After a Drivetrain Failure Triggered a Full Battery Replacement, a Rivian R1S Owner Says Rivian Covered Everything Under the 170,000-Mile Warranty, “They Spent a Pretty Penny and It Cost Us Nothing”

Warranty stories rarely read like endorsements, but every so often one cuts through the usual frustration and lands somewhere closer to gratitude. A recent post in the Rivian Electric Vehicles Discussion group does exactly that, offering a detailed account of how a small, strange noise snowballed into one of the most expensive warranty repairs imaginable, and how Rivian handled it without hesitation.

The issue began quietly, almost innocently. The owner started noticing a faint, whirring sound during acceleration and regenerative braking, something best described as a Jetsons-like “wa wa wa” that rose and fell with speed. It was subtle enough to disappear under music, easy to dismiss, and exactly the sort of thing that often gets waved off as “normal.” A mobile technician initially suspected tires, which seemed plausible enough. The owners were due for new rubber anyway, so they swapped to Michelin tires. The noise remained.

“So 3 months back, we started hearing a funny noise on acceleration and regen braking. Kind of a whirly noise (Like the Jetsons space cars) that increased and decreased with speed. We call a mobile tech out, and they say, as far as they can diagnose, everything looks ok, and maybe it’s the tires. We were close to needing new ones, so we swapped them out for Michelins, but the noise is still there.

We made an appointment with the service center, and they listened to us and agreed it was weird. We told them it had to be the rear drive units because the noise doesn’t happen in conserve. After a test drive, they could tell something was up, even though there wasn’t any loss of power and the motor temps were stable. They gave us a rental, and we left the R1S quad there.

Turns out it was a coupling issue when the rear motors were engaged, and it was doing damage to the motor (which is what we were hearing). 170K drivetrain warranty kicks in and covers the swap. The problem was that, during the swap, a cooling line got damaged and flooded the main battery. So it and the new drive unit are toast. So Rivian replaced the battery and the rear drive units again. (I feel bad for that mechanic)

Bottom line is they took care of everything, and it didn’t cost us anything more than our time to and from the Service Center.

They spent a pretty penny on drive units, a full battery swap, and a rental. Pretty smooth process. Thanks, Rivian!

Update: I should add that the Cincinnati service center had never encountered this before, so I don’t think it’s a very common issue.”

That persistence proved important. At the service center, technicians listened, took the concern seriously, and followed the owner’s own observation that the sound vanished in Conserve mode. That detail pointed directly at the rear drive units. A test drive confirmed something was off, even though power delivery was normal and motor temperatures stayed stable. With no argument, Rivian provided a rental and kept the R1S Quad for further diagnosis.

Rivian R1S: Three-row Electric SUV

• The R1S packages three rows into a relatively compact exterior footprint, prioritizing passenger versatility while limiting third-row comfort for adults on longer trips.
• Air suspension allows adjustable ride height for road and off-road use, but introduces complexity and added weight compared with fixed setups.
• Interior materials and layout emphasize durability and clean design, with restrained luxury rather than traditional SUV opulence.
• Large battery capacity supports long driving ranges, though vehicle mass and tire choice can noticeably influence real-world efficiency.

What they found was far from cosmetic. A coupling issue was occurring when the rear motors were engaged, causing internal damage to the motor over time. The noise was not harmless. It was the sound of parts slowly hurting themselves. At that point, Rivian’s 170,000-mile drivetrain warranty kicked in, authorizing replacement of the affected drive units without debate.

Then things escalated. During the repair process, a cooling line was damaged, allowing coolant to flood the main battery pack. In one stroke, the repair went from expensive to eye-watering. The new drive unit was ruined, and the battery pack itself was compromised. This is the kind of moment where many owners brace for bad news, finger-pointing, or drawn-out negotiations.

Instead, Rivian replaced everything. A full battery swap. Replacement rear drive units, again. Continued rental coverage. No attempt to shift blame. No carve-outs. No fine print arguments. The owner was left feeling sympathy for the technician who had to redo the work, but none of the financial burden landed on the customer. The only cost was time and a few trips to the service center.

Crucially, the owner added context that tempers the alarm. The Cincinnati service center had never encountered this failure before, suggesting it is not a widespread issue or design flaw. It was an edge case, rare enough that even experienced Rivian techs had not seen it. That matters because it frames the story as an exception handled well, not a systemic problem papered over.

The comments beneath the post reinforce that impression. Other owners shared similarly positive experiences, including proactive battery replacements triggered by remote diagnostics and a service culture that fixes small issues without resistance. Broken trim, misaligned panels, rattles, even accessories that do not quite click right were handled with a simple question: “Anything else you’ve noticed?” Loaners or rentals were consistently available. The phrase “white glove” appeared more than once.

There is also a subtle contrast drawn with legacy brands. One commenter recounted a deeply negative experience at a traditional luxury dealer, where warranty work allegedly turned into a setup for paid service. Against that backdrop, Rivian’s approach feels refreshingly straightforward. Problems are acknowledged. Repairs are approved. The customer is not treated as an adversary.

Taken together, this story highlights an important distinction in the EV landscape. New manufacturers may stumble into unfamiliar problems, but how they respond when things go wrong defines trust far more than how rarely things go wrong. In this case, Rivian spent an enormous amount of money to make things right, without pushing that stress onto the owner.

For prospective buyers worried about complexity, this post offers a counterweight to horror stories. Things can break. Rare failures can cascade. Humans can make mistakes during repairs. What matters is whether the company stands behind the product when all of that happens at once. In this instance, Rivian did, decisively.

It is not a perfect story. No one wants a battery and drive units replaced because of a chain of failures. But it is a reassuring one. For this owner, the takeaway was simple and sincere: Rivian stood by its warranty. And sometimes, in a world full of fine print, that is the most valuable feature of all.

Image Sources: Rivian Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.