Guest Host Damon Lester, Total Recall by Rivian, Tesla’s Takes the Casino Playbook, Toyoda’s Happy Dance.

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Welcome to the second full week of October during a five Saturday month as we talk about a near-total recall of every Rivian vehicle produced this year. We also talk about Tesla’s latest strategy to skirt state franchise laws, as well as a “happy dance” little moment for Toyota President Akio Toyoda

• Rivian recalls just about every vehicle they’ve made this year, and unlike Tesla’s last recall, this can’t be fixed over the air. According to a notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fastener connecting the front upper control arm and steering knuckle may not have been “sufficiently torqued.”
  • If left unchecked the loosening of the fastener could “cause a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.”
  • Symptoms included, vibrations, noise, and harshness in the front suspension, and changes in steering
  • This affects 12k of the 14k vehicles produced and spans every model from the RT1 Pickup to the electric delivery vans the company is building for Amazon
  • “It’s important not to minimize the potential risks involved and why we are volunteering to conduct this recall,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe wrote in an email to customers viewed by CNBC. “In rare circumstances, the nut could loosen fully. I want to reiterate that this is extremely rare, but it does reinforce why we are acting with such urgency and caution.”
  • You can view Rivans recall page here
    
    
    
• Tesla is throttling down on its plans to build its sales and service centers on tribal land in New Mexico to exploit a gap in the state’s automotive franchise laws. 
  • After the company lost a proposal in 2019 to gain an exception to the laws in the legislature they began seeking alternate means and were able to open their first center inside an old casino on tribal land north of Santa Fe as the partnered with the First Nation of Nambé Pueblo
  • Tesla is now opening a second to offer service coverage to Albuquerque thanks to a new partnership with the Santa Ana Pueblo. 
  • There will also be a sales center and EV chargers
  • Some state legislators such as Cabinet Secretary,  Ricky Serna, made an appearance at the event to express his sentiment, “This project will yield economic growth, healthy career pathways and contribute to Governor Lujan Grisham's aggressive carbon reduction goals
    
    
    
• When Toyota broke GMs 9 decade sales winning streak by selling more vehicles in 2021, Toyota President Akio Toyoda did a little “happy dance” in his office according to his own comments at the annual Toyota Dealer meeting where he performed a slight variation of the dance
  • The win was a result of supply constraints and Toyota leadership does not expect it to continue as the situation has re

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