2004 FOREST RIVER TRAVEL TRAILER Complaints

THE TIRE WAS ON A 2003 WILDCAT FIFTH WHEEL PURCHASED IN MAR 2004. THE TIRE HAS 15 TRIPS OF ROUGHLY 3000 MILES ON THEM. THE TIRE WAS ON THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT OF THE FIFTH WHEEL, ALL TIRES WERE CHECKED PRIOR TO LEAVING. WE WERE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 65 MPH WHEN THE TIRE BLEW. CARLISLE, DEALER OR FOREST RIVER, THE MAKER OF THE FIFTH WHEEL, ARE NOT GOING TO REPLACE THE TIRE OR COVER COST OF DAMAGE OF THE FIFTH WHEEL. THE TIRE SPLIT FROM ACROSS THE TREAD, RIPPING APART FROM 2" BELOW THE TREAD ON BOTH INNER AND OUTER TIRE. *JB

I HAVE HAD TWO FAILURES OF CARLISLE TIRES, MODEL RADIAL TRAIL, SIZE ST225/75R15/D. NEITHER TIRE BLEW, BUT THE FIRST HAD THE TREAD PEEL AWAY. DIAGNOSED BY THE TIRE SHOP AS AN INTERNAL SEPARATION. SHOP NOTED THAT THE TIRE WAS PROPERLY INFLATED AND WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. I STILL HAVE ONE OF THE TIRES IF YOU DESIRE TO EXAMINE IT. I CONSIDER THESE FAILURES TO BE POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS AND HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS ABOUT THESE TIRES. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. *NM

WHILE MAKING A 200 MILE TRIP TO IOWA WE THOUGHT THAT WE HAD JUST BLOWN A TIRE. WHILE TAKING SHELTER INSIDE THE CAMPER FROM THE BUSY HWY WE DISCOVERED THAT THE AXEL WAS BROKEN AND THE WHOLE CAMPER COULD'VE TIPPED OVER WITH US(INCLUDING A 6 MONTH OLD INFANT.) THE TIRES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD BEEN RUBBING CAUSING THE BLOW OUT. THE BLOW OUT ALSO DAMAGED A LOT OF THE UNDERSIDE. THIS PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE DOUBLE AXEL IT NEEDS A TRIPLE AXEL TO BETTER WITHSTAND THE WEIGHT. THE NEXT DAY WE HAD IT WELDED AND NEW TIRES PUT ON AND PULLED IT A FEW MORE MILES TO A CAMP SITE AND LEFT IT THERE UNABLE TO TRUST IT TO GO ANY FURTHER. WE CONTACTED FOREST RIVER AND BASICALLY WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY DIDN'T CARE BUT DID EVENTUALLY COME AROUND AND GAVE US THE NUMBER OF THE CLOSEST FOREST RIVER DEALER TO GET IT. THE DEALER AND OURSELVES CALLED FOREST RIVER ON A DAILY BASIS ALMOST WITH NO PREVAIL. AFTER ABOUT 3 MONTHS OF CALLING THE COMPANY THAT DID THE WORK ON THE AXEL CALLED US AND OFFERED TO REINFORCE THE AXEL. WHEN THE ENTIRE AXEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SO AFTER ALMOST 8 MONTHS IT IS STILL SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP IN IOWA GATHERING DUST WITH NOTHING BEING FIXED. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PULLING THE 5TH WHEEL TRAILER 20 MPH, THE PIN BOX SHEERED. AS A RESULT THE TRAILER COLLAPSED ONTO THE TRUCK AND CAUSED A SEPARATION BETWEEN THE TRAILER AND THE TRUCK. BOTH THE TRAILER AND TRUCK SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE; HOWEVER NO INJURIES OCCURRED. THE TRAILER WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 3/28/2006 - *NM

BOUGHT A NEW HOLIDAY TRAILER, WILDCAT BY FOREST RIVER IN 2004. TRAILER NEVER TRAILED RIGHT BEHIND TRUCK. IN 2005 THREE BRAND NEW SETS OF AXLES WERE PUT UNDER TRAILER AND ALL FAILED SAFETY REGULATIONS. FINALLY, AXLE HANGERS WERE MEASURED AND FOUND THAT THE ONE SIDE WAS SET BACK 1/2" FARTHER THAN THE OTHER SIDE. TRAILER WANTED TO PULL US INTO THE DITCH AND SWAYED THE TRUCK TERRIBLY. APPARENTLY THE TRAILER HAS TO BE PULLED ALL APART TO RE-WELD THE HANGERS TO THE ENCLOSED FRAME. ALMOST HAD SEVERAL ACCIDENTS BECAUSE TRAILER STARTED 'WHIPPING' BEHIND THE TRUCK.*JB

I WAS TRAVELING WITH MY 5TH WHEEL TRAILER ON I-37 BETWEEN CORPUS CHRISTI, TX. AND SAN ANTONIO, TX. WHEN ONE OFTHE CARLISLE ST205/75R15 TIRES BLEW ON THE 5TH WHEEL. THE TIRES WERE INFLATED TO SPECIFICATION(50 PSI/COLD) BEFORE STARTING THE TRIP HOME FROM CORPUS CHRISTI. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO TRAILER. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY SAFELY. THIS WAS ON 3/24/05. I WAS TRAVELING AT 65 MPH AT THE TIME. CARLISLE TIRE CO. REPLACED TIRE FREE OF CHARGE AS IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. ON 6/20/05 WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH KANSAS CITY, MO. ON I-435 THE SAME THING HAPPENED, ANOTHER BLOWN CARLISLE ST205/75R15 TIRE. THIS TIME THERE WAS SOME DAMAGE TO THE 5TH WHEEL, ABOUT $300 WORTH. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD SAFELY WITHOUT INCIDENT. I WAS TRAVELING AT 60 MPH AT THE TIME. I DECIDED TO REPLACE ALL FOUR OF THE CARLISLE TIRES WITH A MORE RELIABLE BRAND RATHER THAN TAKE A CHANCE ON ANOTHER BLOWN CARLISLE TIRE. THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS 50 PSI/COLD WHEN I STARTED ON THE TRIP. I HAVE ALSO READ AND HEARD OF PEOPLE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH CARLISLE TRAILER TIRES. THE 5TH WHEEL IS A 2004 ROCKWOOD BY FOREST RIVER MODEL F8285SS PULLED WITH A CHEVY 2500HD DURAMAX 4X4.

I PURCHASED A 2004 FOREST RIVER, FLAGSTAFF 26DL TRAVEL TRAILER IN JULY 2003. IT CAME EQUIPPED WITH 5 CARLISLE ST205/75R14 LOAD RANGE C TIRES. I HAVE PROPERLY MAINTAINED TIRE PRESSURE AND HAVE NEVER EXCEEDED THE TRAILER'S LISTED GVW. FROM 3000 TO ABOUT 3500 MILES I HAVE EXPERIENCED 3 CATASTROPHIC BLOWOUTS. EACH FAILURE WAS IDENTICLE IN APPEARANCE. I RECENTLY READ IN A TRAILER PERIODICAL THAT CARLISLE HAS HAD A RECENT HISTORY OF THIS TYPE OF FAILURE AND WAS BEING VERY COOPERATIVE WITH CONSUMER COMPLAINTS. THIS IS ALL WELL AND GOOD BUT IS NOT ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR INJURED.IT IS A NERVOUS EXPERIENCE IN AN AUTO WITH A BLOWOUT BUT IS MORE THAN CHILLING WHEN IT HAPPENS IN A 6000 POUND VEHICLE HOOKED BEHIND YOU!

WE PURCHASED A ROCKWOOD ROO IN FEB 2004. IT HAD CARLISLE TIRES ON IT. LAST YEAR WE TRAVELLED ABOUT 5000 MILES. FIRST TIME OUT THIS YEAR IN ONE TRIP, WE HAD 3 BLOWOUTS. WE PURCHASED TWO TIRES ON THE FIRST SESSION, WHERE WE BLEW 2 TIRES AND WAS LEFT WITH NO SPARE. THE FIRST TIRE STORE HAPPENED TO ONLY SELL CARLISLE TIRES. THE SECOND ROUND WAS IN ANOTHER STATE AND WE PURCHASED ANOTHER BRAND. AFTER GETTING HOME, WE FIND THE CARLISLE WILL NOT HONOR A WARRANTY SINCE WE COULD NOT BRING HOME THE THREE BLOWN TIRES. (LIMITED SPACE WHILE CAMPING TO KEEP TRASHED TIRES). WE HAVE RESEARCHED CAMPING FORUMS AND FIND OUT THE CARLISLE TIRES ARE DESTINED TO BLOW IN AS LITTLE AS 6 MONTHS FROM MANUFACTURE DATE. NOW WE FEEL WE HAVE TO THROW AWAY 3 BRAND NEW TIRES (SPARE AND TWO WE PURCHASED) BEFORE WE CAN DARE HEAD ON ANOTHER TRIP. WE SEEM TO HAVE NO RECOURSE AND SOMEHOW THIS SEEMS SO DANGEROUS AND UNFAIR. THERE WAS ALSO DAMAGE TO THE TRAILER, THEY COMPLETELY IGNORED THE PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE.

WHILE TRAVELING 1200 MILES TIRES CONTINUOUSLY BLEW OUT. CONSUMER FOUND THAT THE FRAME CRACKED, AND THE AXLE WAS GOING SIDE WAYS. *AK THE CONSUMER FELT THAT THE SUSPENSION WAS TO LIGHT, WEARING OUT THE SPRING HANGERS, FLATTENING THE SPRINGS, ALLOWING THE FRAME TO CARRY THE LOAD ON JUST THE TIRES WHICH WERE UNDERRATED. ON ONE OCCASION THE TIRE BLEWOUT DAMAGING WATER LINES UNDER THE TRAILER. ALL THIS IN UNDER 5000 MILES ON THE TRAILER (FOREST RIVER F37SP FIFTH WHEEL 2004). *BF *NM *NM