FOREST RIVER Complaints

FRONT SIDE WALLS (STRUCTURE) SEPARATING FROM FRAME SUPPORT, SIDE WALLS SEPARATING MOVING INDEPENDENTLY FROM FLOORING. SCREWS ATTACHING SIDE WALL OF MOTOR HOME SHEARING CAUSING WALL SEPARATION. FRONT OF MOTOR HOME DROP AT LEAST ONE INCH. AIR ENTERING INTO PASSENGER AREA THROUGH GAP CREATED FROM WALL SEPARATION AND DROP. SCREWS USED TO ATTACH SIDE WALLS OF MOTOR HOME NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SIDE WALLS. OTHERS HAVE HAD REPAIRS AND REPEATED FAILURES. *TR

2013 ROCKWOOD FREEDOM. CONSUMER WRITES IN THE REGARDS TO BRAKES LOCKED DURING TOWING. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE TRAILER BRAKES. THE BRAKES WERE SO HOT THAT GREASE WAS OOZING FROM THE BEARINGS. THE CONSUMER ALSO FOUND THE BRAKE LANYARD WAS DISENGAGED. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE BACKING PLATE, HUB NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPACKED. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE BRAKE LANYARD DISENGAGED WHICH CAUSED THE TRAILER BRAKES TO LOCK UP, WAS DUE TO A PIECE OF ROAD DEBRIS HITTING THE CABLE.

WHEN UNWINTERIZING MY RV I NOTICED THE WHEEL ON THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE AXLE OF MY 2013 FOREST RIVER SIERRA 365SAQ WAS PITCHED SEVERAL INCHES SO THAT THE BOTTOM OF THE WHEEL WAS 'OUT' FROM THE TRAILER AND THE TOP WAS LEANING TOWARDS THE TRAILER. I JACKED THE TRAILER UP TO REMOVE WEIGHT FROM THE AXLE AND THE PITCH DID NOT IMPROVE. I REMOVED THE WHEEL AND THE HUB TO INSPECT THE AXLE. THE END OF THE AXLE, THE SPINDLE, WAS SLIGHTLY BENT. THE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY EXPIRED SO I CONTACTED THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT LINE FOR THE AXLE MANUFACTURER, AL-KO. AL-KO REQUESTED VEHICLE INFORMATION AND INFORMATION FROM THE WEIGHT LABELS ON THE VEHICLE. I WAS THEN ADVISED THAT I WOULD NEED TO CONTACT FOREST RIVER AS THE AXLES WERE POTENTIALLY OVERLOADED AND AS THEY WERE INSTALLED IN A POTENTIALLY IMPROPER APPLICATION AL-KO WOULD NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE. I WAS ADVISED TO REVIEW ECFR TITLE 49, SUBTITLE B, CHAPTER V, PART 571.120 AND FEDERAL REGISTER, VOLUME 72 ISSUE 232 BEFORE CONTACTING FOREST RIVER. FOREST RIVER INITIALLY SUGGESTED THAT I MIGHT NEED TO BRING THE TRAILER (WITH THE BENT AXLE) TO THEIR PLANT IN INDIANA FROM MY HOME IN NEW JERSEY; THOUGH WHEN MANAGEMENT WAS ASKED TO APPROVE THE REPAIR THE REPAIR WAS REJECTED ENTIRELY BASED ON THE AGE (32 MONTHS) OF THE VEHICLE. BASED ON MY REVIEW OF ECFR TITLE 49 I DON'T BELIEVE THEY PROPERLY CALCULATED WEIGHT OR IS DISTRIBUTION THROUGHOUT THE TRAILER. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY EQUIPPED WITH 6K POUND AXLES, ITS LABELED GVWR 14060, ITS FACTORY DRY WEIGHT IS 12570, 12720 AFTER DEALER OPTIONS. THE OWNER'S MANUAL SUPPLIED STATES THAT THE PIN WEIGHT IS 10%-15% OF THE GVWR, BUT THE LOW SIDE (10%) WOULD LEAVE 12654 ON THE AXLES; 654 POUNDS OVERLOADED AT A MINIMUM. EVEN AT 15% 11951 IS ON THE AXLES, BUT 15% TRANSFER IS DOUBTFUL AS THE MAJORITY OF STORAGE IN THE TRAILER IS IN THE REAR OF THE UNIT. I AM STILL WAITING ON A RESPONSE FROM FR. *TR

2013 WILDCAT STERLING. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO SUB-STANDARD TIRES ON VEHICLE AT TIME OF DELIVERY FROM THE MANUFACTURER. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED FROM MAY 2012 TO AUGUST 2014, HE EXPERIENCED TWO INCIDENTS OF TIRE DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE TREAD SEPARATING FROM THE TIRE ON EACH OCCURRENCE. AFTER THE SECOND BLOWOUT, THE CONSUMER HAD ALL OF THE TIRES REPLACED. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THE REMAINING THREE TIRES WERE IN THE PROCESS OF SEPARATING AS WELL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE LAST BLOWOUT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE RV. *JB

ISSUE - ONE OF TWO OF THE MAIN SUPPORT BEAMS IN PIN BOX CRACKED DUE TO MANUFACTURER DEFECT BECAUSE OF INCOMPLETE WELD IN THE FRONT PORTION OF THE PIN BOX FRAME. DETAILS-WHILE RETURNING FROM A 5 WEEK (6,200 MILE) VACATION IN AUGUST IN 2013 I NOTICED A SMALL CRACK IN THE FIBERGLASS SIDE PANEL ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE PIN BOX (BELOW SLIDE OUT TO LEFT). THE CRACK GREW LONGER OVER TIME AND A SECOND CRACKED BEGAN TO APPEAR (ABOVE SLIDE OUT TO RIGHT); THE SHEET METAL UNDER THE HITCH PIN ALSO BEGAN SAG AND THE TRIM WAS PULLING AWAY FROM THE TRAILER. I REMOVED THE PROPANE TANKS TO INSPECT UNDER THE AREA WHERE THE HITCH PIN AND THE FRAME CONNECT. I DISCOVERED ONE OF THE TWO MAIN SUPPORT BEAMS WAS CRACKED COMPLETELY THROUGH. I REMOVED THE SHEET METAL UNDER THE HITCH PIN AND DISCOVERED THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE CORNER OF THE HITCH PIN HAD SPLIT AT THE WELD; IT HAD ONLY BEEN SPOTTED WELDED IN ONE SPOT. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE CORNER OF THE HITCH PIN HAD A COMPLETE WELD AT THE CORNER. I WAS SURPRISED TO DISCOVER HOW THIN THE GAUGE OF THE METAL USED IN THE HITCH PIN AREA AND THAT THE INCOMPLETE WELD WAS NOT CAUGHT DURING QC. I FEEL THE LACK OF QA FROM THE FRAME BUILDER (LCI) AND THE RV MANUFACTURER (FOREST RIVER) CONTRIBUTED DIRECTLY TO THE FAILURE OF THE FRAME WELD SEPARATING AND THE FRAME CRACKING IN HALF. I HAVE HAD HEARD OF OTHER FRAME FAILURES WITH LCI AND FOREST RIVER AND BELIEVE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. I AM GRATEFUL WE DID NOT EXPERIENCE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WHILE TRAVELING THAT COULD HAVE COST US OURS LIVES AND/OR THE LIVES OF OTHERS. I HAVE MANY PICTURES AVAILABLE AS WELL. *TR

POOR DESIGN AND ENGINEERING OF LIPPERT CO. 3 STEP AUTOMATIC COACH STEP BRAND OF MOTOR HOME ELECTRIC STEPS. THESE STEPS ARE PRONE TO BREAKING BOLTS THAT RESULT IN THE POSSIBLE DEPLOYMENT OF THE STEPS WHILE HEADING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, OR WORSE AS HAPPENED TO MY WIFE AND I SUMMER OF 2014 THE BOLTS BREAK WHILE STEPPING ON THE STEPS TO ENTER OR EXIT THE MOTOR HOME CAUSING UNEXPECTED HEAD FIRST FALLS. *TR

STEP OUT OF DOOR ONTO LIPPERT ELECTRIC STEPS AND ELECTRIC STEPS COLLAPSED UNDER ME. MAIN GEAR ASSSEMBLY BOLT BROKEN IN HALF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FOREST RIVER WORK AND PLAY (NA) CAMPER EQUIPPED WITH FOUR GOODYEAR MARATHON TIRES, SIZE ST235/80R16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE SUDDENLY BLEW OUT AND SHREDDED CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE REAR FENDER. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE ON THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE SUDDENLY BLEW OUT CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE REAR FENDER. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE TIRE AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000. UPDATED 04/13/15*LJ UPDATED 11/12/15 *JS

IN HEAVY RAIN THEY STOPPED WORKING. THIS HAPPENED 2 TIMES. EACH TIME I TOOK TO FREIGHTLINER AND THEY SAID IT WAS FIXED.. THE NEXT RAIN STORM THEY STOPPED AGAIN. I HAVE REPLACED THE WIPER MOTOR TWICE. I FEEL THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

TIRE SEPARATING, LARGE SIDE WALL CRACKS. TIRES IN SERVICE 18 MONTHS ABOUT 2 YEARS FROM DATE OF MANUFACTURE. *TR