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Rivian Van Owners Are Learning A Small Habit Can Lead To A Big Problem
- The recall covers nearly 35k EDVs from 2021 to 2025 in the US.
- Drivers can inadvertently damage the seat-belt pretensioner.
- Rivian first sold the van to Amazon but now offers it to others.
Two months after the NHTSA opened an investigation into thousands of Rivian’s all-electric delivery vans, the carmaker has announced a recall impacting almost 35,000 units.
Rivian says that on certain examples of the EDV, the driver’s side seat belt pretensioner could be damaged from repeated misuse. It notes that misuse could include the driver sitting on the seat belt while it’s buckled underneath them.
If the pretensioner cable is damaged, it may not adequately restrain the occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Read: Rivian Recalls Thousands Of Cars For A BMW Feature No One Asked For
While Rivian notes that “a damaged pretensioner may be visibly detectable to the driver in some cases”, it presumably won’t be noticeable in others. Even so, the carmaker says it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue.
The initial probe, launched by the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation, involved 17,198 examples of the 2022 and 2023 model year Rivian EDVs. However, the recall also impacts 2024 and 2025 models. All of them were manufactured between December 10, 2021, and November 8, 2025, and a total of 34,824 units are affected.
According to Rivian, it has already released an over-the-air update that enables automatic detection of driver seat belt misuse and has committed to inspecting and, if necessary, replacing the driver’s seat belt pretensioner assembly at no cost. It will also reimburse any owners who have paid out of pocket to fix the issue.
Rivian initially developed the EDV exclusively for Amazon, with the retailer placing an order for 100,000 examples, all of which are scheduled to be delivered by 2030. However, it’s now also available to other companies and sold as the ECV, or electric commercial van.
