NHTSA Complaint #11673844 — 2022 RIVIAN EDV

During normal operation of the this vehicle, the seatbelt pretensioner cable snapped when the driver attempted to buckle the seatbelt. This is where the lap belt portion is attached to the seat. The cable is frayed and breaks. This same defect has occurred on 5 of our 34 vehicles of the same make and model in the last 12 months. The manufacturer has replaced the first four failures and advised that we need to pay for the repair. This is a Rivian produced Amazon delivery vehicle. Online forums show this being reported by Amazon drivers throughout the country, so it is not an isolated incident. If this cable were to break during an accident, the occupant would no longer be restrained by the seatbelt. The manufacturer has advised us that this is the result of seatbelt misuse, the part is being stressed by drivers sitting on the seatbelt. I find it hard to believe that a component designed to withstand extreme g-force pressure would be damaged from a 180 pound person sitting on it. There must be some flaw in the material, workmanship, or design.