The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a preliminary investigation into 114,922 Rivian R1S and R1T vehicles over rear toe links that may separate while driving.
The probe covers model years 2022 through 2025 and was prompted by two Vehicle Owner Questionnaires reporting left rear toe link separation in certain 2023-2024 R1S vehicles.
Both complaints describe the component separating while the vehicle was in motion, causing the cars to swerve across multiple lanes of traffic.
One incident resulted in a collision with an adjacent vehicle and a roadside barrier.
In both cases, the bolt that holds the toe link together fractured.
The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation collected repair histories, onboard video, imagery of the damaged components, and a police accident report from the complaint vehicles.
NHTSA logged no injuries or fatalities tied to the reports.
Service Background
The two vehicles had different service backgrounds.
One had received prior service, while the other was involved in an earlier collision.
In both instances, the vehicles ran for several months and thousands of miles without apparent problems before the failures that triggered the investigation.
The toe link is a suspension component that controls rear-wheel alignment. Its separation can cause a sudden loss of directional control.
Earlier Recall
The investigation follows a recall of nearly 20,000 R1 vehicles in January over the same component.
That action covered 19,641 units — 7,031 R1S SUVs and 12,610 R1T pickups — that had received toe link service before an improved repair procedure was introduced in March 2025.
Rivian identified the toe link joint’s sensitivity to service procedures in March 2025 and updated its service instructions.
Last January, through the recall, it extended the improved repair procedure to vehicles serviced before that change.
NHTSA said it is opening the preliminary evaluation to assess the rear toe link joint’s sensitivity to foreseeable road and service conditions.
They will compare the physical failure evidence from the two complaints for similarities and differences, evaluate Rivian‘s current repair procedure, and assess the condition of toe links across the in-field population.
A preliminary evaluation is the first formal stage of a federal defect probe.
The agency can upgrade it to an engineering analysis, the step that often precedes a recall, or close it without further action.
The new probe’s population of 114,922 vehicles is far larger than the January recall, signaling regulators are examining whether the failures extend beyond cars touched by faulty service work.
R1 Volume
Rivian delivered 10,365 vehicles globally in the first quarter, a 20.0% increase year-over-year, though the gain was driven by commercial van volume rather than the R1 line.
Rivian has extended its full slate of May incentives across the R1S and R1T lineup through June 4, carrying the broadest set of lease cuts since the second-generation R1 launched in June 2024 into the new month.
The R1S Standard and R1T Standard each fell to $799 per month from $899, an 11.1% reduction.
Dual-Motor configurations were cut by roughly 5.5%, with the R1S Dual at $1,029 and the R1T Dual at $1,019. The Tri-Motor variants took the largest dollar cuts, dropping to $1,429 on the R1S Tri and $1,399 on the R1T Tri.
A Memorial Day Sales Event line applies a $500 discount on any order placed between May 21 and June 3, stackable on the lease and APR programs.
Probe Lands as R2 Launch Nears
The investigation arrives weeks before Rivian begins customer deliveries of its more affordable R2 mid-size SUV, the model the company is counting on to drive volume in the second half of 2026.
Rivian began volume, saleable production of the R2 on April 22 at its Normal, Illinois, plant, with the first units going to employees.
It has confirmed that external deliveries begin in June without giving a specific date, and orders open June 9. The R2 public configurator opened earlier this month, with only the R2 Performance Launch Edition available at $57,990.
The R2 Premium trim is scheduled to follow later in 2026 at $53,990, and the $45,000 Standard variant is expected in late 2027.
Rivian is also running a R2 Priority Delivery Offer that places existing R1 owners and lessees at the front of the queue.
Production Figures
Rivian produced 42,284 vehicles in 2025 and delivered 42,247 units across the US and Canada.
The EV maker built 173,329 vehicles over the past four years and delivered 165,200.
The toe link probe adds to a series of recent safety actions.
In December, Rivian recalled 34,824 electric delivery vans — nearly all units produced — over potential seat-belt pretensioner cable damage.
