NHTSA Investigates 114,922 Rivian SUVs and Trucks Over a Suspension Failure

Federal safety regulators have opened a formal investigation into 114,922 Rivian R1S and R1T vehicles after two drivers reported the rear suspension separating while they were on the road, in one case sending the vehicle swerving across multiple lanes before it hit another car and a roadside barrier.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation is examining whether the failures point to a design or manufacturing problem that goes beyond the improper repair work Rivian blamed for an earlier, smaller recall.

What NHTSA Is Investigating

The preliminary evaluation covers 2022 through 2025 model year Rivian R1S SUVs and R1T pickups, roughly 114,922 vehicles in total. Investigators are focused on the rear toe link, a suspension component that helps keep the rear wheels properly aligned. In both incidents under review, involving 2023 and 2024 R1S models, the bolts securing the toe link assembly reportedly fractured rather than the toe link itself failing.

One of the two vehicles had previously gone through a repair at a service center. The other had been in an earlier, unrelated collision before the toe link separated. Even with the different histories, both vehicles reportedly drove for months and accumulated thousands of miles before the sudden failure occurred, which is part of why NHTSA wants to understand whether the risk extends to vehicles that were never serviced or crashed at all.

How the Failures Reportedly Happened

Regulators say the left rear toe link separated in both cases while the vehicles were being driven normally, not in the middle of any unusual maneuver. Drivers described the vehicle suddenly losing stability and swerving. In the more serious of the two incidents, the SUV crossed multiple lanes of traffic before striking another vehicle and a roadside barrier. NHTSA has not confirmed any injuries connected to either incident.

Investigators reviewed repair records, onboard video, photographs and a police crash report as part of the preliminary evaluation. They are now comparing the damaged parts from both vehicles to look for shared wear patterns or manufacturing marks that would point to a systemic defect rather than two isolated incidents.

Rivian’s Prior Recall and Response

This is not the first time Rivian has dealt with rear toe link concerns. In early 2026, the company recalled nearly 20,000 R1S and R1T vehicles after determining that service technicians had been using outdated repair procedures dating back to 2022 that put improper stress on the suspension component when it was reassembled. Rivian updated its official repair guidance in March 2025 after first identifying the servicing issue.

Rivian has said its own internal investigation found the toe link joints performing as designed, and the company has pointed to service errors rather than a manufacturing defect as the likely explanation for the failures reported so far. NHTSA’s new evaluation will test that explanation directly by examining whether vehicles with no service history and no prior collision still show the same failure pattern under normal driving and servicing conditions.

What Owners Should Do

A preliminary evaluation is not a recall, and Rivian has not issued a stop-drive order or a new repair campaign tied to this specific investigation. Owners of 2022 through 2025 R1S and R1T models can check whether their vehicle was part of the earlier 20,000-vehicle recall by entering their VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls or through Rivian’s own service portal. That check takes about a minute and covers every open recall on file for the vehicle, not just the toe link issue.

Owners who notice unusual noises from the rear suspension, a change in how the vehicle tracks in a straight line, or any pulling or looseness in handling should have the rear suspension inspected at a Rivian service center as soon as possible rather than waiting for a formal recall notice. Anyone who experiences a suspension-related incident, even a minor one, can file a complaint directly with NHTSA through its Office of Defects Investigation, which is the same channel that surfaced the two incidents driving this investigation.

What Happens Next

A preliminary evaluation can end in one of several ways. NHTSA can close the investigation without further action if it finds no evidence of a widespread defect, upgrade it to an engineering analysis for a deeper technical review, or push the automaker toward a voluntary recall if investigators conclude the risk extends beyond the two reported incidents. Rivian has faced this pattern before. Its January recall of nearly 20,000 vehicles followed a period of internal review after the company identified the outdated repair procedure on its own.

The outcome carries real stakes for Rivian beyond the vehicles directly involved. The R1S and R1T represent the bulk of the company’s sales volume, and a second suspension-related action within the same year would add to the quality and durability questions the automaker has faced as it scales production. NHTSA has not set a public timeline for concluding the preliminary evaluation, and the agency’s investigations of this type typically take several months to a year before a decision on next steps.

How This Fits Rivian’s Broader Recall History

Rivian’s rear suspension has drawn more federal scrutiny than any other system on its flagship vehicles. The company’s January 2026 recall covering nearly 20,000 R1S and R1T models is the second time toe link durability has surfaced as a formal safety action, and both cases trace back to the same physical component on the same two models. Rivian’s explanation for the earlier recall centered entirely on service technicians reassembling the joint incorrectly using guidance the company itself later acknowledged was outdated.

That explanation works for vehicles with a documented service history. It becomes harder to sustain if NHTSA’s engineers find toe link fractures on vehicles that were never serviced and never crashed, which is exactly the scenario investigators are now trying to rule in or rule out. A finding that points toward a manufacturing or design issue rather than a repair error would land far harder than a service-related recall, both for the scope of any eventual fix and for how Rivian frames its quality record to buyers and investors going into a period when the company is trying to expand production of its R1 platform and ramp its lower-cost R2 model.

Other automakers have faced similar suspension investigations that started small and expanded. NHTSA’s ongoing probe into 1.2 million Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles over a front lower lateral link that can detach began the same way, with a handful of complaints describing sudden loss of steering control before the agency widened its review to the full production run. Rivian’s investigation currently covers a much smaller population of vehicles, but the pattern of starting from isolated swerving complaints and working outward toward a design question is the same one regulators have used across the industry this year.

Sources:

• CBT News: NHTSA investigates nearly 115,000 Rivian vehicles over rear suspension failures
• WardsAuto: NHTSA probe targets 115K Rivian vehicles over rear suspension issue
• Insurance Journal: NHTSA Opens Probe Into Nearly 115,000 Rivian Vehicles
• NHTSA: Check for Recalls by VIN