FOREST RIVER Complaints

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE, WE HEARD A GRINDING SOUND, AND PULLED OVER. THE STEEL GASOLINE TANK, WHICH IS PART OF THE TOYHAULER'S BUILT-IN FUELING STATION AND IS LOCATED BEHIND THE AXLES UNDERNEATH THE TOYHAULER, HAD BROKEN ITS FRONT TANK MOUNTS, AND THE BOTTOM/FRONT OF THE GASOLINE TANK WAS DRAGGING ON THE GROUND UNDER THE TOYHAULER. AFTER BEING STOPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, THE RUBBER HOSES (NOW STRETCHING TO REACH THE HANGING TANK) BROKE AND GASOLINE BEGAN SPILLING OUT ONTO THE GROUND. THE TANK HAD APPROXIMATELY 15 GALLONS OF GASOLINE IN IT (APPROXIMATELY 25 GALLON TANK). IF THE FUEL HAD SPILLED OUT IMMEDIATELY, OR WE HADN'T HEARD IT DRAGGING AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER, A MAJOR FIRE AND EXPLOSION COULD HAVE OCCURRED. FORTUNATELY IT DID NOT. FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALED THE MOUNTS TO BE MADE OF VERY THIN STEEL, WITH SHODDY WELDS AND WORKMANSHIP. THE MOUNTS WERE NOT RUSTED OR CORRODED. I CALLED FOREST RIVER AND LEFT A MESSAGE, BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CALL BACK. GOOGLING REVEALED OTHER OWNERS WITH A SIMILAR ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FOREST RIVER VLITE RECREATIONAL VEHICLE. SHORTLY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V554000 (SUSPENSION, TIRES), THE VEHICLE WOULD ONLY ACCELERATE TO 55 MPH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SWAYED TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO SUGGESTED THAT THE HITCH BE LOWERED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HITCH WAS ALREADY AT ITS LOWEST POSITION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 400. UPDATED 10/14/14*LJ UPDATED 05/19/2015 *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FOREST RIVER SILVERBACK FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER (NA). WHILE THE TRAILER WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT END OF THE FRAME WAS TWISTED FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE FAILURE DAMAGED THE FRONT AXLE AND INTERNAL STRUCTURE. THE DEALER RECOMMENDED THAT THE TRAILER BE REPLACED DUE TO EXTENSIVE DAMAGES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPLACED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT APPLICABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 WORK AND PLAY FOREST RIVER RV. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FRONT AND REAR LOCKS FAILED TO OPERATE WHEN ACCESSING THE KEY. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 10/02/14*LJ UPDATED 3/9/15 *JS

WHILE DRIVING ON IH-10 IN LOUISIANA I COULD SEE A TIRE ON MY 5TH WHEEL HOPPING. AFTER PULLING OVER I FOUND THAT TWO OF THE TIRES WERE OUT OF ROUND. I WENT TO A BFG TIRE DEALER AND HE FOUND THAT THE TIRES HAD INTERNAL BROKEN BELTS AND WERE ABOUT TO FAIL. HE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM OF THE BROKEN BELTS AND SAID THEY WERE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. AFTER GETTING HOME, I CONTACT BFG BUT THEY DENIED WARRANTY ON THE TIRES BECAUSE THEY WERE ON A TRAILER. TIRE PRESSURE WAS CHECKED AT 7:00 A.M. ON THE MORNING OF THE FAILURE. SPEED WAS 62 MPH. TEMPERATURE 78 DEG. F. MILEAGE TRAVELED THAT DAY PRIOR TO FAILURE WAS 85 MILES. TIRES HAD APPROX. 10,000 MILES ON THEM. NO EVIDENCE OF CRACKS, WEATHERING, CHECK MARKS OR CRAZING. RESEARCHING THIS TIRE ON VARIOUS FORUMS AND WEB SITES I FOUND THAT A NUMBER OF OWNERS WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE TIRES IN QUESTION ARE BFGOODRICH COMMERCIAL T/A'S IN SIZE 225/75R16" LT TIRES. DOT CODE IS BE1LJD11 4310. I HAVE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED A COMPLETE FAILURE OF ANOTHER TIRE OF THE SAME SIZE AND DOT WITH THE TIRE EXPLODING AND THROWING THE ENTIRE BELT ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS COMPLAINT INVOLVES 2 TIRES. *TR

ONE TIRE EXPLODED. 20 MILES LATER ANOTHER TIRE BLEW OUT. TIRES WERE MADE LATE 2012 AND WERE NEW WHEN WE BOUGHT OUR BRAND NEW2013 FOREST RIVER STEALTH TOY HAULER. HAD PUT LESS THAN 2500 MILES ON THEM SINCE OUR PURCHASE IN AUGUST 2013. SIDE OF TRAILER SCRATCHED AND DENTED FORM EXPLOSION. REPLACING ALL TOWMASTER TRAILER RADIAL TIRES!!! *JS

THIS 2004 FOREST RIVER WILDCAT 26FBS TRAVEL TRAILER SUFFERED FROM A FAILURE OF THE TRAILER FRAME, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE HANGER BRACKETS THAT SERVE AS THE ATTACHMENT POINT FOR TORSION AXLES TO THE TRAILER ITSELF. THE DAMAGE INITIALLY WENT UNNOTICED, BUT UPON ARRIVAL AT HOME I NOTICED THAT THE REAR-MOST TIRES OF THE TRAILER WERE NOT MAKING CONTACT WITH THE GROUND ON AN INCLINE.CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE TRAILER REVEALED THAT THE REAR MOST HANGER BRACKETS HAD BROKEN ON THE TRAILER (NOT THE AXLES THEMSELVES) AND THE AXLE HAD SPUN INTO A LOCKED POSITION, STILL ATTACHED BY THE FRONT TWO RETAINING BOLTS. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF FOUR ATTACHMENT BOLTS PER AXLE, THE RESULT WAS THAT THE AXLE ONLY REMAINED ATTACHED BY TWO BOLTS AND HANGERS. INSPECTION AND REPAIR BY A CERTIFIED WELDER INDICATED THAT THE HANGER BRACKETS SUFFERED FROM WEAK WELDS AND THIS RESULTED IN THE FAILURE. ADDITIONALLY, THE WELDER REPAIRED ONE OF THE TWO REMAINING FUNCTIONING ATTACHED HANGER BRACKETS NOTING ITS WEAKNESS. *JS

THE SPARE TIRE MOUNTED ON THE REAR OF THE TRAILER EXPLODED. ZERO MILES ON THE TIRE, AND IS ONLY EXPOSED TO SUNLIGHT APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS IN THE EVENING. THE TIRE IS TWO YEARS OLD, HOWEVER WE HAVE ONLY OWNED THE TRAILER FOR 14 MONTHS. *TR

HAD A LOW TIRE ON MY TRAVEL TRAILER SO I EXITED THE HIGHWAY. I GOT OUT AND INSPECTED THE TIRE AND IT WAS ALMOST FLAT SO I CHANGED IT WITH MY SPARE AND WHEN I PULLED IT OFF THE INSIDE OF TIRE HAD RUBBED ALL THE INSIDE TREAD OF THE TIRE AND I INSPECTED ALL THE TIRES AND THEY TO WERE DOING THE SAME THING JUST NOT AS BAD. FOREST RIVER NEEDS TO FIX THIS BEFORE SO ONE IS HURT OR KILLED ON THE HIGHWAYS BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FOREST RIVER WILDWOOD THAT WAS BEING TOWED ON A 2004 GMC YUKON. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE MERGING ONTO AN INTERSTATE, THE TRAILER BEGAN SWAYING ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT WAS BRAKING TO A STOP BUT THE TRAILER CONTINUED TO SWAY DESPITE HAVING THE PARKING BRAKE SECURED. THE CONTACT THEN CRASHED INTO A FENCE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT YET BEEN INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ABLE TO BE CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,100. UPDATED 09/05/14*LJ UPDATED 12/4/2014 *JS