Shares in electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive (RIVN) edged higher today as it was forced to issue yet another recall affecting thousands of its vehicles.
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Seat Belt Safety
Rivian is recalling nearly 35,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. over a potential issue with the driver’s seat belt pretensioner cable. The recall does not include the R1S SUV or the R1T pickup truck.
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the carmaker is recalling certain 2022-2025 electric delivery van (EDV) vehicles, as “a damaged seat belt pretensioner cable may not restrain the occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.”
Rivian determined that the cable may be damaged if the driver repeatedly sits on the seat belt instead of wearing it over the body. This has obvious safety consequences in the event of a crash.
However drivers and investors shouldn’t be too concerned as Rivian has issued an over-the-air software update to fix the problem. Owners will be notified by letter on January 19, while the carmaker will review the driver’s seat belt pretensioner and replace it if needed, free of charge.
This is the latest in a spate of recalls impacting the Rivian brand.
Recall Roll Call
Back in September, Rivian said it was recalling 24,214 R1S and R1T electric vehicles due to a software defect that may cause its hands-free Highway Assist system to misidentify lead vehicles.
The issue affected certain 2025 Rivian vehicles running an older software version in the United States, the NHTSA said.
The defect was identified after an incident involving a 2025 R1S model vehicle, where the system misclassified a low-speed vehicle and the driver failed to maintain control.
Back in February, it issued a recall for 17,260 of its electric vehicles over issues with headlights that increase the chance of a crash. The company noted that this recall concerns its 2025 R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck EVs.
The issue behind the Rivian recall was the low beams on affected EVs potentially not turning on when the vehicle is started in cold weather.
At a difficult time for the auto industry given continued tariff uncertainty and faltering consumer confidence, this spate of recalls is an unwelcome hit to brand reputation.
It is why legal and regulatory issues are such a key risk for auto companies and their investors – see above.
Is RIVN a Good Stock to Buy Now?
On TipRanks, RIVN has a Hold consensus based on 5 Buy, 8 Hold and 5 Sell ratings. Its highest price target is $25. RIVN stock’s consensus price target is $13.98, implying an 18.86% downside.
