FOREST RIVER Complaints

THE CAMPERS ELECTRICAL WIRING IN THE BREAKER BOX HAS BURNT DUE TO FAULTY WIRING AND NOT TIGHTENING THE NEUTRAL WIRES. THESE FROM WHAT I CAN TELL HAPPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY SET FOR CAMPING USE. ALSO THE RADIO HAS YET TO OPERATE CORRECTLY THE OUTDOOR SPEAKERS CAN NOT BE SEPARATED FROM THE INSIDE AND THE VOLUME FLUCTUATES UP AND DOWN, THE DEALER HAS FIXED THE CRACKLING SPEAKER.

THE EXTERNAL LED LIGHTING ON THIS AVENGER TRAVEL TRAILER WERE IN USE AND STARTED A FIRE THAT BURNED THROUGH THE PLASTIC CASING. THIS CAUSED THE AWNING ABOVE TO HAVE SMOKE DAMAGE. LUCKILY WE CAUGHT IT IN TIME THAT THE AWNING OR TRAILER DIDN'T CATCH ON FIRE WHICH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF A TRAILER.

EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT OF CASTLE ROCK ST225/75R15 LOAD RANGE D 113L WHILE TRAVELING NORTH ON I-5 IN CALIFORNIA ON A SUNNY DAY AND 80 DEG F. TRAILER IS FOREST RIVER WILDCAT MAXX 23DKS. SPEED WAS 63 MPH. TIRE IS RATED 75 MPH AND SPEED HAS NEVER EXCEEDED 70 MPH. LIFE TIME MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE SHOWN BY THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR WAS 119 DEG F WHEN TRAVELING THROUGH THE MOJAVE DESERT WITH A 108 DEG F AMBIENT TEMPERATURE. TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR DID NOT SHOW LOSS OF PRESSURE UNTIL THE BLOWOUT. BUILD DATE IS 2915. DOT NUMBER IS JULT 1MT 2915. TRAILER WAS PURCHASED NEW IN JUNE 2016. TIRE HAD ABOUT 1750 MILES ON IT. TIRE WAS CARRYING 1260 POUNDS ACCORDING TO CAT SCALE AND TIRE IS RATED 2540 POUNDS. PERFORMED A SPIN TEST OF THREE REMAINING TIRES AND FOUND BULGES IN TREAD ON 2 OF 3 TIRES. INSPECTION OF TIRES PRIOR TO START OF TRIP DID NOT SHOW ANY BULGES. WE REPLACED ALL FOUR OF THE CASTLE ROCK TIRES MOUNTED TO THE AXLES. MINOR DAMAGE TO BOTTOM OF TRAILER SLIDE OUT ($200). COST OF NEW TIRES WAS $600.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FOREST RIVER SUNSEEKER CLASS C RV 3010. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THREE BOLTS WERE MISSING AND CAUSED THE CALIPER TO FRACTURE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT DEALER OR MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A FIRESTONE TIRE SHOP AND REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE OVERALL SAFETY OF THE RV. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT PROVIDED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FOREST RIVER SIERRA EQUIPPED WITH CONSTANCY LY188 TIRES (NA), SIZE: 235/85/16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SWERVE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER WHERE IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE HAD BLOWN OUT. THE VEHICLE AND TIRES WERE NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE AND TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,400.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FOREST RIVER CEDAR CREEK 35QB CAMPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WELDS FAILED ON THE FRONT FRAME NEAR THE KINGPIN AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000.

MY 9 MONTH OLD INFANT SON WAS PLAYING ON THE BED AT THE FRONT END OF THE CAMPER WITH SUPERVISION WHEN HE SLID BACK AND ALMOST COMPLETELY OUT FROM UNDER THE CANVAS WHERE IT ATTACHES. THANKFULLY I WAS RIGHT THERE TO CATCH HIM BUT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD! THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, WE WERE SET UP FOR CAMPING FOR THE WEEKEND. INCIDENT OCCURRED 10/82016. I WILL BE HAPPY TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH AND SEND IT IN. THE FRONT CANVAS IS NOT SECURED TO THE CAMPER IN THE FRONT BOTTOM. IT CAN BE TUCKED IN, BUT ANY PRESSURE PUSHES IT RIGHT BACK OUT. THERE ONLY APPEARS TO BE GLUE IN THE CORNERS AND NOTHING IN THE FRONT TO SECURE THIS IN PLACE.

WHILE FUELING, GASOLINE STARTED TO LEAK FROM THE AREA ABOVE THE SEWER TANK. THE GASOLINE RAN OVER THE TANK AND ONTO THE FUELING DOCK. FUELING WAS STOPPED WITH THE TANK ABOUT 1/2 FULL. THE LEAK STOPPED SHORTLY AFTER FUELING STOPPED. NO LEAK WAS DETECTED FROM THE AREA AROUND THE FUEL TANK. THIS PROBLEM IS SIMILAR TO THE PROBLEM REPORTED IN NHTSA ACTION NUMBER 926943, SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 10463500 REPORTED JUN 28, 2012.

TRAILER WAS SOLD TO AS FOR THE PURPOSE OF A TOY HAULER. WE STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SEAL AROUND FIFTH WHEEL AND IT WAS NOTICED BY OUR RV TECH THAT THE EXPANSION JOINT HAS EXCESSIVE PLAY RESULTING IN THE FLOOR COMING AWAY FROM THE WALL BY BEDROOM SLIDE. WE TOOK TRAILER DOWN TO A GOVERNMENT SCALE TO WEIGH TRAILER AND HAVE FOUND WE HAVE BEEN RUNNING THE TRAILER OVER WEIGHT BUT OUR CARGO CAPACITY HAS BEEN TO THE MAX OF THE TRAILER BUT LABELS ON THE TRAILER ARE INACCURATE. TRAILER READS THE DRY WEIGHT OF 11649 LBS BUT WHEN WEIGHED ITS 13060 LBS. TRAILER IS EQUIPED WITH A 100 GALLON WATER TANK BUT LABEL INDICATES A 50 GALLON WATER TANK WHICH WEIGHS FULL @ 416 LBS BUT WITH THE 100 GALLON TANK IT WEIGHS 833 LBS. TRAILER IS ALSO EQUIPED WITH A FUEL 30 GALLON FUEL TANK WITH NO WEIGHT RATINGS. WHEN WE FILL UNIT UP WITH FUEL, WATER OUR 2 QUADS THE TRAILER AXLES ARE OVER WEIGHT AND WE CAN NOT RUN FULL WHICH WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO AS THAT IS WHAT IT IS INTENDED FOR. AXLES ON THIS TRAILER ARE GOOD FOR 12000 LBS. WITH THE INACCURATE DRY WEIGHT WE ARE ONLY ABLE TO CARRY 1600 LBS OF CARGO WHICH FOREST RIVER STATES WE CAN RUN 3568 LBS (WHICH THERE REP INDICATES) BUT LABEL ON SIDE OF TRAILER INDICATES 3010 LBS BUT WHEN YOU DO THE MATH WE SHOULD BE AT 3048 LBS FOR CARGO CAPACITY. WE HAVE ALREADY REPLACED BRAKES, SOME TIRES AND NOW WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE SUSPENSION AND POSSIBLY ADD ANOTHER AXLE TO THIS UNIT TO CARRY THE CARGO DUE TO THE MISLEADING INFORMATION THAT FOREST RIVER HAS PROVIDED. WITH THE TRAILER BEING OVER WEIGHT OUR BRAKES ARE INADEQUATE FOR THIS TYPE OF TRAILER. ALSO WE HAVE HAD THE TIRES RUB THROUGH MATERIAL IN WHEEL WHEELS AND MATERIAL HAS WRAPPED AROUND AXLES AND HAVE HAD THE INSULATION HANGING WHICH COULD RESULT IN POSSIBLE FIRE DUE TO HEAVY BRAKING APPLICATION. TRAILER HAS BEEN WRONGFULLY REPRESENTED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FOREST RIVER WILDWOOD TRAVEL TRAILER EQUIPPED WITH RIDGEWAY SPORT S/T TIRES (NA), SIZE: 225/7515. UPON INSPECTION OF THE TRAILER, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE SIDEWALL WAS DRY ROTTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE PREVIOUSLY REPLACED FOR THE SAME DEFECT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 300.