Rivian hit with class action over self-driving tech promises

SANTA ANA, Calif. (CN) — Rivian owners are accusing the electric truck and SUV manufacturer of making demonstrably false claims about the self-driving capabilities of its early vehicle models.

Plaintiffs in the class action say between 2018 and 2023, Rivian marketed its Gen 1 vehicles, known as the R1T and R1S as capable of level 3 autonomous driving through its Driver+ system.

Under level 3 autonomous driving, or conditional automation, the vehicle’s autonomous driving system takes over its operations, including accelerating, braking and steering. While the driver can legally do other tasks in the vehicle, they must remain seated and prepared to take over if prompted, according to SAE International standards on autonomous driving.

The plaintiffs say the company represented that level 3 functionality would be standard on every Rivian vehicle, either at the time of purchase or through eventual software updates to the vehicles’ computer systems.

This was not possible in Rivian’s first generation vehicles, the plaintiffs say.

“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,” they write. “Indeed, the Driver+ system was never designed to support the type of autonomous driving Rivian claimed its vehicles could perform. No software update — no matter how sophisticated — will enable its Gen 1 Vehicles to perform as advertised.”

Rivian knew that this was the case, but nevertheless continued to market the level 3 capabilities of its vehicles over the course of five years through marketing materials, statements from its sales teams and public statements by the company’s founder, RJ Scaringe, the plaintiffs say.

Specifically, plaintiff Michael Fritz, of San Diego, said that Scaringe explicitly stated all Rivian vehicles would be equipped with two front-facing remote sensors and other sophisticated technology that would provide drivers with self-driving technology during a 2018 vehicle unveiling video.

At its Autonomy & AI Day, in December 2025, the plaintiffs say that Rivian publicly acknowledged that the Gen 1 vehicles were not manufactured with the technology necessary for level 3 automation.

The three main plaintiffs, who also live in Michigan and Wisconsin, say that they each purchased one of the Gen 1 vehicles in 2022 and 2023 after doing extensive research on the vehicles. The plaintiffs say that they paid between $81,000, $83,000 and $97,000 for the vehicles.

“None of them would have purchased a Gen 1 Vehicle — or certainly would not have paid what they did — had Rivian truthfully disclosed that its vehicle would never be capable of true hands-free autonomous driving,” they write in their complaint. “Plaintiffs and the class did not receive what they paid for. Instead, they received vehicles that are substantially less capable, and materially less valuable, than Rivian represented them to be.”

The plaintiffs filed the class action in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Wednesday.

The plaintiffs claim that Rivian engaged in fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment, among other claims, including state law violations in California, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Rivian, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Irvine, California, focuses exclusively on luxury, electric trucks and SUVs designed for off-roading and outdoor recreation.

The R1S, an SUV, and the R1T, a truck, were released in 2021 as part of its Gen 1 vehicles. The company recently launched its R2 midsized SUV this year and has plans to release a smaller SUV, the R3.

The company is also well known for manufacturing Amazon delivery vans, which is one of its biggest customers and investors.

A spokesperson for Rivian declined to comment on the class action.