FOREST RIVER Complaints

HAD OPERATED SURVEYOR TRAVEL TRAILER, BY FOREST RIVER, FOR TWO YEARS, ACCUMULATING ABOUT 10,000 MILES OF SERVICE. ON TRIP THIS SUMMER WE NOTICED ON 6/24/06, ONE TIRE WAS WORN DOWN ON INSIDE SURFACE, TO THE POINT WHERE THE STEEL CABLE WAS VISIBLE (PHOTOS AVAILABLE). REPLACED TIRE. FURTHER ON THE TRIP ON 7/2/06 WE NOTED THAT ANOTHER TIRE WAS WORN SMOOTH ON THE INSIDE 2 TO 3 INCHES. REPLACED TIRE. ON 7/8/06 WE NOTICED THAT THE TIRE INSTALLED ON 6/24/06 WAS ALREADY WEARING SMOOTH ON THE INSIDE AFTER TRAVELING ONLY 1,400 MILES. REPLACE THIS TIRE. LUCKILY WE OBSERVED THE WORN TIRES BEFORE THE TIRE FAILED, SO WE NARROWLY AVOIDED A BLOWOUT. I COMPLAINED TO THE TRAVEL TRAILER DEALER WHO SOLD THE TRAILER (WE ARE ORIGINAL OWNERS. NO RESPONSE. I CONTRACTED AL-KO AND THEY OFFERED TO SHIP REPLACEMENT AXLES, HAVE THEM RETURNED FOR INSPECTION AND HAVE THE NEW AXLES INSTALLED. I GOT A VERBAL REPORT THAT THREE OF THE SPINDLES WERE OUT OF ALIGNMENT, BUT ONLY TWO HAD PRODUCED UNEVEN WEAR. AL-KO CLAIMED THAT THE ARM HOLDING THE SPINDLE SHAFT WAS BENT. I REQUEST A DESCRIPTION OF THE DEFLECTION BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT. THE AL_KO REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THE WHEEL MUST OF HIT A STUMP OR CURB. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAVE DRIVEN ALL THE MILES ON THE TRAILER AND DO NOT RECALL HITTING ANY SUCH OBJECTS. NOTE THAT AT THE TIME OF SALE I OBSERVED MISALIGNMENT BETWEEN ADJACENT WHEELS AND THE DEALER SAID THAT WAS NORMAL WHEN TRAILER TAKES A TURN. *JB

2003 WILDWOOD (T-19) WATER TANK WAS DEFECTIVE UPON INSTALLATION. *TS THE COMPLAINT IS IN REFERENCE TO THE DEFECTIVE MANUFACTURING INSTALLATION ARRANGEMENT OF THE WATER TANK. AS THE CONSUMER WAS FILLING THE TANK IN HIS DRIVEWAY IT FELL TO THE GROUND. THE TANK WAS ONLY HELD BY THE CHASSIS RAILS. THE RV WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP WHO REINSTALLED THE WATER TANK AND ADDED TWO STIFFENERS TO PREVENT FUTURE MOVEMENT AND SLIPPAGE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE FILLING THE WATER TANK OF THE TRAVEL TRAILER IN THE DRIVEWAY, THE WATER TANK FELL OFF WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. THE TRAILER WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO IMPROPER ASSEMBLY BY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE TRAILER. THE MODEL WAS WILDWOOD. UPDATED 10/31/2006 - THE REPAIR FACILITY ADDED STIFFENERS (CROSS BARS) TO THE WATER TANK. THE ORIGINAL INSTALLATION HAD THE TANK LIP BEING HELD ONLY BY THE CHASSIS RAILS. *NM

WE WERE HAULER OUR 28' WILDCAT TRAVEL TRAILER ON OUR WAY TO RENO. ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH OF LONE PINE WE HAD A BLOW OUT ON THE RIGHT FRONT TRAILER TIRE. THE ONE NEXT TO IT WAS SEPARATED ALSO. WHEN THE TIRE BLEW IT TOOK OUT THE FENDER SKIRT AND ALL THE INSULATION AND SKIN DIRECTLY ABOVE THE TIRE. I HAD TO PUT ON THE SPARE TIRE AND TRAVELED TO LONE PINE AT 45 MPH AND SPENT THE NIGHT THERE AS IT WAS TOO LATE TO GO TO THE TIRE STORE. THE NEXT MORNING WE WENT TO MILLER TOWING AND TIRES IN LONE PINE AND GOT 5 NEW TIRES. THE TECHNICIAN AT THE COUNTER DIDN'T EVEN SEE THE TRAILER YET AND ASKED ME IF WE HAD CARLISLE TIRES AND I TOLD HIM YES. HE SAID THEY SEE THESE TIRES BLOW AND REPLACE THEM AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. WHEN WE RETURNED HOME I HAD TO ORDER A NEW FENDER SKIRT, AS OF TODAY IT HASN'T COME IN YET. *NM

NOTICED UNUSUAL WORN TIRES, BROUGHT INTO DEALER FOR INSPECTION, DEALER SAID THE AXLES WERE DEFECTIVE. CAUSING EXCESS WARE ON THE MOUNTING HARDWARE AND TIRES. IF I HAD NOT TAKEN THE TRAILER INTO THE DEALER, THE AXLES COULD HAVE BROKEN LOOSE FROM THE FRAME AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. STILL FIGHTING WITH ALKO TO SEE IF THEY WILL COVER THE COST OF REPAIRS. TWO AXLES ARE DEFECTIVE. *NM

TIRE BLEW ON 2004 FOREST RIVER WILDCAT 28BH FIFTH WHEEL. 2ND OF 3 TIRES IN 2 MONTHS. DESTROYED UNDER CARRIAGE OF FIFTH WHEEL ABOVE WHEEL WHICH IS WHERE THE WATER HEATER IS LOCATED AND WATER PIPES GOING TOO IT. AS USUAL DEALER AGAIN SAID IT WAS ROAD DAMAGE AND NOTHING HE COULD DO CARLISLE TIRES). *NM

ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THE CARLISLE TRAILER TIRES (ST205 75R15) BLEW OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. THEY TOTALLY SHREDDED AND THE STEEL BELTS WERE PROTRUDING . THESE TIRES WERE ON A 2001 5TH WHEEL TRAILER AND HAD A MINIMAL NUMBER OF MILES ON THEM, APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES. THEY APPEARED TO BE IN GREAT CONDITION AND WERE PROPERLY INFLATED AT THE TIME OF THE BLOW OUTS. EACH TIME WE REPLACED THE TIRE WITH A NEW AND DIFFERENT BRAND TRAILER TIRE. THE 3 BLOWOUTS HAPPENED WITHIN A MONTH OF EACH OTHER.*JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHOUT ANY IMPACT. THE DEALER REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD AND IDENTIFIED THE FRAME OF THE WINDSHIELD AS DEFECTIVE, CAUSING THE CRACKS. UPDATED 8/16/2006 - THE CONSUMER WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN WHEN THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED. THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD POPPED OUT IN ADDITION TO ABOUT 30 CRACKS AND SHATTERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND AGREED IT WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, BUT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY THEY COULDN'T REPAIR IT FREE OF CHARGE. TWO YEARS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD DID THE SAME THING AND WAS REPLACED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WANTED THE CONSUMER TO DRIVE THE RV 2000 MILES TO BE INSPECTED BUT THE CONSUMER FELLS THE RV IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *NM

WHILE TRAVELING HOME FROM A CAMPING TRIP, ONE OF THE TIRES BLEW ON OUR TRAVEL TRAILER, CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE TRAILER. AFTER REPLACING THE TIRE WITH A SPARE, WE CONTINUED ON AND WENT APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES, THE SECOND TIRE BLEW ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRAILER ALSO CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. WE HAD OUR 3 1/2 YEAR OLD GRANDDAUGHTER WITH US. BECAUSE WE HAD NO OTHER SPARES, WE WERE FORCED THE DROP THE TRAILER AND CONTINUE HOME. MY HUSBAND HAD TO FIND ANOTHER TIRE ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND DRIVE BACK UP THE MOUNTAIN TO REPLACE THE TIRE IN ORDER TO BRING OUR TRAILER BACK HOME. FORTUNATELY WE WERE NOT INVOLVED IN ANY ACCIDENTS TO THIS, BUT STILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO OUR TRAILER. *NM

THE TIRE WAS ON A 2003 WILDCAT FIFTH WHEEL PURCHASED IN MAR 2004. THE TIRE HAS 15 TRIPS OF ROUGHLY 3000 MILES ON THEM. THE TIRE WAS ON THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT OF THE FIFTH WHEEL, ALL TIRES WERE CHECKED PRIOR TO LEAVING. WE WERE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 65 MPH WHEN THE TIRE BLEW. CARLISLE, DEALER OR FOREST RIVER, THE MAKER OF THE FIFTH WHEEL, ARE NOT GOING TO REPLACE THE TIRE OR COVER COST OF DAMAGE OF THE FIFTH WHEEL. THE TIRE SPLIT FROM ACROSS THE TREAD, RIPPING APART FROM 2" BELOW THE TREAD ON BOTH INNER AND OUTER TIRE. *JB