Rivian fixes infotainment software bug via OTA, around 3% affected
I spoke with Rivian software head Wassym Bensaid today about his last harrowing 36 hours. Rivian’s software team scrambled after an incorrect OS update build was sent out to the company’s fleet with an incorrect certificate. The update hung before it could complete, disabling most of the consumer-facing infotainment features on around 3% of the company’s consumer vehicles, according to Bensaid.
Rivian made Bensaid available to discuss the incident and the OTA fix, which will be going out to customers as early as 9:30 a.m. PT (12:30 p.m. ET).
I think, as a Rivian owner, I’m glad it is going to be able to be fixed via an OTA, but I’m more concerned that this could even actually happen. And it CANNOT happen again.
I asked Bensaid what went wrong, and my understanding is that the software was tested on at least two “developer-build” Rivians that were not affected by the bad certificate before it went out. Of course, the correct version had been tested for over a month on a fleet of at least 1000 test vehicles. But that prerelease subgroup seems like way too few and limited a subset of vehicles to push a live OTA OS update on.
Since the past month, what happened in the final push is the wrong link was selected, unfortunately, with the wrong certificate. So this is what caused the issue. Initially, when we got the reports, there was so we started getting reports around like 5:30pm. Pacific, the reports were a bit confusing in the sense that some people reported bricked cars, others that the cluster and then the camera are still working. So as we were scrambling to get the reports, we wanted to be super conservative, and there was multiple solution paths for us. If cars were truly broken, that would have been a service visit. If parts of the car were still alive, that would have mean, meant probably a way to get them fixed through our mobile service vehicles. And then basically, the team used this opportunity to really zoom out and they came up with a super creative solution, which basically allows us now to fully fix the issue through an over the air update. So we will be sending out a new OTA today, which addresses the issue entirely. So it repairs basically the corrupted image.
Wassym Bensaid
Bensaid noted that Rivian is reevaluating its whole process so that human error can’t ever do something like this again. That means having normal consumer vehicles get the OTA update and tested before sending the update out to more vehicles.
We did not want to go into that line of communication initially, because whether it’s 3% 10% 1% 0.5%, it’s still super important for us. Every user, every customer matters. And Job number one says the last 36 hours was how can we as a team, find the best possible fix for our customers, and then the ranking, the best possible is a remote solution. The worst possible is basically they have to go to service or or they need to tow the vehicle and then the team basically spend a lot a lot of effort. And we managed to come up with really a great solution that helps us to address it remotely. It’s also because we have in place an architecture that has a lot of redundancies and that really allows us to do this kind of operations and actually shows up like once we started understanding what was happening in the field. The vehicle was still operational, the app was still operational on the critical parts of the system was still operational. So the the safety based In redundant based design that we have in place has actually protected us. And then we have used that as a way to basically inject in this case, the recovery solution through a remote fix by leveraging on these safety systems, which is what we will be deploying today.
Wassym Bensaid
The build that was supposed to go out was tested for months on regular vehicles, but a single human copy-paste error sent the wrong build out. That process is also being overhauled so that multiple checks of the build go out before it is released to the wider customer group.
Owners who are affected (again, around 3% of the fleet, according to Rivian) should see an update on their phone app and should initiate the process from there. For those few who don’t use an app with their Rivian, they must call the Rivian service line to initiate the update from there.
Electrek’s Take
All of the above is what I want to hear as a Rivian owner, but as a reporter, I would have also liked the communication from Rivian to be more official. The original Reddit post was timely and better than nothing, but it was also a process to verify the user was really Bensaid. It was over 10 hours before the PR team was even able to acknowledge there was a problem, and only after we had shown them the Reddit post.
I think the whole Rivian team can do better here, and from the vibe I’m getting, they do too.
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Although the Nissan Juke EV is set to debut next year, the crossover SUV may still be offered with a gas engine after all.
Nissan looks to sell gas-powered Juke SUV alongside EV
After announcing an investment of up to £3 billion ($3.9 billion) to upgrade its Sunderland, UK, plant, Nissan revealed plans to convert three of its top-selling vehicles to electric.
The new EV models include the next-gen LEAF, Qashqai, and Juke. All will be built at the Sunderland facility as part of the Japanese automaker’s brand revamp.
Nissan is preparing to launch the electric version of its iconic LEAF hatchback later this year, followed by the Juke EV in 2026 and the Qashqai EV in 2027. According to Automotive News, Nissan is looking to keep the gas-powered Juke SUV alive for a little longer.
The Juke is Nissan’s second-best-selling vehicle in Europe, behind the Qashqai. The report claims Nissan is worried about regulations and the demand for EVs in parts of Europe.
Like it did with the Qashqai, Nissan could continue selling the Juke with an upgraded hybrid powertrain. Nissan launched the next-gen Qashqai last month, claiming its e-POWER hybrid powertrain has the “best in C-Crossover segment fuel efficiency, with 4.5L per 100km and a potential range of 1,200km (WLTP).”
Although it uses an electric motor to power the wheels, it still has a gas engine that acts as a generator to charge the battery.
The next-gen LEAF, Juke, and Qashqai were expected to be a key part of Nissan’s recovery plans. After quietly delaying the electric Qashqai, will the Juke EV be next?
A report from Japan’s Kyodo News (via Reuters) last month claimed Nissan is already cutting production plans for the 2026 LEAF.
In the US, Nissan is pushing back the production of two electric vehicles that were scheduled to be built in Canton, Mississippi. Is it time for the Japanese automaker to sound the alarm?
Later this year, Nissan will launch the new and improved LEAF EV. After dropping its signature hatchback look for a more crossover SUV-like design, the LEAF is a significant upgrade from the outgoing model, offering longer range, faster charging, and much more.
Should Nissan keep the gas-powered Juke on sale? Or go EV-only as initially planned? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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The victims and family of victims of a crash involving Tesla Autopilot are seeking $345 million in damages as part of a wrongful death court case.
We reported on this case at trial in Miami last month.
The case attempts to place some responsibility on Tesla for creating complacency with drivers, who were led to believe Autopilot could do more than it actually could.
George McGee was driving his Model S on Autopilot in Key Largo in April 2019 when he dropped his phone and looked down to pick it up when the car blew past a stop sign at a T intersection, and crashed into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe.
22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo were standing next to the parked Tahoe. Benavides died and Angulo was seriously injured.
The police charged McGee with reckless driving, but the families of the victims sued both McGee and Tesla. McGee settled with the plaintiffs, but Tesla hasn’t.
The trial lasted almost a month, but both parties had their closing arguments yesterday, and the jury is now deliberating.
The plaintiffs have asked the jury to award them nearly $345 million in damages, comprising $109 million in compensatory damages and $236 million in punitive damages.
They have alleged that Tesla was careless in how it released and marketed Autopilot, leading owners like McGee to become overconfident in the driver assistance system, which contributed to the crash.
Tesla has been putting all the blame on McGee, who admitted to being distracted.
The automaker has also attempted to claim that it has telemetry data indicating the driver pressed the accelerator pedal. Still, the plaintiffs’ counsel has raised concerns about Tesla’s handling of the data.
Recently, Tesla has settled several wrongful death lawsuits involving its ADAS systems (Autopilot and Full Self-Driving), and there are dozens of fatal crashes involving the systems.
Electrek’s Take
It will be interesting to see the results of this trial, which I expect to see any day now. It is a bit of a complicated case, but I don’t think the jury will take weeks of deliberation.
In recent months, Tesla settled two similar cases and we don’t know for how much.
At this point, it’s unclear why the case did not settle before trial, as the trial is not a good look for Tesla, regardless of the outcome. Tesla is working hard to keep most of the information confidential, but specific details are emerging that make the Company look bad.
It’s possible that Tesla tried to settle, but the plaintiffs wouldn’t, or Tesla felt confident about winning this case.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this specific case is being watched by many other legal teams working on other fatal crashes involving Tesla’s ADAS systems.
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Despite sales in the US rising 9%, Ford’s (F) EV sales remained flat in July. Ford says the Mustang Mach-E is back on track, but CEO Jim Farley promises the company will reveal its next “breakthrough” EV in just a few days.
Ford’s US sales rise in July, but EV growth remains flat
Ford sold a total of 198,313 vehicles in the US in July, up 5% year-over-year (YOY). Although it outpaced the estimated industry average of about 5%, Ford’s electric vehicle sales fell a modest 0.2%.
With 5,308 Mustang Mach-Es sold last month, Ford said the electric SUV had its best July ever and is now ahead of its 2024 pace. The Mach-E was hit with a recall earlier this year, affecting nearly 200,000 models in the US.
Overall, Ford sold a total of 8,229 EVs in July, down slightly from the 8,242 it handed over last year. F-150 Lightning posted slightly higher sales (0.3%) with 2,831 units sold.
Meanwhile, sales of the E-Transit electric van continued slipping with only 90 units sold last month, a decrease of 89% from July 2024.
With 47,217 units sold through the first seven months of 2025, Ford’s EV sales are down 9.9% compared to the same period in 2024.
During Ford’s second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Farley announced that the company would unveil “plans to design and build a breakthrough electric vehicle and platform in the US.”
Farley called it “a Model T moment” for Ford, adding that it will offer “a chance to bring in a new family of vehicles” with advanced tech, efficiency, space, and features.
Rather than competing with Japanese and South Korean brands in the mass-market EV market, Ford will focus on what it does best — trucks and SUVs. Ford is developing a new, low-cost EV platform and plans to manufacture LFP batteries in Michigan, enabling more affordable and profitable electric models.
The first electric model built on Ford’s new platform is expected to be a mid-size pickup truck, set to arrive in 2027. Ford will reveal more about its big EV plans on August 11 in Kentucky.
Following the success of its “From America, For America” campaign, which offered employee pricing to all, Ford launched a new promotion in July, “Triple Zero.” The new campaign offers $0 down, 0% interest, and zero payments for the first 90 days.
Looking to test one out for yourself? You can use our links below to find deals on the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning at a dealer near you.
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