Rivian Confirms Newer R2s Lost Their Seatback Ventilation Fans Over Cabin Noise
Newer R2 Performance SUVs cool the front seats through the cushion only. Rivian blames fan noise but hasn’t said which vehicles changed or whether owners get anything back.
Rivian has confirmed that newer R2 SUVs leave the factory with one cooling fan in each front seat instead of two. The seatback fan is gone because it was too loud, the company says. Rivian hasn't said which vehicles are affected, or whether buyers who expected the original setup will get anything in return.
The change applies to the R2 Performance, the only version on sale and the $57,990 SUV we recently compared with the Tesla Model Y. Its front seats are still ventilated. Air now moves through the bottom cushion only, with nothing blowing through the backrest.
What Rivian said
"Because the seatback ventilation generated excessive cabin noise, we streamlined the system. R2 seat heating is unchanged," the company said in a statement published by Car and Driver on October 9.
A second statement presents the single-fan layout as the intended design. R2 ventilated seats, Rivian said, are meant to send air through the cushion, "where occupants retain the most heat."
The company first confirmed the change late on October 7 to the owner site RivianTrackr, after owners comparing notes found newer builds without a backrest fan. Earlier R2s had two fans in each front seat, one in the cushion and one in the backrest, according to the site.
What Rivian hasn't said
- Which SUVs have one fan. Forum posts put the cutoff at around VIN 10,000. Rivian hasn't confirmed that number, and owner reports on either side of it conflict.
- Whether the price or window sticker changed. Rivian hasn't addressed either. As of October 10, its R2 page still lists "heated and ventilated seats" for the Performance, with no detail on how they work.
- Whether owners will be compensated. The company hasn't announced a credit, a retrofit, or a return of the second fan.
Rivian made no announcement when the hardware changed. Its paperwork doesn't mention it either. The release notes for software update 2026.36, the same update that put the R2's Pet Cam behind a subscription, do include one seat-climate item. When the cabin is warming up or cooling down, the R2 now shows the Seat Climate icon but doesn't switch on seat heating or ventilation by itself. The notes say nothing about backrest fans.
Rivian Roamer, an owner-run software tracker, said on X on October 8 that Rivian had withdrawn the update from R2s built after September 1. Rivian hasn't confirmed that, and nothing official links it to the seats.
Why one small fan matters
Some order holders have canceled their R2s and others have paused delivery, according to forum posts cited by Car and Driver.
The timing is awkward. The R2 is Rivian's high-volume model, customer deliveries began only on June 9, and the SUV has already been through two safety campaigns, including a battery fastener recall covering 14 vehicles.
The seat change is a different kind of problem. Two R2 Performance models sold at the same price can now have different seats depending on when they were built, and Rivian hasn't given buyers a way to tell in advance which one they're getting.
Until the company publishes a cutoff, the surest check is at delivery: turn seat ventilation to its highest setting and feel for airflow at the backrest.
We'll update this story when Rivian names the affected vehicles or says what it will do for their owners.
