- A Florida woman is speaking out after an electrical short left her stuck in a smoking Rivian R1S.
- After approximately 45 minutes, responders learned about a manual door release and were able to free her from the vehicle.
- Rivian reportedly offered the customer $1,000 but, after a local television station got involved, they decided to offer a refund.
A Florida woman had a scary experience behind the wheel of a Rivian R1S as the model reportedly suffered from an electrical problem that left her ‘trapped’ inside the vehicle. If that wasn’t bad enough, smoke was entering the cabin.
Jen Pereira shared her story with WFTV 9 and said things went south after about a month and a half of ownership. As Pereira explained, the R1S “started braking very rapidly” in November. The dashboard then began flashing and the vehicle eventually rolled to a stop.
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Pereira said she then saw and smelled smoke, which eventually resulted in her calling 911 as the doors wouldn’t open. Responders reportedly didn’t see smoke, but “demobilized” the SUV and began looking for ways to get her out of the vehicle. After about 45 minutes, they discovered a manual door handle release.
Rivian looked into the issue and told the station, “Our investigation … indicates a short in an electrical system caused the contained smoke issue the customer experienced. We have also confirmed that the interior manual door handle was working properly at the time” and “all Rivian vehicles are equipped with front row manual release handles, which allow occupants a means to exit the vehicle, even in the event of power loss.”
The company went on to point out the release is mentioned in the owners’ manual and this should serve as a reminder to actually pay attention to them. That sentiment was echoed by a fire official, who told the station “People need to know the emergency exit procedure” if their vehicle has electrically controlled door handles.
While no vehicle is immune from issues, Rivian offered Pereira a refund and she’ll presumably accept it as she told the ABC affiliate “I don’t feel safe being in that car. I don’t feel like it will be a safe automobile to have in my garage with my family.”
