FOREST RIVER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FOREST RIVER SANDPIPER RV. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS WATER ENTERING THE VEHICLE COMING FROM THE ROOF. AS A RESULT, THE WIRES AND OUTLETS WERE WET AND WATER TRAVELED THROUGH THE BRAKE LIGHTS. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT HER CHILDREN WOULD ATTEMPT TO USE AN OUTLET AND BECOME SHOCKED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FAILURE CAUSED MOLD AND CORROSION TO THE RV. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FOREST VILLA SALEM VILLA (NA). WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE AWNING DETACHED FROM THE TRAILER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. UPDATED 09/08/16*LJ *JS

THE SUSPENSION AND AXLES DO NOT ADEQUATELY SUPPORT THE CHASSIS AT THE ADVERTISED CURB WEIGHT OF THE TRAILER, CAUSING THE AXLES TO WARP AND ALL 4 OF THE TIRES TO FAIL. THE ATTACH POINTS TO THE CHASSIS ALSO DISLODGED AND REQUIRE REPLACEMENT.

ON OR NEAR APRIL 27TH OF THIS YEAR I TOOK DELIVERY OF A BRAND NEW WILDWOOD CAMPER AND WAS SO EXTREMELY PROUD AND HAPPY WITH MY PURCHASE. ON MAY 6TH I AND MY FAMILY WENT CAMPING AT A LOCAL STATE PARK. LESS THAN 15 MILES FROM MY RESIDENCE. DURING THE DRIVE TO THIS PARK I WAS NOT ABLE TO REACH SPEEDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH DUE TO THE TRAILER 'FISH TAILING'. AFTER DISCUSSING WITH OTHER CAMPERS THEY HAD ALL STATED THAT A 'EQUALIZER HITCH' IS WHAT WAS NEEDED TO CALM THE FISH TAILING DOWN. THIS WAS PURCHASED AND APPLIED TO MY TRUCK AND CAMPER. ON A TEST DRIVE I WAS ABLE TO ATTAIN A SPEED OF 45 MPH HOWEVER IT WAS WITH FISH TAILING. I DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE WITH LIEBELT RV, THIS IS THE COMPANY THAT I HAD PURCHASED THIS CAMPER FROM AND THEIR MECHANIC THOUGHT THAT ALL WAS NEEDED WOULD BE A SWAY CONTROL BAR. AFTER SERIOUS DISCUSSION WITH THE MECHANIC WE HAD DECIDED TO LEAVE THE TRAILER THERE AND MY TRUCK TO VERIFY CORRECT INSTALLATION OF THE EQUALIZER HITCH AND TO INSTALL THE SWAY CONTROL BAR. IT ALSO WAS DETERMINED THAT THE MECHANIC WOULD TEST DRIVE AND VERIFY THE FISH TAILING PROBLEM THAT I WAS HAVING. A DETERMINATION WAS MADE TO INSTALL TWO SWAY CONTROL BARS AND TO CHANGE THE TIRES FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMPER TO A HEAVIER DUTY WIDER CROWN TIRE. WITH ALL THIS DONE TO MY BRAND NEW CAMPER, I AND MY FAMILY TOOK IT CAMPING. THE STATE PARK WAS 100 MILES FROM MY HOME AND THE TRAILER FISH TAILED ALL THE WAY WITH TOP SPEED OF 55 MPH AND THIS WAS SKETCHY. WE TOOK IT ON A SECOND CAMPING TRIP WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 125 MILES AWAY AND AGAIN THE TOP SPEED WAS 55 MPH AND SKETCHY. MY TRUCK IS A RAM 1500 LARAMIE WITH HEAVY DUTY UPGRADES TO INCLUDE 5000 LB AIRBAGS AND THE HEAVY DUTY TOWING PACKAGE. ALL DRIVING WAS ON HIGHWAY WITH POSTED SPEED LIMITS OF 65 MPH / 70 MPH AND 80 MPH

TAKATA RECALL: MANUFACTURER OF MOTOR HOME (FOREST RIVER) HAS TOLD ME THEY ARE NOT TO BLAME AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AIR BAG PROBLEM. ALTHOUGH THEIR RECALL SITE SAYS THEY WILL TELL THEIR CUSTOMERS ABOUT THE RECALL IN JUNE, THEY HAVE NOT NOTIFIED ME. NEITHER HAS FREIGHTLINER, THE CHASSIS MANUFACTURE OR DAIMLERCHRYSLER, THE FIRM PUTTING THEIR NAME ON THE FRONT OF THE MOTOR HOME. RECALL WAS STARTED IN AUGUST OF 2015 AND NOW I AM TOLD I HAVE TO CALL TAKATA TO FIND OUT WHAT AND/OR WHEN THE REPLACEMENT WILL BE DONE. WHY ARE THESE COMPANIES ALLOWED TO THUMB THEIR NOSES AT THE PEOPLE WHO BUY THEIR PRODUCTS WHILE NOT CARING IF THEY LIVE OR DIE?

BRAND NEW TRAVEL TRAILER WAS SOLD BY CAMPING WORLD WITH BIAS PLY AND RADIAL TIRES MIXED ON THE AXLES, WATER TANK WAS LEFT UNBOLTED FROM FRAME AND ELECTRICAL UNDER THE TRAILER WAS FIXED WITH WIRE NUTS. THIS IS ALL A SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECTS, THAT COULD LEAD TO MAJOR PROBLEMS ON THE HIGHWAYS, PULLING THE TRAILER HOME IT HAD MAJOR SWAY PROBLEMS. I DONT KNOW IF THE FOREST RIVER FACTORY BUILT IT THIS WAY OR CAMPING WORLD DID IT.

ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION WHILE TRAVELING AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 50 MILES AN HOUR, THE STABILIZER JACKS HAVE JUST DROPPED TO THE GROUND. THE LATEST INSTANCE WAS ON JUNE 27, 2016 ON LA 1 IN SHREVEPORT,LOUISIANA. NOT A GOOD FEELING WHEN YOU HEAR METAL AGAINST CONCRETE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. I HAVE HAD THIS COACH IN MULTIPLE TIMES TO BE FIXED AND THE FINAL INSTRUCTIONS I WAS GIVEN BY FOREST RIVER WAS "THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME ON THE TELEPHONE THIS AFTERNOON AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE ISSUE YOU ARE HAVING WITH YOUR QUADRA STABILIZING JACKS. I HAVE ATTACHED THE RE-PROGRAMMING INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SYSTEM, BUT THE BEST WAY IS TO HAVE THE WIRE ANTENNA TAKEN OFF OF THE BOX UNDER THE COACH. THE BOX WILL BE LOCATED NEXT TO THE JACK CYLINDER AND THERE IS A METAL COVER THAT HIDES THE PUMP AND FLUID RESERVOIR. WHEN THE ANTENNA IS CUT OFF, THE KEY FOB REMOTE WILL NOT WORK AND YOU WILL HAVE TO USE THE EXTEND/RETRACT SWITCH IN THE COMPARTMENT. " ALONG WITH ATTACHED INSTRUCTION SHEET. HOWEVER, THE INSTRUCTION SHEET SAYS THAT ALL UNITS SHIPPED AFTER JULY 29, 2013 WERE CORRECTED. MY UNIT DID NOT REACH THE DEALER UNTIL APRIL OF 2014, THEREFORE, MY UNIT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED. CAMPING WORLD OF BOSSIER CITY AND FOREST RIVER SEEM TO HAVE NO CONCERN FOR THE POSSIBLE DANGERS THIS COACH PRESENTS. ASKING A CUSTOMER TO CUT A WIRE/ANTENNA FROM UNDER THE COACH SEEMS A BIT LAZY AND DANGEROUS ADVICE FOR A COMPANY TO GIVE AS A SOLUTION. CONCERNING ANY NOTIFICATION, THIS IS THE FIRST "NOTICE" WE RECEIVED THAT THERE WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO THE NHTSA RECORDS, FOREST RIVER IS NOTORIOUS FOR NOT NOTIFYING THEIR CUSTOMERS OR SAFETY OFFICES OF ANY RECALLS/MALFUNCTIONS. THIS SOLERA HAS BECOME A DANGER TO DRIVE AND A HAZARD FOR OTHERS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER AS THERE SHOULD BE A BETTER SOLUTION THAN "CUTTING AN ANTENNA." *TR

ON JUNE 29, 2016 WE WERE DRIVING HOME FROM A CAMPING TRIP TO MADISON, FL. PULLING OUR FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER. AFTER ABOUT 45 MINUTES, WE GOT OFF I-10 ONTO US HWY 27 AND AFTER ABOUT 3 BLOCKS, A TIRE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE TRAILER BLEW OUT. MY HUSBAND CHANGED TO THE SPARE TIRE AND WE CONTINUED ON OUR JOURNEY HOME. ABOUT 300 MILES LATER AND ABOUT 45 MINUTES FROM HOME ANOTHER TIRE BLEW OUT. THIS ONE WAS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CAMPER. WE WERE ABLE TO EXIT I-65 AND PULL INTO THE PARKING LOT OF FLYING J ON DANIEL PAYNE DRIVE IN BIRMINGHAM, AL TO CALL FOR HELP. WE BELIEVE THAT THESE TIRES ARE FAULTY BECAUSE EVEN ANOTHER ONE OF THE ORIGINAL 4 TIRES THAT CAME ON OUR CAMPER LOOKS LIKE THE STEEL BELTS HAVE SEPARATED AND IT IS ABOUT TO BLOW OUT. THESE TIRES ARE ON A 2015 MODEL CAMPER AND HAVE BEEN PROPERLY INFLATED AND STORED IN A CLOSED BUILDING OR COVERED WITH TIRE COVERS SINCE WE PURCHASED THE CAMPER IN MAY 2014. WHEN EACH TIRE BLEW, IT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAMPER SO THAT WE ARE NOW FACED WITH NOT ONLY PURCHASING NEW TIRES BUT MUST HAVE REPAIRS DONE TO THE CAMPERS AUTO LEVELING SYSTEM AND THE FENDERS MUST BE REPLACED.

TAKATA RECALL: WE PURCHASED OUR USED RV IN JAN 2016 FROM A FOREST RIVER DEALER IN VIRGINIA. IN JUNE ANOTHER DEALER TOLD US ABOUT THE RECALL ON OUR SPECIFIC RV. THE ORIGINAL DEALER KNEW ABOUT THE RECALL BUT DID NOT TELL US ABOUT IT SO THEY COULD SELL THE UNIT. NOW WE OWE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR AN RV WE CANNOT DRIVE AND FOREST RIVER STILL HAS NOT TOLD US ABOUT THE RECALL (FIRST PUT ON LIST AUG 2015). WHY NOT INSIST THE MANUFACTURERS TELL THEIR CUSTOMERS WITHIN 30 DAYS OF A RECALL AND WHY NOT INSIST THAT ALL DEALERS OF THEIR PRODUCTS VERIFY THAT THEIR UNITS ARE BEING SOLD WITHOUT ANY SAFETY RECALL?

WHILE TRAVELING EAST ON INTERSTATE I80 THE RIGHT REAR TIRE ON MY FIFTH WHEEL BLEW OUT, I CHANGED TIRE AND CONTINUED TO NORTH PLATT NEBRASKA, I PURCHASED A NEW TIRE AND CONTINUED OUR JOURNEY BACK TO PA. I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES WHEN BOTH TIRES ON THE LEFT SIDE BLEW OUT AT THE SAME TIME. AFTER ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE CHANGED BOTH TIRES I CONTINUED TO KEARNEY NEBRASKA AND HAD A TIRE SHOP REPLACE THE LAST REMAINING ORIGINAL TIRE ON THE RIG. MY RIG IS A 2015 CARDNIAL WITH GOODYEAR MARATHON ST 235/80R16 TIRES