ORLANDO, Fla — A Seminole County woman had to call 911 after her brand-new luxury SUV suddenly stopped and sent smoke into the cabin.
She told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal she had only been driving her Rivian R1S about a month and a half when this happened, and she couldn’t get out until after rescue crews arrived.
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Jen Pereira showed Action 9 a home video inside the Rivian and said it had a smooth quiet ride and comfortable seats. It made sense for her and her husband Jorge to lease the all-electric SUV.
“My husband and I have been EV owners for three years, so that’s not new to us,” she said.
But in early November, Jen Pereira had what she described as a frightening experience driving alone at night in Sanford.
She said, “The car started braking very rapidly, and then the dashboard started basically like flashing.”
The Rivian SUV rolled to a stop. She smelled smoke, then saw smoke enter the cabin.
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She called Rivian through the company’s app. According to Pereira, they advised her to use the SOS emergency button in the car, but it didn’t work.
Pereira added, “I tried to press it. Nothing was happening. She said, you know, ‘Hang up. Call 911.’”
Action 9 obtained a recording of the 911 call from Seminole County. Pereira is heard on the recording saying, “It started smoking, and the brakes, it started like vibrating, and I am actually locked in the vehicle, and I cannot get out.”
Sanford fire crews responded. No smoke was showing when they arrived, but Jen Pereira said Rivian then started rolling backwards.
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According to the Sanford Fire Department report the fire fighters “deployed the emergency EV plug and demobilized the patient’s vehicle. Multiple crew members started researching how to be able to get the patient out of the car.”
Jen Pereira said, “They kept pounding on the car and trying to figure out a way to get in it to get me out. So, it was just super scary. I was in the car for about 45 minutes.”
Fire fighters learned she just had to pull a manual release handle quickly to get the door open.
Action 9 saw the manual release handle illustrated in the Rivian R1S Owner’s Guide.
Rivian let Action 9 know a short in an electrical system caused the smoke. Jen and her husband wanted out of the lease and a refund of their money after that incident. After Action 9 inquired about it, the company offered them a refund.
A Rivian spokesperson released this statement:
We take the safety of our customers very seriously. Our investigation into this incident 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. 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. This feature requires a simple handle pull. A description of this feature is included in our owners’ manuals.
We are currently investigating our customer service response to the incident and are ensuring all of our customer service team members are instructed on the proper way to respond to such a situation. Meantime we have offered the customer a full refund on her vehicle.
Jen Pereira said, “It was just really scary, because you know, 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.”
A battalion chief with the Sanford Fire Department sent this message: People need to know the emergency exit procedure on your vehicle if it has electrically controlled door handles. It should be in the owner’s manual or they need to ask the dealer.
The Center for Auto Safety told us it’s pushing for a universal standard for manual door releases that all carmakers would have to use.
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