FOREST RIVER Complaints

WE WERE ON A ROAD TRIP TO LAS VEGAS, AND THEN ONTO CONGRESS, AZ FOR A TRIP OVER CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS. ON DEC 21ST, IN CEDAR CITY, MY HUSBAND LOOKED BACK TO SEE THE FRAME ON THE FRONT OF THE FIFTH WHEEL SEPARATING. WE MADE IT TO LAS VEGAS AND FILED A CLAIM WITH GOOD SAM'S INS. COMPANY. WE THEN WENT ONTO CONGRESS, AZ. IT TOOK OUR INSURANCE COMPANY THREE WEEKS TO COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO COVER THE DAMAGE. GOOD SAM'S INSURANCE STATED THAT IT WAS A MANUFACTURERS DETECT IN THEIR DENIAL. SINCE THEN, I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE INSURANCE DIVISION IN COLORADO. WE THEN CONTACTED FOREST RIVER, TIM HEATH OF THE WARRANTY DEPT. FOREST RIVER STATED THAT IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY GO BACK TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY. WE THEN CONTACTED LIPPERT FRAMES, WHOM FOREST RIVER CONTRACTS WITH FOR THEIR FRAMES. . I HAVE BEEN DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND MANY OTHERS THAT HAVE LIPPERT FRAMES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.THE APPRAISER FROM THE INSURANCE CO. DID STATE THAT IS WAS UNSAFE TO MOVE IT FROM THIS LOCATION IN ARIZONA. WE THEN OPENED UP THE FRONT CAP TO LOOK INSIDE AT THE WELDS ON THE V NOSE OF THE FIFTH WHEEL. IT HAS SIX BROKEN WELDS WITHOUT BEING COMPLETELY OPENED UP. THERE COULD BE MORE.

**ADVISED BY [email protected] TO FORWARD TO YOU FOR ACTION** EXTENSIVE MOLD DAMAGE - COMPROMISED STRUCTURAL/SUSPENSION INTEGRITY DUE TO WATER LEAKAGE FINE/RECALL LEVIED AGAINST MANUFACTURER FOREST RIVER (JULY 2015) FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY REPORTING SAFETY ISSUES. WE OWN A FOREST RIVER SALEM CRUISE LITE, BOUGHT NEW AUG 2015, FAULTY CONSTRUCTION/LEAKS SINCE PURCHASE. REPAIR DONE/NOT RESOLVED. BROUGHT IN AGAIN & CURRENTLY WALLS RIPPED OUT & EXTENSIVE MOLD FOUND BY DEALERSHIP. DEALER ADVOCATED FOR FULL REPLACEMENT (TECHNICIAN HAD TO LEAVE UNIT DUE TO MOLD). FOREST RIVER TOWED IT FROM FL TO GOSHEN, IN FACILITY (WALLS RIPPED OUT, 1000+ MILES ON HIGHWAYS IN HIGH WIND/STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY COMPROMISED DUE TO DAMAGE, NOT TO MENTION EXPOSED MOLD). MONITOR ASSIGNED TO NHTSA RULING PLEASE BE ADVISED VEHICLE CURRENTLY AT FACTORY IF THEY'D LIKE TO SEE DAMAGE FIRSTHAND. AS WELL, PLEASE SEE BBB COMPLAINTS OF SAFETY ISSUES NOT BEING HANDLED. WE ASKED THE REP TO ADDRESS SAFETY, HE REPLIED 'WELL, YOU DID BUY OUR BASE MODEL. THAT'S WHAT WE USE TO KEEP OUR PRODUCTION LINE GOING DURING THE SLOW SEASON'. IF THIS ISN'T AN ADMISSION OF GUILT, NOT SURE WHAT IS. IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE BOUGHT A COROLLA (BASE MODEL) VS A CAMRY.. WOULD IT 'SERVE US RIGHT' IF IT HAD SERIOUS SAFETY FLAWS.. WOULD THE NHTSA BE OK WITH THAT COMMENT? WE ARE URGING SOMEONE (OR THE MONITOR ASSIGNED TO THE NHTSA RULING MADE IN JULY 2015) ... PLEASE GO TO THE FACTORY ASAP. PLEASE ADDRESS THESE SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES THAT CONTINUE. YOUR RULING MAY HAVE 'SHIFTED' FOREST RIVERS PRACTICES, BUT STILL ARE ALLOWING THEM TO PRODUCE SERIOUSLY FLAWED, UNSAFE PRODUCTS. THIS IS 2ND ATTEMPT TO FIX WATER INTRUSION (NOW W/MOLD). WE WANT REFUND/REPLACEMENT, NOT A 'BAND-AID' AS WAS SUGGESTED & FAILED LAST TIME! CAN'T IN GOOD FAITH RE-SELL THIS UNIT WITH HISTORY OF LEAKING / MOLD. UNSAFE TO REMAIN IN! PLEASE HELP!

POWER KING TOWMAX ST 235-80-R16. DOT 83B5 GPB DATE CODE 0313 WHILE DRIVING 62 MPH 90 MILES FROM HOME TIRE EXPLODED CAUSING RV WHEEL WELL DAMAGE THIS WAS THE 2ND TIRE IN 2 TRIPS. TIRES WERE INSPECTED BEFORE TRIP AND PRESSURE SET TO 80 PSI. REMAINING TIRES STILL LOOK NEW BUT WILL BE REPLACED BECAUSE I CANNOT TRUST THE POWER KING TIRES. THE RV MANUFACTURER IS UNRESPONSIVE TO TIRE PROBLEMS. I THINK THE NHTSA SHOULD LOOK INTO THE ST RADIAL PROBLEM ESPECIALLY THE ONES MADE IN CHINA.

THE ORIGINAL HEAD LAMP MODULES ARE ABSOLUTELY USELESS AND MAKE DRIVING AT NIGHT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE MY COACH AT NIGHT BECAUSE IT IS UNSAFE DUE TO THE INADEQUATE LIGHTING THAT FOREST RIVER HAD ORIGINALLY INSTALLED ON THE FR3. FOREST RIVER IS WELL AWARE OF THE DEFICIENCY AS THEY HAVE CHANGED TO THE UPDATED MODULE SOMEWHERE AROUND THE MIDYEAR 2015'S. FOREST RIVER RECEIVED NUMEROUS CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS FROM THE DEALERS AND THE FORUM BUT REFUSED TO HELP CUSTOMERS WHO DID NOT COMPLAIN LOUD ENOUGH OR LONG ENOUGH. I SUPPOSE NOT BEING ABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE MY COACH AT NIGHT DUE TO NEED OR WANT DOES NOT MATTER TO FR.

THE HEADLIGHTS ON THESE FR3 30DS CLASS A MOTORHOMES ARE INADEQUATE FOR NIGHT DRIVING. THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVED WHILE DRIVING WITH IMPAIRED VISIBILITY. THEY NEED TO BE RECALLED AND REPLACED WITH BETTER ILLUMINATION FOR NIGHT DRIVING.

THE SIDE WALLS ON BOTH SIDES OF MY MOTORHOME HAVE COME LOOSE FROM THE FRAME CAUSING A UNSAFE CONDITION IF BODY FLEX THAT CAUSES THE FLOOR TO MOVE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL IT HAS BEEN REPAIRED TWICE AND KEEPS FAILING THIS IS A ON GOING PROBLEM WITH THE FOREST RIVER MOTORHOMES AND ALMOST EVERYONE ACORDING TO THE FOREST RIVER FAN SITE HAS FAILED IN THE SAME WAY THIS NEED TO BE RECALLED AS IT MAKES THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE AS THE LOOSE WALLS CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SWAY IT STARTS WITH THE WALL MAKING A CRACKING SOUND THEN THE 6 SHEETMETAL SCREWS THAT HOLD THE WALL EITHER ELONGATE THE HOLES THEY ARE SCREWED INTO OR THEY SHEAR OFF UNKNOW TO THE DRIVER UNTILL THE WALL DROPS TAKING THE STEERING COLUMN WITH IT AND CAUSEING THE DASH TO BREAKAWAY FROM THE SIDE WAY SO THE STEERING IS JUST HANGIF IN AIR AS VERYTHING IS LOOSE THIS HAPPENS WHILE JUST DRIVIG DOWN THE HIWAY

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FOREST RIVER CARDINAL EQUIPPED WITH GOODYEAR MARATHON TIRES, SIZE: ST235/80/R16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT AND DAMAGED THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE CAMPER. THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE HAD BUBBLES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE TIRE AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000.

WHILE DRIVING MY BRAKES FIRST APPEARED SOFT, THEN I RECEIVED A LOW BRAKE FLUID WARNING. AFTER ADDING BRAKE FLUID, THE SAME THING HAPPENED IN ABOUT 20 MILES. TOOK THE UNIT TO A MECHANIC WHO FOUND THERE WAS A SMALL HOLE IN THE BRAKE LINE DUE TO CORROSION (FROM THE OUTSIDE - IN) RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID. THE BRAKE LINE WAS SEVERELY CORRODED IN MULTIPLE PLACES, IT WAS A MIRACLE A DISASTER DID NOT HAPPEN WITH THIS UNIT! I DO NOT DRIVE THE UNIT ON SALT COVERED ROADS, IT IS WINTERIZED AND PARKED ALL WINTER. I ALSO DO NOT LIVE IN AN AREA WITH SALT AIR. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN THE ISSUE OCCURRED ON A STATE HIGHWAY IN SC WHILE HEADED HOME FROM A DOG SHOW IN FL TO MY HOME IN CT. I WILL HAVE THE PART SAVED AFTER THEY REPLACE IT FOR DOCUMENTATION.

ON NOV. 30, 2015 WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MPH AN ORIGINAL PURCHASED, GOODYEAR MARATHON TRAILER TIRE, ST235/80R16, FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY WITH APPROXIMATELY 7500 MILES OF TRAVEL ON THE RV. THE BLOWOUT CAUSED MODERATE DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WHEEL WELL AREA. ON DEC. 3, 2015 WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES PER HOUR DURING A NORMAL TURN RADIUS, A SECOND ORIGINAL PURCHASE GOODYEAR MARATHON, ST235/80R16 TIRE FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY, CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO TH THE LEFT WHEEL WELL AREA ON THE RV, TRAVEL MILEAGE ON THE RV AT THIS TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 7700 MILES. PREVIOUSLY, IN JUNE 2015, ANOTHER ORIGINAL PURCHASE GOODYEAR MARATHON ST235/80R16 TIRE WAS OBSERVED, WHILE STATIONARY WITH AN APPROXIMATE 4 " DIA DELAMINATION BLISTER ON THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATED RV. THE TRAVEL MILEAGE ON THE NOTED RV WAS APPROXIMATELY 5000 MILES AT THE TIME. ALL TIRES NOTED ABOVE WERE AT PROPER INFLATION PRESSURES AND THE THE RV IS NOT OVERLOADED. AS AN OWNER AND OPERATOR OF RV'S FOR OVER 25 YEARS, IN MY EXPERIENCE, THE NOTED TIRES ARE EITHER DEFECTIVE OR NOT THE CORRECT LOAD RATING FOR THIS WEIGHT OF RV (APPROX. 14,000 LBS,) THE TIRE RATING IS LOAD RATING "E" , WITH 10 PLY RATING FOR THE NOTED TIRES. THE FACT OF CATASTROPHIC, SUDDEN BLOWOUTS AT LOW TRAVEL MILEAGE AND LOW TO MODERATE SPEEDS, AS NOTED ABOVE, IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO THE OWNERS AND TO ADJACENT TRAFFIC IF THE RV GETS OUT OF CONTROL. PRUDENT FOLLOWUP WITH GOODYEAR ON CAUSE, TRENDS AND CORRECTIVE ACTION (RECALLS) IS RECOMMENDED.

RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BEARING FAILED AT 11,256 MILES. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY FORD THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING WAS REPLACED PRIOR TO PURCHASING VEHICLE AT 5K MILES. I WAS LUCKY I WAS NOT KILLED. I WAS DRIVING AT 60MPH HEARD A LOUD NOISE THOUGHT I HAD A BLOWOUT. WHEN I STOPPED AND RAISED THE VEHICLE THE TIRE WAS WOBBLING.IT TOOK 30DAYS TO GET THE PART FROM ASSEMBLY LINE.