By Steven Symes 
One of the few remaining EV-only brands, Rivian, is the subject of a new federal safety investigation over seatbelt failures. That’s not what anyone who spent well north of $100,000 for one of the automaker’s luxury trucks or SUVs wants to hear.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its investigation into the issue this week, saying there have been reports of safety belts failing in crashes.
What will relieve Rivian owners is the investigation so far is focusing just on delivery vans made between 2022 and 2023. In the meantime, Amazon delivery drivers have a reason to sweat.
According to NHTSA, the claim is these seatbelt failure cases is that in a crash, the steel-braided cable that anchors the buckle to the seat frame frays or has broken completely. As a result, the driver hasn’t been properly restrained in the wreck.
If that’s true, such a defect could lead to serious injuries if not corrected. The Office of Defects Investigation at NHTSA is trying to establish if there’s a serious issue and if so, how large it is.
This comes at a time when Tesla, the leading EV manufacturer in the US, has been the subject of federal safety investigations, not to mention big court cases. These new kids on the block in the automotive industry have learned the hard way not only is it difficult to design and build cars, it’s consuming to deal with issues long after they’ve been sold.
There’s no indication this investigation has anything to do with the Rivian R1T or R1S. Hopefully, those two models use a different way of anchoring the seatbelt to the seat frame, like how most automakers use a bolt. There’s something to be said for not fixing something that isn’t broken.
Image via Rivian