FOREST RIVER Complaints

TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FOREST RIVER LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT CAPTAIN'S SEAT BELTS FAILED TO RETRACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,283. DJR

WE WERE TRAVELING TO THE FL KEYS FROM ST SIMONS IS, GA WHEN WE HAD THREE [3] BLOWOUTS ON POWERKING TOWMAX TIRES. OUR SPEED WAS BETWEEN 60 AND 65 MPH AND ALL TIRES WERE CHECKED PRIOR TO LEAVING ON TRIP. TST TIRE MONITOR SHOWED THEY WERE WITHIN PARAMETERS OF PRESSURE AND TEMP. NO WARNING WHEN THE FIRST OR SECOND TIRE EXPLODED. THIRD TIRE GAVE US A WARNING IN TIME TO STOP WITHOUT DAMAGE TO TRAVEL TRAILER. THE FIRST EXPLOSION TOOK OUT THE WHEEL WELL, PROPANE LINE AND WIRING HARNESS. SECOND EXPLOSION DID NO DAMAGE TO TRAILER, BUT CAUSED US TO HAVE TO CROSS THREE LANES OF VERY BUSY TRAFFIC [MIAMI] TO PULL OVER AND STOP. OTHER CARS WERE SLAMMING ON BRAKES TO KEEP FROM HITTING US. THESE TIRES HAD LESS THAN 3,000 MILES ON THEM. THE TRAVEL TRAILER HAS A 7,800 DRY WEIGHT WITH 3,300 LBS CARGO LOAD LIMIT. WE WERE DRY ON BOTH GRAY AND BLACK WATER TANKS, AND 10-15 GALS ON FRESHWATER TANK. OUR CARGO LOAD AS WAS ABOUT 800-900 LBS, WELL WITHIN THE LIMITS. THE TIRES LITERALLY BLEW APART. I HAVE PIX OF TWO. THE THIRD WAS LEFT BESIDE THE ROAD AS IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND WE WERE IN A VERY BAD AREA OF TOWN AND IT WAS RAINING HARD. I DON'T BELIEVE IN COINCIDENCE THAT ALL THREE TIRES WERE "GOOD TIRES" AND ELECTED TO BLOWOUT WITHIN 350 MILES. WE NEED RELIEF AS I STILL HAVE TWO MORE OF THESE TIRES [ONE ON GROUND AND ONE SPARE] WE NEED YOUR ADVISE AND HELP! THANK YOU. *TR

WHILE EXITING I10 IN CASA GRANDE AZ, I HEARD A NOISE LIKE SOMETHING HAD HIT MY MOTORHOME. WHEN I INVESTIGATED THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE. UPON REMOVAL OF THE SIDE MOLDING, I FOUND THAT 6 OF THE 7 SCREWS THAT ATTACH THE SIDE WALL OF THE MOTORHOME TO THE FLOOR HAD EITHER BROKEN, STRIPPED, RUSTED AND JUST WERE NOT INSTALLED CORRECTLY. TWO OF THE SCREWS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE SCREWED INTO THE BOX FRAME, WEREN'T EVEN SCREWED INTO IT. I BELONG TO THE FOREST RIVER FORUM, AND I'VE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FOREST RIVER GEORGETOWN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE'S SIDEWALLS BECAME UNSTABLE, WHICH CAUSED A GAP BETWEEN THE WINDSHIELD AND DASHBOARD. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON A DAILY BASIS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED LARGER BOLTS INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000. ..UPDATED 01/21/15 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. UPDATED 01/16/15*JB

WHILE INSPECTING THE UNDERSIDE OF MY RV I DISCOVERED WHERE THE MANUFACTURER HAD ROUTED THE ELECTRICAL WIRING AROUND THE FRAME INSTEAD OF THE OPENING IN THE FRAME THAT HAD BEEN PROVIDED, (WITH A GROMMET). MY CONCERN IS THAT OVER TIME THE FRAME COULD WEAR THE INSULATION OFF THE WIRES AND SHORT OUT CAUSING A FIRE. I RETURNED THE RV TO THE DEALERSHIP AND EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE UNTIL THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I TOOK PICTURES OF THE WIRING BUT DON'T KNOW HOW I COULD INSERT THEM HERE. *TR

ON OCTOBER 2014, WHILE DRIVING OUR GEORGETOWN CLASS A RV WITH A CAR IN TOW HEADING SOUTH ON I-95 NEAR VERO, FLORIDA, WE CAME UPON TWO VERY LARGE PIECES OF SEMI-TRUCK TIRE TREAD IN THE HIGHWAY AND COULD NOT AVOID HITTING ONE OF THEM. THE RUBBER IMPACTED THE RV MAIN EXHAUST TAIL PIPE AND DROVE IT UNDER THE LEFT REAR DUAL WHEEL WHICH RESULTED IN THE MUFFLER AND EXHAUST PIPING SYSTEM BEING RIPPED FROM THEIR MOUNTS AND BECOMING WRAPPED AROUND THE REAR DRIVE SHAFT. THE DRIVE SHAFT WAS BENT BY THE IMPACT FROM THE MUFFLER. THE EXHAUST PIPE FOR THE AUXILIARY GENERATOR WAS ALSO RIPPED LOOSE. THE RUBBER PASSED UNDER THE RV REAR WHEEL AND THEN DAMAGED THE SIDE OF THE TOW CAR. WE HAD TO HAVE A GOOD SAM ROAD SERVICE MECHANIC CUT THE EXHAUST PIPE FROM AROUND THE BENT RV DRIVE SHAFT SO WE COULD LIMP HOME AT 30 MPH FROM VERO TO STUART. THE COST TO REPAIR THE RV WAS $2,269. THE FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL CAME TO THE SCENE BUT TOLD US THAT THEY HAD NO WAY TO DETERMINE WHAT TRUCK THE RUBBER DEBRIS CAME FROM. IF A SMALLER VEHICLE HAD STRUCK THIS LARGE PIECE OF RUBBER IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A ROLL-OVER OR OTHER MUCH WORSE ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FOREST RIVER WORK AND PLAY TRAILER (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN IT RAINED, WATER LEAKED INSIDE OF THE TRAILER THROUGH ALL OF THE SIDEWALLS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONLY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. THE VEHICLE WAS SHIPPED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT ALL OF THE SIDEWALLS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 01/20/15*LJ THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED AN ESTIMATE OF OVER $17,000. THIS DID NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF HAVING THE VEHICLE SHIPPED. UPDATED 4/26/2016*JS UPDATED 9/7/2017*CN

THE SLIDES ON MY FOREST RIVER BLUE RIDGE FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER STARTED OPERATING ON THEIR OWN. IF THE SLIDES EXTEND WHILE TRAVELING THIS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. IF THE SLIDES RETRACT WHILE CAMPING, PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH COULD RESULT. MY CAMPER WAS STATIONARY BOTH TIMES THE HYDRAULIC MOTOR ENERGIZED. THE FIRST TIME IN MY DRIVEWAY THE SLIDES EXTENDED. THE SECOND TIME WAS WHILE I WAS CAMPING. THE SLIDES WERE EXTENDED AND THE MOTOR ENERGIZED TWO DAYS LATER. WHEN I NOTICED THE MOTOR WAS RUNNING AND I OPENED THE DOOR TO THE MOTOR COMPARTMENT THE MOTOR WAS SMOKING AND OOZING FLUID. I HAD TO DISCONNECT THE POWER TO THE MOTOR AND THE WIRES TO THE SOLENOID. I HAD TO REPLACE THE SOLENOID, MOTOR AND COMPLETE CONTROL PANEL. THE CONTROL PANEL OPERATED FINE AFTER A NEW MOTOR AND SOLENOID WERE INSTALLED, BUT I DID NOT TRUST IT. FOREST RIVER NEEDS TO INSTALL A SHUTOFF SWITCH TO COMPLETELY SHUTOFF THE SLIDE SYSTEM TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. IN THE INTERIM, I DISCONNECT THE POWER AND THE SOLENOID. THIS IS NOT EASY TO DO. *TR

WE HAD A TIRE BLOWOUT ON OUR TRAVEL TRAILER WHILE TRAVELING 60 MILES PER HOUR ON THE FREEWAY. THE TIRES WERE AT PROPER INFLATION AND WERE NOT OVERLOADED. THE TIRES WERE LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD. *TR

TIRE FAILURE. TIRE SEPARATED FROM RIM, (INNER & OUTER). THIS WHEEL IS ON THE DRIVER SIDE REAR AXLE. TIRE RUBBER REMNANTS DESTROYED WIRES TO ELECTRIC BRAKES. THESE WIRES ARE LOCATED ON THE AXLE JUST INSIDE THE WHEEL. THE TIRES ON THE CAMPER ARE VAIL SPORT ST205/75D14. THIS IS THE SECOND SUCH FAILURE. THE FIRST OCCURRED ON 2MAY14. THE FAILURE MECHANISM WAS IDENTICAL EXCEPT IT WAS ON THE DRIVER?S SIDE FRONT AXLE. WITH 2 IDENTICAL FAILURES BOTH WITH VAIL SPORT ST205/75D14 TIRES ON A BRAND NEW CAMPER, IT SEEMS THAT THIS SHOULD BE REPORTED. ESPECIALLY GIVEN RECENT RECALLS ON SIMILAR VAIL SPORT TIRES. *TR