NHTSA Complaint #11589630 — 2022 RIVIAN EDV

We have a fleet of these Rivian delivery vehicles and they all have the same issue: the shift lever is made of inferior materials and insufficiently designed. The operator manipulates the shift lever to place the vehicle in drive and the lever breaks off. The vehicle is then stuck in gear and cannot be shifted. This is causing near miss incidents due to the operator being unable to safely control the vehicle. Example: operator places the vehicle in "D" to drive forward but is then unable to place the vehicle in "R" to reverse backward, or to place the vehicle in "P" to park. There are no warnings or indications that the failure is about to occur. These units have been inspected by the manufacturer and their representatives but they refuse to address the concern and prefer to instead charge the owner/operator for replacement of the defective part.