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Rivian R1T Repair Issue Leads Rich Rebuilds to Say It Will Be Worse in a Tesla Cybertruck

Rich Benoit disclosed he bought a Rivian R1T in November 2022. It was actually a little earlier than that because the electric pickup truck was rear-ended in October and fixed only in May. The insurance covered the repair, but it still cost $37,475 – almost as much as the $42,000 bill another R1T owner shared a while ago. The YouTuber said he found an explanation for that and that it applies to another vehicle: the Tesla Cybertruck.
Rich Benoit believes Rivian R1T repair issues may be repeated by the Tesla Cybertruck 57 photos
Photo: Rivian/Tesla/Rich Rebuilds/edited by autoevolution
Rich Benoit's Rivian R1T fender benderRich Benoit's Rivian R1T fender benderRich Benoit's Rivian R1T fender bender repair cost $37,475Rich Benoit believes the massive quarter panel for the rear fenders in the R1T is what makes repairs expensiveRich Benoit believes the massive quarter panel for the rear fenders in the R1T is what makes repairs expensiveRich Benoit believes Rivian R1T repair issues may be repeated by the Tesla CybertruckThis Rivian R1T faced a $42,000 repair for a fender bender: even the back window was removed in the processTesla Cybertruck pilot production line images show it will not have an exoskeleton, among several other promisesTesla Cybertruck pilot production line images show it will not have an exoskeleton, among several other promisesTesla Cybertruck pilot production lineTesla Cybertruck in cold terrainLathrop Megapack production line4680 cell production lineTesla Cybertruck pilot production line images show it will not have an exoskeleton, among several other promisesTesla Cybertruck's Page Without PricesTesla Cybertruck's Page Until Very Recently,  With PricesTesla Removed All Prices for the Cybetruck From Its WebsiteTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla CybertruckTesla edited the Cybertruck page not to exclude it will be made in 2022Tesla Cybertruck Prototype Reveals Massive Windshield WiperTesla Cybertruck Prototype Reveals Massive Windshield WiperTesla Cybertruck Prototype Reveals Massive Windshield WiperTesla Cybertruck Prototype Reveals Massive Windshield WiperTesla Cybertruck Prototype Reveals Massive Windshield WiperTesla Cybertruck Prototype Reveals Massive Windshield WiperTesla Cybertruck was supposed to have an exoskeleton, but it is a unibody pickup truckTesla's 4680 Battery CellTesla's 4680 Battery CellPanasonic's  Financial 2021 Fiscal Results presentationTesla Battery DayTesla's 4680 Battery CellTesla celebrates one millionth 4680 cell, but where are they?Elon Musk stands in front of shattered Cybertruck windows in the day it was presented
According to Benoit, fender benders are considered "major damage in the Rivian because the truck is one giant body panel." He is referring to the fact that the external body panel covers the bed flank, C-pillar, and most of the roof lateral on each side. The quarter panel for the rear fenders is generally much smaller in pickup trucks – which have a gap from the bed to the cabin – and most passenger vehicles, which makes the repair less expensive.

I am not sure that alone justifies the hefty price tag, but that is indeed a significant difference the R1T presents compared to other pickup trucks. Among the pictures Chris Apfelstadt shared for the $42,000 repair in his Rivian, it is visible that the body shop removed even the rear window to fix his electric pickup truck. In Benoit's case, it took him that long to repair his pickup truck because four shops refused to touch it. The YouTuber had to take it to a certified Rivian shop to get the service done.

This Rivian R1T faced a \$42,000 repair for a fender bender\: even the back window was removed in the process
Photo: Chris Apfelstadt
That demonstrates that the R1T was not conceived to be easily repairable. Considering how frequent crashes against the rear end of vehicles are, Rivian should have imagined that this would eventually happen with one of its pickup trucks. If each repair costs around $40,000 each time a fender bender happens, we'll soon see total losses without any damages to critical components such as the battery pack.

In fact, if Benoit owned an R1T Dual-Motor AWD with a Standard Pack – which costs $73,000 – the $37,475 repair would have exceeded 50% of the vehicle's purchase price. That usually is the criteria for writing off a car: it does not pay off to fix it. Don't be surprised if we soon hear about such situations with Rivian pickup trucks: the R1S seems to have much smaller quarter panels in the back.

Rich Benoit believes the massive quarter panel for the rear fenders in the R1T is what makes repairs expensive
Photo: Rich Rebuilds
Benoit did not explore that possibility with his video. Instead, he said the Tesla Cybertruck should face similar problems because it also seems to have a massive body panel for the rear fenders. It is even worse: this body panel is not made from stamped steel. It uses an ultra-hard stainless steel that is also applied to SpaceX's Starship. Tesla wanted this material because the truck would allegedly have a stressed-skin structure, which is another controversy involving the company's pickup truck.

Cory Steuben, president of Munro & Associates, said the Cybertruck follows a unibody design after seeing pictures of its structure that Tesla released in its Q1 2023 Update report. In other words, it follows the same construction methods as the Honda Ridgeline and Ford Maverick. Elon Musk stated at the 2023 Cyber Roundup in May that the pickup truck is "an exoskeleton-based car" but did not provide any evidence that this is really the case.

Tesla Cybertruck pilot production line images show it will not have an exoskeleton, among several other promises
Photo: Tesla
If you want to take his word for it, remember he said the company would have 1 million robotaxis on the roads by 2020 and that he allegedly dictated the disclaimer in Tesla's now infamous 2016 Autopilot video. It stated this: "The person in the driver's seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself." We now know the video was edited to hide several interventions and that the electric SUV even crashed when trying to park without assistance. Musk also said the 4680 cells designed for the Cybertruck would be revolutionary. They are just larger NMC cells. On November 21, 2019, Musk announced the electric pickup truck would start at $50,000. It is now supposed to cost twice as much. There are way more examples to show Steuben is a more credible source, but these are enough to make that point.

Suppose Musk is telling the truth, and the Cybertruck really presents an exoskeleton. Is repairing a stressed-skin structure as simple as fixing a unibody vehicle? Tesla took more time than previously expected to even figure out how to manufacture the truck. Did the BEV maker also design it to be easy to fix? If we take any other Tesla made to date as a precedent, the answer is no. Simple repairs in Tesla vehicles turn into hefty bills. One example is replacing a seat belt clicker: the company's remedy is to swap the entire seat assembly because Tesla Service Centers spend less time doing that.

Tesla Cybertruck
Photo: Tesla
Even if the Cybertruck is a conventional unibody vehicle, dealing with ultra-hard stainless steel components will be different from what repair shops are used to performing every day. Rivian builds the R1T with a much more conventional construction method. Yet, four companies rejected fixing the fender bender in Benoit's unit. It would be weird if the Cybertruck did not face the same or even more limitations.

On top of these concerns, the future Tesla pickup truck also has a massive quarter panel for the rear fenders. The good news for Tesla is that it still did not present the production version of the Cybertruck. While it is not put for sale, the EV maker can fix its design. That would allow it to reach its first customers without the same concerns the R1T presents. Although that would delay production, would it be much different to wait for five instead of the almost four years reservation holders have already waited? Ask the people who have already fully paid for a new Roadster, announced in 2017. The last they heard is that the car will be delivered in 2014… "hopefully." Sadly for Cybertruck's reservation holders, that is unlikely to happen.

Tesla Cybertruck in cold terrain
Photo: Tesla
As I wrote before, Tesla never worried about that with other vehicles. It follows the "deliver now, fix later" policy, which aims to handle cars to customers as soon as possible, even if they did not undergo proper testing. The EV maker has recently tried to brush that off with images of alleged tests that show undisguised prototypes with no testing instruments driving around deserts and cold-climate locations. Anyone familiar with these procedures knows that what the BEV maker presented is to proper testing what Tesla Vision is to human sight. As Benoit said, expect the Cybertruck to repeat in a few months what Rivian is facing right now.

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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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