Fix Already Available for Automaker
Receiving OTA (over the air) updates can be an incredible advantage for your vehicle, enabling it to possess the hottest features with minimal effort. Unfortunately, things recently have gone awry at Rivian–certain users are faced with useless infotainment systems, no more speedometer or range readings, and no temperature adjustments.
The automaker took to Reddit to confirm the 2023.4t OTA update error, and a company representative stated that it was a result of “fat finger” (human error) – the wrong build with the wrong security certificates had been sent to customers’ vehicles.
According to Rivian, the problem primarily relates to the in-car infotainment system. All other components in the vehicles are functioning as intended. Quickly responding to the situation, the company has contacted impacted R1T and R1S owners concerning their cars. Moreover, they quickly formulated an answer that is planned to launch on November 15.
“The experience of our customers is of utmost importance to us. We are providing an over-the-air update to address an infotainment issue affecting 3% of Rivian vehicles, which will restore full functionality. We are taking a thorough look at our processes and quality control measures to make sure this does not happen again,” Rivian declared in a statement.
“We take responsibility for this – we made a mistake. We appreciate your loyalty and your understanding as we move forward,” commented a Rivian representative on Reddit.
Some Rivian owners have been understanding and even expressed sympathy for the issue, while others have voiced their frustration. “Climate control non-functional,” lamented one user. “My wife just had to do a cold school drop-off. I guess we won’t be able to install updates as soon as they come out now.”
Another customer expressed their disappointment with the tech faux pas in strong terms: “I’ve been working in tech for over two decades now, providing enterprise-grade hardware solutions to customers who need to get their systems running again after a failed firmware update. Firewalls, phones, and any other platform – they all have one thing in common: A/B firmware architectures. So I cannot comprehend or forgive this huge mistake – not when you consider the cost of these vehicles.”
A customer recently asserted that Rivian support instructed him not to drive his vehicle. The car company, in response, apparently provided the customer with a rental car, leading the customer to remark, “which likely means there is no fix looming in the coming hours.” However, it appears that the customer won’t have to wait days for a solution.
Errors occur year in, year out, and it stands to reason that a large-scale blunder such as this on the part of a producer is indeed regrettable. A machinery driven company such as Rivian should have considered the procedure of validating the update prior to distributing it openly. That way, the mistake could have been avoided and not ended up causing all of this fuss. Nevertheless, this situation provides an opportunity for Rivian to prove their excellence in customer service by prioritizing their customers’ necessities instead. As demonstrated by Fisker’s example, a bad experience can be changed into an advantage if proper attention is placed on the client’s welfare.
It is to be hoped that Rivian’s most recent rectification has remedied the issue, and the proprietors of both the R1T and R1S can set out on their travels afresh with peace of mind.
