Sept 12 (Reuters) - Rivian is recalling 24,214

R1S and R1T electric vehicles due to a software defect that may

cause its hands-free Highway Assist system to misidentify lead

vehicles, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration said on Friday.

The issue affects certain 2025 Rivian vehicles running an

older software version in the United States, the NHTSA said.

Rivian has issued an over-the-air software update to fix the

problem, the NHTSA added.

The defect was identified after an incident involving a 2025

R1S model vehicle, where the system misclassified a low-speed

vehicle and the driver failed to maintain control.

Automakers have increasingly competed to roll out advanced

driver-assistance features like lane-keep assist and adaptive

cruise control.

Rivian has also been working on hands-free and "eyes-off"

systems as part of its push into autonomous driving technology.