Rivian to recall over 12,700 EVs due to airbag deployment issue
American EV automaker Rivian has begun informing certain 2022 R1T and R1S customers of a recall filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last week. The voluntary recall affects over 12,700 Rivian EVs and pertains to a sensor in passenger seatbelt system that may cause a reduced, or complete lack of deployment in the passenger airbag.
Rivian remains a relatively young EV automaker still looking to find its stride in scaled EV production. Although it slightly missed on revenue goals in 2022, the American automaker produced nearly 25,000 EVs, delivering over 20,000 to a customer base still very hungry for its R1T pickup and R1S SUV.
To a large extent, the Rivian models that have seen delivery have done quite well. In fact, the R1T was recently awarded the highest scoring premium model in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power, dethroning the Tesla Model 3.
On the other hand, early adoption is rarely without its fair share of kinks to work out. To date, Rivian has filed three recalls with the NHTSA, the most recent coming in October of 2022 pertaining to the EV’s steering knuckle separating from the control arm. Before that, Rivian recalled a couple hundred EVs due to an improperly secured seatbelt anchor.
Today, the automaker is informing its customers of a fourth recall – again involving a seatbelt, but with a greater risk of passenger injury, albeit will likely only affect a very small number of Rivian vehicles.
Rivian recalls 12,761 EVs but expects less than 100 affected
According to the filing with the NHTSA on February 22, 2023, the recall affects certain 2022 Rivian R1T and R1S EVs and pertains to a faulty automatic locking retractor (ALR) sensor in the front passenger seat belt system that may incorrectly report as “on” when it is actually “off.” The result is “suppression or improper deployment of the air bag.”
In the filing, Rivian says letters announcing the recall will go out to potentially affected EV owners on April 8, but it appears those notices are already going out via email. Forum member Tonicart shared their email on RivianForums.com:
We have initiated a voluntary recall that affects your vehicle. Certain model year 2022 R1S and R1T vehicles fail to conform with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208 “Occupant Crash Protection.”This notice applies to your vehicle, VIN: x7xxx
What is the problem?
A sensor in the front passenger seat belt system may incorrectly report its status as “on” when, in fact, it is off. If a passenger is seated in the front passenger seat and this happens, the passenger air bag may not deploy as intended. In the event of a crash which is supposed to deploy the front passenger air bag, the occupant may have an increased risk of injury due to a reduced deployment or lack of deployment.How many vehicles are affected?
The recall affects 12,716 vehicles, however we believe less than 1% of those vehicles – fewer than 100 vehicles – will require part replacement. While the number of vehicles impacted is very limited, we will always exercise caution when it comes to safety. As of February 27, 2023, we are not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue.What will Rivian do?
Rivian will offer no appointment necessary visits to Rivian Service Centers and pop-up locations up to 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday, to inspect and replace, if necessary, passenger seat belt system components in the affected vehicles. If your vehicle is not brought in for inspection, we will inspect it for this issue at a future service appointment.How long will the inspection and repair take?
Inspections are estimated to take less than 10 minutes. For the very small percentage where part replacement is necessary, the work can be completed in less than 30 minutes during the same visit. This service will be available at no cost to you.What should you do?
Information about Rivian Service Centers and pop-up service locations offering expanded hours of operation and service without an appointment are listed on our website. Before your visit, please install the latest software update to your vehicle.If you have further questions, or if you prefer to schedule an appointment, please call Rivian Service at 1-855-748-4265. We are available 24/7/365.Additional information will also be posted at NHTSA.gov/recalls.Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to resolving it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Noe Mejia
VP Service Operations
As you can see in the letter above, Rivian expects less than 100 of the 12,761 EVs in the recall to actually require a replacement part, but the abundance of caution is absolutely understandable given it affects a crucial safety component in the passenger airbag.
These letters should continue to go out to current Rivian owners at risk in the recall, and those individuals will be able to visit any Rivian Service Center free of charge.
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The US solar industry just delivered another huge quarter, installing 11.7 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity in Q3 2025. That makes it the third-largest quarter on record and pushes total solar additions this year past 30 GW – despite the Trump administration’s efforts to kneecap clean energy.
According to the new “US Solar Market Insight Q4 2025” report from Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, 85% of all new power added to the grid during the first nine months of the Trump administration came from solar and storage. And here’s the twist: Most of that growth – 73% – happened in red states.
Eight of the top 10 states for new installations fall into that category, including Texas, Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Utah, Kentucky, and Arkansas. Utah jumped into the top 10 this quarter thanks to two big utility-scale projects totaling more than 1 GW.
But the report also flags major uncertainty ahead. Federal actions, including a July memo from the Department of the Interior (DOI), have slowed or stalled the approvals pipeline for utility-scale solar and storage. Without clarity on permitting timelines, Wood Mackenzie’s long-term utility-scale forecast through 2030 remains basically unchanged from last quarter.
“This record-setting quarter for solar deployment shows that the market is continuing to turn to solar to meet rising demand,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA’s president and CEO. She added that strong growth in red states underscores how decisively the market is shifting toward clean energy. “But unless this administration reverses course, the future of clean, affordable, and reliable solar and storage will be frozen by uncertainty, and Americans will continue to see their energy bills go up.”
Two new solar module factories opened this year in Louisiana and South Carolina, adding a combined 4.7 GW of capacity. That brings the total new US module manufacturing capacity added in 2025 to 17.7 GW. With a new wafer facility coming online in Michigan in Q3, the US can now produce every major component of the solar module supply chain.
“We expect 250 GW of solar to be installed from 2025 to 2030,” said Michelle Davis, head of solar research at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report. “But the US solar industry has more potential. With rising power demand across the country, solar could do even more if current constraints were eased.”
SEIA also noted that, following an analysis of EIA data, it found that more than 73 GW of solar projects across the US are stuck in permitting limbo and at risk of politically motivated delays or cancellations.
Read more: EIA: Solar + storage soar as fossil fuels stall through September 2025
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The spiritual successor to the beloved Chevy Geo Tracker, production of the new-for-2026 electric Spark EUV has officially begun in Brazil with more than 200 miles of range.
That’s right, kids. To know the Chevy Tracker is to love the Chevy Tracker. The tiny, top-heavy Suzuki-based SUV combined bold colors, fun styling, (relatively) good fuel economy, and real off-road chops (especially in ZR2 trim) with an affordable price tag to make the Tracker an early favorite among the serious rock-crawling crowds.
Like, really
While it’s still too early to tell whether or not the all-new Chevy Spark EUV will come even close to that little proto-SUV, it seems we won’t have to wait much longer to find out – GM Authority reports that production of the 2026 Chevy Spark EUV has officially begun at Comexport’s Planta Automotiva do Ceará (PACE) plant, in the state of Ceará, Brazil.
GM Brazil invested the equivalent of $73 million to get the PACE factory ready to assemble GM’s modern, zero-emissions Chevy crossover for the South American and Middle Eastern markets – an investment big enough to earn a visit from Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was on-hand for the December 3rd kickoff event.
“It’s not a car factory,” said Comexport Vice President and PACE shareholder, Rodrigo Teixeir. “(The) goal is to develop technology there, not simply assemble a vehicle.”
Production of the new Spark EUV began last week, with production of the equally new Chevy Captiva EV set to begin as early as Q1 of 2026.
2026 Chevy Spark EUV
The Made in Brazil Chevrolet Spark EUV is heavily based on the Chinese Baojun, and is powered by that vehicle’s single 75 kW (101 hp), 180 Nm (130 lb-ft) motor driving the front wheels. Power comes from the Baojun’s 42 kWh LFP battery that, with regenerative braking, is good for up to 360 km (220 miles) on the NEDC driving cycle.
Weirdly, the new Spark is also equipped with a 10.1″ infotainment screen and 8.8″ digital instrument cluster (above) that supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard – technology that GM claims lead to “unsafe” driver behaviors in North America.
Let us know what you think of the little electric SUV, and whether or not you think it would be a hit in the US (it would) in the comments.
SOURCE: GM Authority; images by GM, Harry Situations.
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