Rivian is recalling 24,214 US electric vehicles over a software glitch in its hands-free driver assistance program that can fail to identify lead vehicles and increase the risk of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday.
The recall includes 2025 R1S and R1T vehicles running on an older software system.
It estimates 100% of these electric SUVs and trucks have the defect.
Rivian said it is aware of at least one low-speed crash in May after Rivian’s Hands-Free Highway Assist feature failed to correctly identify a lead vehicle in stop-and-go traffic.
It is not aware of any injuries related to the faulty software version.
Notification letters are expected to be mailed to owners by Nov. 4, according to the NHTSA.
Rivian has released an over-the-air software update to remedy the issue, free of charge.
Rivian’s Hands-Free feature can steer, brake and accelerate the vehicle in certain limited conditions, specifically designed for use on controlled-access highways.
Rivian emphasized that even when the autonomous feature is engaged, the driver is still the operator of the vehicle and is responsible for remaining attentive to the car’s movement.
“Rivian has clearly marketed its HWA feature as not replacing the driver’s attention, judgement and need to control the vehicle,” the automaker said in its recall report to the NHTSA.
Automakers have been ramping up their efforts to release competitive driver-assistance features, like lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control, as well as autonomous driving functionality.
After releasing its Hands-Free feature this year, Rivian is aiming to launch an “eyes-off” self-driving system in 2026.
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