The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary evaluation of reports that Rivian’s Electric Delivery Van (EDV) seatbelts can malfunction and threaten the driver’s safety.
The Electric Delivery Van has long been a part of Rivian’s plans and was key in the American automaker’s early success as a BEV startup. The EDV was teased as far back as 2019, when Amazon committed to purchasing 100,000 vehicles from Rivian as part of a $700 million investment.
Those initial EDV-700 builds made their way to Amazon in late 2021 and can now be seen making zero-emissions deliveries in cities around the US. Early on, Amazon had exclusivity in the EV technology and driver safety that the Rivian vans provided. In 2023, however, Rivian opened up the availability of its commercial EVs to other customers, who followed suit.
Since then, tens of thousands of Rivian commercial vans have been delivered. However, a recent filing from the NHSTA states that the durability and safety of the seatbelt in certain Rivian EDVs may be an issue, and the administration is investigating accordingly.
Rivian is cooperating with NHTSA to ensure driver safety
According to a September 22, 2025, filing from the NHTSA, the administration’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has opened a preliminary evaluation of accusations of safety concerns surrounding driver seatbelts. Here’s the safety issue description:
Potential failures of the driver’s front outboard seat belt anchorage system. The seat belt anchorage system comprising steel braided cable that frays, breaks and/or unravels, leaving the occupants unrestrained in the event of a collision.
Per the report, the ODI has received Vehicle Owner Questionnaires reporting potential failures of the driver’s seatbelt anchorage system in the front outboard of a Rivian van. There have been zero accidents or injuries reported in relation to this potential issue.
The NHTSA stated that the ODI’s investigation concerns the seatbelt safety of about 17,198 Rivian EDVs
produced between 2022 and 2023. Rivian reiterated that its vehicles meet safety requirements. Here’s an official statement from Rivian sent to Electrek:
Rivian takes the safety of everyone in our vehicles very seriously; all of our vehicles meet or exceed applicable safety requirements. We look forward to cooperating with NHTSA on its investigation.
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