Consumer Reports Data Shows EV Trucks Like the Rivian R1T, F-150 Lightning, Sierra EV, and Silverado EV Are Among the Least Reliable Vehicles on the Market Today - Why We Think Ford Will Be the Brand To Turn This Around

Consumers Reports relies on received surveys. This is why I tend to put little weight in their auto ratings. I have an auto background and what I know is not an issue, may seem like a problem to a less experienced person. Like they say, opinions are like arseholes, we all have one and they often stink!

I’ve been waiting for an EV truck for many years and still I'm not quite ready to act. Low reliability is a HUGE reason. The age old wisdom that it’s folly to buy an early edition of a vehicle is definitely playing out here. I’d also like to see them get better mileage per kWh. Unless they never improve, I’ll definitely be buying one at some point.

I do not see the Tesla truck mentioned in your article. I did only skim it though.

Early adopters don't care as much about reliability. They are much too enthusiastic about the new technology itself. But as it becomes more common and regular people adopt the technology, it needs to be more reliable. Time will tell if the EV obstacles can be overcome. Battery charge time is a huge liability with these vehicles, especially on a road trip. Even the most enthusiastic EV drivers I know have another car that they take on road trips.

I doubt Ford will be the one to turn it around !

I own a Rivian, and am a member of several forums for Rivian and EVs, in 2.5 years of ownership I have had not a single unreliable moment from my Rivian, nor have I heard from the Rivian Community of any reliability issues. Your article which states no proof rings like propaganda, and the CR reliability rating seems a poorly wrought statistical manipulation. This all reminds me of the transition from horse and buggy to cars, and all the cowboys who decried that cars will never replace the trusty horse.

I own a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning as well as a 2018 F-150 that I kept for backup just in case. I’m glad I did. The Lightning was not the truck to take touring. A trip from Minneapolis to Fort Wayne in winter with 5 adults, 2 Dogo Argentinos, and makeshift auxiliary heat to the kennels was probably not a good choice for a test trip. It was horrid, lasting many more hours than it should have. Charging stations were difficult to locate, many were too slow, and the range between charges was somewhere around 70 miles. However, for daily use around town, I absolutely love it. Charging every night, barely noticeable on my electric bill using off-peak power, it has significantly cut vehicle expenses. To nothing. Well, almost. I changed the oil in the F-150. What I didn’t take into account is the insurance costs doubling with the two trucks-even though the total miles driven remained constant the insurance had to have their ransom reasoning their risks had doubled, when in my opinion they were actually lower.
The cost to run the Lightning is near zero , after the expense to have a welding outlet installed. The “charging station” doesn’t really need to be installed, as the truck can be charged reliably from a regular welding outlet. However, it should be GFI protected. Ask your local sparky on that one. Paying zero to get around is kind of nice, but I can see how tires might become an issue, as it’s shockingly easy to squeal them with all the horsepower. It’s quiet, eerily so, but then I was never addicted to the roar of the ICE or the philosophy that the sound of a well-tuned engine was worth the time and money it requires. I don’t miss brake jobs, oil changes, plugs and plug wires, water pump and radiator problems, alternator failure, belt breakage and plain old wear and tear of moving parts the Lightning simply does not have. The added security of the frunk is a great bonus, nobody is smashing windows to steal what they can’t see.
When I see all-electric heavy equipment makers it speaks volumes to me about the reality of future generations of vehicles. Bye bye to the ICE. Put a better long range battery in the Lightning, it’s an all around winner. It’s not, yet.

I certainly get why the drive trains are an issue. The torque developed in some of these EV motors is phenomenal...
Set back Tesla for many months in development. But man, have you priced ICE pickups lately? Ouch...and then with any trailer or load pulling you've got a $400/week gas price tag to add on to your monthly payment. I didn't even think about buying a pickup again because the cost didn't justify 5% of the time I went out of the range of an EV.
But for 95% of the time that I'm in town or there abouts?
EVs with no fuel cost and future improvements in reliability?
Electricity in our part of the country is cheap, cheap..am I missing something?
Am I missing something here?

I would really like to know what percentage of these "problems", that affect "reliability", prevent the vehicle from moving. I have an R1T with 60K miles (quad motor gen 1) that has had 2 problems. 1 was in assembly - rain sensor was not installed properly. Wipers only worked in manual mode. The other problem was a 12V battery that needed replaced. That was done during my only tire change appointment so far.

Neither of my problems affected vehicle function at all.... ever. It has never left me sit.

Meanwhile my coworkers Ram 1500 (they've been making vehicles awhile) sat on a dealers lot for over a month for a transmission with a faulty sensor.

Your headline is misleading. I've only ever seen one electric vehicle on the side of the highway (a VW ID4). I see broken down gas vehicles ALL THE TIME. Please stop this charade. We don't love our Rivian's despite their reliability. We love them because of it.

Reliability is just one of many factors that go into the decision making process. Most of it will come from the initial purchase cost, cost to install a Level 2 charger, range anxiety, charging infrastructure and cost to replace the batteries. Another is depreciation. As it is after 3 years an ICE vehicle and an EV are worth the same. Now jump a head 5 years and now your EV is worth 0 because the batteries cost more to replace than the vehicle is worth so you can't trade it in. There's 1 more thing, recyclability. The biggest cost in an EV are the batteries. Is there enough off an infrastructure to recycle all these batteries? No. You can't just toss them into landfills that would be a disaster.

whoa! I am super confused. everyone said EV would be more reliable??

Well our Silverado ev has been at the chevy dealer for almost a month due to severe high voltage warning and no solution in sight. We have drafted a Lemon law form Just waiting a little longer to see if chevy corporate is gping to come up with any solution.

A little over a year with my Lightning, only 'reliability' problem I have had was with the AC which got fixed in time for hot weather. Ignorance from the public and FUD are these vehicles biggest problem. One year in I'm five grand saved vs gas, its the math that makes you giggle at gas.

"it is a green alternative to a gas, or heaven forbid, a diesel truck"

You do realize that diesel engines have safer emissions than gas engines, right? Always have - even before DEF was a thing.

LOL. Ford has had more recalls and quality issues than anyone. The idea that Ford will make the best EVs is laughable.

There's nothing in this world that will convince me to buy any type of electric vehicle. I'd rather see an investment in bio-diesel but no one is ready for that convo again.

I currently own a Launch Edition Rivian R1T and a 22 R1S. My wife and I love them. Yes, there have been more issues with the vehicles than I have had with other vehicles. However, I expected some since they started from the ground up. If Ford would have Stuck with them in the beginning, I’m sure they would have benefited greatly. That being said, they have shown their determination to stick with fixing and satisfying every issue that has come up. Because of this and their success in EV startups, second to Tesla in America, I think they will survive and eventually prosper. VW has put a lot into them and I don’t think they will be walking away from them anytime soon.

We want a electric pick up but it's so expensive. I think more people would try them if they came down in price.

The Cybertruck Dual Motor is $79K, this is within the same cost as regular ICE trucks with similar capabilities and power. Please revisit the current cost of Avalanche, Sierra, Silverado, Yukon XL... etc

We have a 2022 model with 17000 miles on it. It had 2500, miles on it.It was a demonstrater. Has Pro battery. We have had over all zero problems! My wife just loves it. She does all of her running around with it. We would buy again! 😁 😁

We were unable to test any other brands so ford is the best!
I would call into question the reliability report/s accuracy of the Rivian.
So the vehicle with the highest customer satisfaction by far is the least reliable, it does not add up.
I keep hearing about various issues with newer ICE trucks, there is significantly less to go wrong with a EV.
Rivian with 50k, very satisfied owner here.

It's probably politics(ie hatred towards "radical progressives") holding back everything related to sustainable tech more than anything else. The potential for this technology which really isn't even new is enormous but humans are just too dumb to save themselves.

"it is a green alternative to a gas, or heaven forbid, a diesel truck"

You do realize that diesel engines have safer emissions than gas engines, right? Always have - even before DEF was a thing.