Structural Straightening: Rivian

Details Posted on 05 March 2025 | Share:

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What should you do when a damaged Rivian comes into your repair facility? Can you measure it? Can it be straightened? What needs to be replaced?

Rivian provides information on structural repairs in their Rivian Repair Guidelines position statement.

Per the Rivian Repair Guidelines position statement:

"Structural repairs that require the use of model-specific fixtures or jigs must be performed by a Rivian Certified Technician using a Rivian approved frame bench repair system. The vehicle must be secured to the approved frame bench repair system with a minimum of 8 fixturing points from the available points specified in the frame bench manufacturer's documentation for the specific model while structural repairs are performed. Additional points may be necessary to support the weight of the vehicle on the frame bench; consult the manufacturer's documentation for required minimum number of fixturing points beyond the 8 stated in this document."

The Rivian Repair Guidelines work in conjunction with vehicle-specific Material Matrix And Repair Guide documents. Rivian provides information on materials for which cold straightening is allowed.

Rivian does not allow repairs to specific materials, such as aluminum extrusions, ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS), and press-hardened steel. Parts made of these materials require complete replacement utilizing vehicle-specific repair procedures.

Per the vehicle-specific Material Matrix And Repair Guide in the service manual, Rivian states:

"Rivian defines "structural pulling" as electrically or hydraulically assisted pulling of collision damage. Rivian recognizes structural pulling has been a historically accepted practice in the collision industry. However, given that Rivian uses a mixture of conventional and advanced designs, materials, and joining methods in its body structures that can be compromised when subjected to such forces, Rivian does not recommend usage of structural pulling outside of the strict guidelines in specific scenarios defined below."

Deciding what part needs to be replaced or repaired requires identifying the material repairability and locating its respective replacement procedure. Failure to follow OEM procedures sacrifices the safety and quality of the repair.

For additional Rivian information, check out the Rivian OEM Information page.

Additional I-CAR Collision Repair News you may find helpful:

• Corrosion Protection Guidelines: Rivian
• Step-By-Step: Accessing Rivian Repair Information
• Straightening And Heat: Rivian