Affected Years: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Rivian R1S. Our law firm is also investigating 2025, 2026 Rivian R1S for the same issues.
These issues seem to arise from defects in the Electric Motors/Gearbox.
Vehicle warranties are not a new invention; they have been around for over 100 years. They were originally offered by the manufacturers to entice buyers when cars were new, and the idea of spending money to fix something expensive needed to be negated. Today, warranties are offered for all new vehicles, and some manufacturers provide additional warranty periods for used vehicles that they take on trade or buy at auction. These are referred to as certified pre-owned or CPO for short. CPO warranties typically include any balance of the original warranty with an additional time period and mileage added. The vehicles are taken through a thorough inspection by the dealers before this is applied.
Many people have heard of cars being called lemons, frequently because a vehicle might have a long list of things wrong with it. The reality of a car legally falling under Lemon Law in California starts with having a problem that has not been successfully repaired and is under warranty. More on this later when we talk about the history of Lemon Law in California and the qualifications.
If you own or lease a Rivian R1S and have had issues with the drivetrain in it, your car might qualify as a lemon under the law. If the dealer has had several chances to fix this issue, and you are considering filing a lemon law claim on your R1S, you can call Guardian Lemon Law. We can conduct a case review and validate your claim, and verify the car qualifies under the law. We will assign a lemon lawyer to sue Rivian for drive unit noise when you are ready to take that step.
The first step in being able to make your lemon law claim is confirming your vehicle qualifies. If it does, we can sue Rivian for selling you a defective, lemon Rivian R1S. Guardian Lemon Law will provide you with a lawyer experienced in Rivian R1S drive unit noise lemon law cases to get your claim addressed.
What Are The Qualifications For Lemon Law Eligibility In The State Of California?
The qualifications listed below need to be met before your Rivian R1S can be the subject of a lemon law claim or lawsuit. We provide a case review to determine your vehicle eligibility.
- The vehicle issue cannot be a result of abuse, misuse, or neglect on the part of the owner before the 1st repair or any repair that follows
- Your vehicle is covered under your manufacturer’s new car warranty or a certified pre-owned warranty for the initial and all subsequent repair efforts
- Your dealer has been given a reasonable number of attempts to repair the reported issue, defined as 2 attempts for safety-related failures, and 4 attempts for all other issues
- The issue being repaired is the same one for each visit counted, and the issue impacts the safety, use, or value of the vehicle from the perspective of the owner
- The vehicle has been at the dealer for a period totaling more than 30 calendar days during repair attempts. This is a cumulative total and again, is limited to trips dealing only with the lemon law issue at hand
Your Rivian R1S drive unit noise lemon lawyer will determine if your vehicle has met all the requirements, and by doing so, verifies that it does qualify under California Lemon Law to file a claim or lawsuit. Do not hesitate to contact Guardian Lemon Law to get the help you need if you are dealing with an ongoing car repair.
The History Of The Lemon Law In California
California Lemon Law, originally known as the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, was passed into law in March of 1971. The overall driver and the end goal for the law was to provide the consumers in California a level of support as well as a remedy when a manufacturer was unable to repair an issue and honor their express warranty. To accomplish this, it established an obligation to replace or refund any item that they were unable to fix under the terms of the warranty provided with the purchase. While mostly known for its use and reference to automobiles and warranty issues, people are occasionally surprised to learn that it also covers a variety of other consumer products, like homes and appliances. The law from 1971 remains the foundation of the Lemon Law today. The law still provides consumers with the protections they need if they have issues with a product. There have been a few updates to the law over the years for things like defining what a reasonable repair effort is, and most recently, an update to the Statute of Limitations.
Beyond the qualifications and restrictions mentioned above, the Statue of Limitations is another item that limits your ability to file a claim. Updated in 2025, it limits the time a Lemon Law claim or lawsuit can be filed, directly related to your warranty and delivery date. If you need a Rivian R1S drive unit noise lemon law lawsuit filed, call us at Guardian Lemon Law.
The Time Limit To File A Lemon Lawsuit In The State of California
The time limit for making a Lemon Law Claim or filing a lawsuit has two different targets. Your first date is one year from the expiration of your original factory warranty or certified pre-owned warranty. The second date is six years from the date of vehicle delivery to you. The time limit that applies will be the earliest of the two dates, and any action must be filed before that date arrives. Once the date is exceeded, no claim or suit can be filed regardless of the vehicle qualification.
The Symptoms And Experiences Of The 2021-2024 Rivian R1S Drivetrain Noises
2021-2024 Rivian R1S models often have owners reporting excessive noise coming from the drivetrain, typically from the rear unit. While it is normal for electric motors to emit a whirring sound, this is described more as a higher-pitched whine sounding like a small jet or a “Jetson” sound. This could very well be an early indication of a mechanical fault. Upon investigation, it has been linked to a coupling defect or wear in the half-shaft.
The most common noise events and their root causes are:
- Rear-end sound in the quad motor that can also sound like a whirly or whining noise that increases with speed, often linked to the rear motor engagement, particularly when not in Conserve mode
- Grinding on deceleration and regeneration, with some owners reporting a loud grinding during regenerative braking
- Washer recall that was discovered as a known issue involving “ting” washers on motor mounts that caused a noted clunking sound, and has been addressed with a recall.
- A mechanical half-shaft sound that is described as a clicking, binding, or “rubbing” sound, particularly from the front end, that has been traced to worn half-shafts, with earlier models noted as more frequently impacted with evidence of water intrusion.
The common solutions and fixes for the majority of these sound related issues are:
- Rear drive unit replacement, especially in cases where the noise is caused by some internal coupling damage. Rivian will often replace the rear drive unit under the 8-year/170k-mile powertrain warranty.
- Half-shaft service, where Rivian service will generally update the front half-shafts with improved lubricants and hardware (washers) to eliminate noises that typically accompany normal wear.
- Drive motor calibration, in some cases of noise, software calibration helps, especially if the noise is tied back to motor engagement, indicating some kind of Conserve mode issues.
Upfront Costs For Hiring Guardian Law Firm
Guardian Lemon Law provides a Zero-Fee guarantee for all of our clients. Your initial consultation with Guardian Lemon Law is free of charge. There will never be any upfront costs to hire us for legal representation. There is never an obligation to hire Guardian Lemon Law, even after you take advantage of some of our free services. You might want a second opinion on your existing case if you get concerned that it isn’t progressing the way you want. We don’t charge for this either.
Our Zero-Fee Guarantee also applies to lawsuits. If we do not win your case, there will be no charge for our effort. Please call Guardian Lemon Law when you need representation for a Rivian R1S defective electric motors/gearbox lemon lawsuit. Guardian Lemon Law will be ready to provide you with a Rivian R1S lemon law attorney.
