We have some bad news if you’re the proud owner of the Rivian R1T electric truck or R1S SUV. This week, Rivian released a minor software update that broke the infotainment display, and there’s no easy fix in sight.
The update in question, software version 2023.42, started rolling out on Monday, November 13th. Unfortunately, the company fat-fingered the keyboard and something went wrong, which bricked the screens and systems for the R1S and R1T. Rivian’s VP of software confirmed the issue on Reddit and shared a few other details for owners.
Rivian’s software update has since been pulled and is no longer going out to vehicles, and it’ll resume once a fix is in place. However, we don’t know when that’ll happen. While cars are still operational, the infotainment display goes completely black, cutting off access to several key options, settings, and user controls.
For example, in many electric vehicles (including both Rivian models), the infotainment display gives you access to the climate controls and heater. Thankfully, Electrek reports that owners can change those with the app until Rivian can fix the failed software update. The excellent news is that backup cameras, door locks, and turn signals still work, so you can drive the vehicle without worry.
Here’s the latest update from Rivian, “The issue impacts the infotainment system. In most cases, the rest of the vehicle systems are still operational. A vehicle reset or sleep cycle will not solve the issue. We are validating the best options to address the issue for the impacted vehicles. Our customer support team is prioritizing support for our customers related to this issue. Thank you.”
Currently, we’re unsure how Rivian plans to resolve the situation. The company suggested that it may require a physical fix, meaning affected owners may need to take vehicles to a service center. Obviously, with those few and far between, that’s certainly not ideal.
Rivian said it’ll be contacting customers, and we expect another update in the coming days. If Rivian can push an over-the-air (OTA) update that would be ideal, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Source: Reddit
