Note: This piece has been updated with a statement from Rivian.
Electric cars often come with lethal amounts of horsepower. The combination of batteries and electric motors creates that teleportation-like acceleration when you floor the throttle. In such moments, the last thing you want is for the throttle pedal to get glued to the floor when depressed.
At least one owner of the newly launched second-generation Rivian R1S flagged this potential issue on Rivian Forums yesterday. The owner took delivery of the electric SUV recently and was super impressed and happy with the vehicle. However, an official accessory purchased from Rivian created a perilous situation.
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Second-gen Rivian R1 models are promising.
Rivian's first EVs, the R1T electric truck and the R1S SUV, were welcomed with much fanfare due to their insane performance, quirky features and cool retro-modern design. But the EVs were plagued with software issues and service problems, something Rivian hopes to address with the second-gen R1 models that get massive upgrades under the skin.
Minutes after the delivery, the owner drove onto a highway and floored the throttle to experience the addictive instant torque. It's one of the joys of owning an EV. But when the accelerator pedal got stuck under the front right portion of the floor mat, the owner was baffled.
It's unclear what variant of the R1S this was. But we know that its quad motor version produces 1,025 hp and nearly 1,200 pound-feet of torque. It can accelerate from naught to 60 miles per hour in 2.7 seconds. The tri-motor is good for over 800 hp. So even though it seems like a small issue, the consequences can be disastrous given how potent these EVs are.
Thankfully, the brake pedal overrides acceleration, so the owner was able to stop at a shoulder to inspect what went wrong. They found that the second-generation R1S had a small bump on the floor in front of the throttle pedal.
The factory-fitted floor carpet is designed to avoid this bump. But the all-weather floor mat—purchased as an option—doesn’t sit flush with the floor because of this bump. It’s raised by a few inches, causing the throttle pedal to get stuck under it when depressed.
It turns out that the all-weather floor mats, a $250 add-on, are compatible with first-gen vehicles only. “All-weather mats are not interchangeable between Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles. Use only as directed,” Rivian has mentioned on its website.
“I'm guessing employees at the service center didn't know about this incompatibility. This was part of delivery but as a separate transaction,” the owner said.
Here's what Rivian told InsideEVs in a statement: "There is no safety issue when Rivian floor mats are properly installed in the vehicle for which they are designed. We are only aware of this one instance where the wrong floor mats were installed in a Gen 2 vehicle. Safety is important in all Rivian does and we are working directly with the customer to provide the correct floor mats for their vehicle."
It seems like newly designed all-weather mats are available with the second-gen models as well, but it's unclear how many service centers have them yet. The second-gen models are new and deliveries started only in June this year.
Gallery: 2025 Rivian R1T and R1S
Tesla Cybertruck owners highlighted similar issues early this year. Owners across the country said that its throttle pedal cover could slide off and lodge itself into the driver's side footwell when depressed. This led to Tesla recalling thousands of Cybertrucks.
Rivian should be just one service bulletin away from fixing this issue, and I don’t think there’s anything complex involved here. However, given the horizon-shattering pace of EVs and the safety risks involved—potentially due to poor awareness among service personnel—this should be fixed sooner rather than later.
Did you recently buy the second-gen Rivian R1 models and have stories to share? Contact the author suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com.
