By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Rivian Automotive is recalling about 500 2022 R1T electric pickup trucks in the United States because air bags may not deactivate when a child is in the front passenger seat.
Rivian said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue and will replace the passenger seat in the recalled vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) adopted the requirements after dozens of children were killed in the 1990s because of the impact of air bag deployments.
Rivian said it was contacting those with affected vehicles to get a free replacement of the seat. The company added that “infants and children should not be placed in the front passenger seat of affected Rivian vehicles until a front passenger seat replacement is complete.”
The company added its supplier has assumed the cost of seat replacement. Rivian said the issue was because of “defect during supplier manufacturing of the seat.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)
