Rivian is facing a class action lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Owners allege the company made years of false promises about hands-free driving on its flagship R1T truck and R1S SUV models.
The complaint says Rivian ran a coordinated nationwide marketing campaign promoting Level 3 autonomy—the regulatory term for "eyes-off, hands-off" driving—and promised that its Driver+ system would come standard on every vehicle. First-generation models cannot perform this function.
The lawsuit specifically cites CEO RJ Scaringe's appearance at TechCrunch Disrupt 2022, where he made statements about the company's autonomous driving ambitions. The complaint states: "No software update — no matter how sophisticated — will enable its Gen 1 Vehicles to perform as advertised."
The legal team argues Rivian "unquestionably knew" that first-generation vehicles would never deliver Level 3 autonomy yet continued marketing them as capable of hands-free driving. The class action names three plaintiffs and includes claims for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment.
Second-generation R1 vehicles, launched in 2024, do have hands-free capabilities through the "Rivian Autonomy Platform," which includes 11 cameras, five radar sensors, and an upgraded computer system. First-generation owners do not have access to these features.
This follows a $250 million settlement Rivian reached last year over a shareholder lawsuit after the company raised R1 lineup prices in 2022. Rivian declined to comment on the new lawsuit, citing "pending litigation."
The plaintiffs' legal teams—Coleman Law and Tycko & Zavareei—have requested a jury trial.
