall?
No. A manufacturer communication is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 12V Follow Up SMS repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does 12V Follow Up SMS cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2024 Rivian R1S, 2023 Rivian R1S, 2024 Rivian R1T, 2023 Rivian R1T. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.