Rivian faces class action lawsuit over self-driving claims in early vehicles
A class action lawsuit alleges Rivian misled customers about the autonomous driving capabilities of its first-generation R1T and R1S vehicles.
Rivian is facing a class action lawsuit alleging that the company made misleading statements about the self-driving capabilities of its first-generation R1T truck and R1S SUV. According to the complaint filed by Rivian customers, the initial models of these vehicles are not capable of the self-driving potential that Rivian had promised.
The plaintiffs argue that Rivian represented that the first-generation vehicles would be capable of Level 3 autonomous driving, meaning the vehicle could steer, accelerate, and brake without driver input. "In reality, Rivian manufactured its Gen 1 Vehicles without the hardware, cameras, sensors, and compute to enable hands-free driving and/or Level 3 autonomous operation," the complaint states. "No software update — no matter how sophisticated — will enable its Gen 1 Vehicles to perform as advertised. Rivian unquestionably knew that its Gen 1 Vehicles would never be capable of Level 3 autonomy or 'true hands-free driving' yet continued to tout the supposed capabilities of its vehicles to induce consumers to purchase them."
Rivian introduced its "universal hands-free driving" software update late last year. The technology was made available for the company's R2 collection of electric vehicles and the second generation of its R1 lineup. When contacted by TechCrunch, Rivian declined to comment on the pending case.
