This Rivian Recall Isn’t Just Another OTA Fix

Rivian Recalls are Scarce, But They Do Happen

Rivian may be relatively new to the auto industry, but it has built a reputation for reliability – and quiet recall activity. Unlike many legacy automakers that routinely face wide-reaching safety campaigns, Rivian has only issued a few recalls since its first vehicles rolled out. One early case involved a 2022 Rivian R1T airbag sensor affecting just over 500 trucks. Another, in late 2022, addressed a potential steering issue across nearly 13,000 vehicles.

That low recall rate has been part of Rivian’s appeal: modern, thoughtfully engineered electric vehicles with robust over-the-air (OTA) update support. However, the EV startup’s latest issue isn’t something OTA updates can fix – it’s a hardware problem affecting tens of thousands of Rivians, be it the truck or the SUV.

The Problem: Defective Front Turn Signal Lamps

In a recent recall report published by the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), Rivian reports that 27,882 of its 2025 model-year R1T and R1S vehicles may have defective front turn signal lamps. These lamps, supplied by Myotek, may fail to illuminate or flash, violating federal safety standards (FMVSS 108) and increasing the risk of a crash due to reduced visibility of a vehicle’s intended direction.

The suspect vehicles were built between April 29, 2024, and May 13, 2025. The failure originates from a supplier-level manufacturing issue affecting two components: the left and right fascia lower lamps.

The good news? The problem triggers an alert in the vehicle. If a signal goes out, drivers will see a warning on the display – “Turn signal lights not working. Service it soon” – along with fast-blinking indicators and sounds like you’ll normally experience in an older vehicle with busted blinkers. Plus, no crashes, injuries, or fatalities have been linked to the issue so far.

A Hardware Fix, Not a Code Patch

Unlike many Rivian fixes that arrive silently via OTA updates, this one requires hands-on work. While not all 2025 R1S and R1T EVs have faulty turn signals, Rivian will inspect and, if necessary, replace those affected lamps with new ones that meet the latest production standards.

Rivian will notify owners by mail beginning next month, July 25, 2025, and enable VIN lookups on the same day. It’s unclear when Rivian owners will have the chance to get their EVs checked. But before then, if your Rivian’s blinkers are acting up, you might want to practice proper hand signals when turning to avoid confusion on the road – or worse, unfortunate accidents.