Rivian class – Rivian is facing a class action lawsuit alleging it overstated the self-driving capabilities of its first-generation R1T truck and R1S SUV—claims centered on whether Gen 1 vehicles could realistically reach Level 3 hands-free driving.
For the owners who bought Rivian’s first-wave R1T truck and R1S SUV, the promise wasn’t just performance—it was a kind of driving freedom that sounded close to “hands-free.” Now, those buyers are turning that expectation into a court fight.
A class action complaint filed by Rivian customers alleges the company made misleading statements about the self-driving capabilities of the vehicles’ first-generation models. The complaint argues that the Gen 1 versions are not capable of the level of autonomous driving Rivian had suggested.
At the center of the dispute is what the plaintiffs say Rivian represented to consumers: that the early R1T and R1S models would be able to steer, accelerate and brake without driver action, aligning with Level 3 autonomous driving.
The complaint goes further. It states that Rivian “manufactured its Gen 1 Vehicles without the hardware. cameras. sensors. and compute to enable hands-free driving and/or Level 3 autonomous operation.” It also argues that a software update cannot bridge the gap. “No software update — no matter how sophisticated — will enable its Gen 1 Vehicles to perform as advertised.”.
The plaintiffs claim Rivian also knew the limitations before pushing the capability. The complaint alleges Rivian “unquestionably knew” its Gen 1 vehicles would never be capable of Level 3 autonomy or “true hands-free driving. ” but “continued to tout the supposed capabilities of its vehicles to induce consumers to purchase them.”.
Late last year, Rivian introduced a software update described as “universal hands-free driving.” The update, according to the complaint’s timeline, was made available for Rivian’s R2 collection of electric vehicles and for the second generation of its R1 lineup.
When contacted by TechCrunch, Rivian declined to offer comment on the pending case.
The lawsuit leaves a stark question hanging over Rivian’s early marketing: whether buyers were sold on a path to Level 3 autonomy that depended on capabilities the company says Gen 1 vehicles simply did not have. And with Rivian moving to new hardware generations alongside new software. the gap between “what was promised” and “what could be delivered” has become the case’s core friction.
Rivian class action lawsuit self-driving Level 3 autonomy R1T R1S hands-free driving universal hands-free driving software update autonomous driving hardware