As the number of Rivian R1T pickup trucks delivered to customers across the US increases, we’re starting to see more videos caught by the vehicle’s Gear Guard Video system.
Working similarly to Tesla’s Sentry Mode, Rivian’s Gear Guard uses the vehicle’s cameras to record a 360-degree view of the R1T when the owner is away. Gear Guard Video activates whenever someone is less than a foot (0.3 meters) away from the truck, so it goes without saying that the system sends many false alarms to owners.
However, in this particular case, Gear Guard had every reason to activate and start filming as a Walmart employee hit a Rivian R1T’s rear quarter panel with a long row of shopping carts he failed to keep under control.
After checking out the damage done to the electric truck—a pretty extensive one as the video uploaded on YouTube by the Rivian owner shows—the employee was close to hitting the R1T a second time. Fortunately, he was more careful the second time and pushed the carts away from the truck’s rear bumper.
“Get that checkbook ready, Walmart,” wrote the electric pickup’s owner in the video description, hinting that he will use the footage to have the retail giant pay for the repairs.
The rear quarter panel appears to have taken the most damage, with the body sheet being visibly bent. In addition, the plastic bumper edge appears scratched and the lower corner of the taillight seems cracked—unless it’s a visual illusion caused by the lighting.
It really sucks to have something like this happen to your car, especially if it’s an expensive and rare model like the Rivian R1T. It’s a good thing the Gear Guard system worked and captured the incident on camera, allowing the owner to file a claim against Walmart.
As for the shopping cart collector, it would be wise for him to pay more attention next time and not attach as many carts together. These things are really difficult to control, especially when pushed with a motorized retriever, and can inflict significant damage on a vehicle when getting out of control.
