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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating<\/a> how electric car maker Rivian services its vehicles\u2019 rear suspension components, after receiving two reports from owners who lost control of their cars while driving.<\/p>\n The federal safety regulator\u2019s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said on Thursday that both vehicles had been previously serviced, one of which had been in a collision before the work was done. According to the ODI, Rivian first realized in March 2025 that the rear toe link \u2014 a critical part of the suspension that helps keep the wheel straight \u2014 had a \u201csensitivity to service procedures,\u201d causing the company to update how it handled the part during service and repairs.<\/p>\n The ODI\u2019s investigation will look into how and why the rear toe link on Rivian\u2019s R1 vehicles is sensitive to \u201cforeseeable road and service conditions,\u201d compare the two failures submitted by owners, evaluate Rivian\u2019s current toe link repair procedure, and assess the condition of other 2023-2024 model year R1 vehicles. <\/p>\n Nearly 115,000 vehicles could be affected, the ODI said.<\/p>\n Rivian in January 2026 recalled<\/a> almost 20,000 vehicles to include those that had received the toe link service \u201cprior to the March 2025 improvement,\u201d according to the ODI. <\/p>\n \u201cVehicle safety is a top priority at Rivian. Rivian data indicates R1 toe link joints are operating as intended,\u201d the company said in a statement to TechCrunch. Rivian also said that one of the vehicles in question was handled by a third party repair facility. <\/p>\n Both owners who submitted complaints reported a sudden loss of control after a bolt on the toe link \u201cfractured,\u201d according to the ODI. In one case, a Rivian R1 driver suddenly lost control at highway speeds, swerved into another vehicle, and then \u201ccollided head-on with the guardrail,\u201d according to the complaint they submitted.<\/p>\n In the other case, the Rivian owner said their R1S \u201cveered over adjacent lanes, over the bike path, onto the side walk and back onto the road and side walk\u201d after the same left rear toe link broke. \u201cI was left with a sore neck for several days, my apple watch kept trying to call 911 thinking I was in an accident,\u201d the owner wrote in their complaint.<\/p>\n The probe comes as Rivian is less than two weeks away<\/a> from starting deliveries of its much-anticipated R2 SUV, which the company expects to sell in much higher volumes than its other cars. Rivian also plans<\/a> to add over 50 new service centers by the end of 2027, which would give it more than 150 total locations, and expand its mobile service van fleet as well.<\/p>\n Rivian has said that the R2\u2019s simpler design should help reduce the level of service required. \u201cReducing mechanical complexity during assembly results in higher quality assurance when vehicles roll off the line, simultaneously improving the ease and expense of servicing your vehicle if the need arises,\u201d the company wrote<\/a> in February.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n