FOREST RIVER Complaints

ST225/75R15 Castlerock Tires by Lionshead. We actually had three of these tires fail on this vehicle in 2 seperate incidents within 5 weeks. I will file them seperately as it asks tire location and doesn't give option for multiple. In the incident in which the Rear Passenger Side Tire failed, we were driving about 60mph on Mississippi Highway towing the 2021 XLR Boost Toy hauler trailer with a Ram3500 dually around 3am. We had checked pressures and visually inspected the tires before leaving Tennessee at midnight. The tire tread blew apart leaving a large strip that spun and severely damaged the underside of the trailer and ripped off wire harness. We were forced to change the tire and tie up wires on the side of a busy highway in the dark with semi trucks passing us at 70mph plus. We definitely felt in danger and after finding delamination and missing tread on second tire found ourselves stranded in Mississippi sleeping in GoodYear parking lot after "limping" 30 miles in the middle of the night. Sleeping in parking lots in random cities where you don't know anyone is also risky in my opinion. I had all 5 tires replaced at that time to avoid future issues. I have reached out to the manufacturer of both the tires and the trailer 2 days ago and have had no response at this time. There were no warning signs or lights before the tire blew, it seemed to be going smooth on paved highway. The trailer was not overloaded, at the time of this incident we did not have our motorcycles loaded in toy hauler, just clothes & food etc..

This is a summary of 2 passenger side tire failures: First tire failure: On August 29, 2023 I packed up my Forest River Cherokee Black Label travel trailer in Perry, FL and relocated it to Tallahassee, FL. On the way to Tallahassee on Highway 27 maybe a mile east of Capps, Fl noticed some tire debris behind me in side mirrors. My girlfriend was following me, called and alerted me something appeared to be wrong and tire and other debris was coming off the bottom right side of the coach. I was unable to pull over immediately due to traffic safety concerns and lack of side lane for parking. I was able to park at Hwy 19 to I-10 exit at Capps, where assessed the situation. The tire and rim was totally destroyed along with parts of the wheel well and skirt. I was able to install the spare wheel and continue to Tallahassee. Prior to moving the coach, I verified air pressure in all tires based on the side wall ratings using tire gauge and portable air compressor. My speed was between 45mph and 55mph. Second tire failure: This happened at Camping World repair shop around September 28, 2023. Tire failure was on the same side as the previous one, right side of coach. I was told the tire spontaneously exploded without any signs of tire failure prior. As far as I know, there were no changes in air pressure or modifications to the wheel. The wheel had been removed and inspected prior during axle maintenance. I was told immediately after the the incident, they reduced air pressures on the remaining wheels for safety concerns. Tires had no more than 2,000 miles and regularly checked inflation, travelling and parked. I bought the coach new in 2022 and never noticed any tire rot, bulging or other or damage. I’m not confident remaining tires or replacements using Castle Rock products are safe and I am having all 4 tires replaced with brand new steel belted "G" rated tires fro reputable MFG. These incidents have cost me thousands of dollars in repairs. I contacted L

The contact owns a 2020 Forest River Puma RV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and hauling the RV trailer, he became aware that the rear driver's side tire was flat. The RV was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the flat tire was the result of a crack in the wheelbase of the wheel assembly. The RV was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2023 Forest River XLR Toy Hauler RV. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and hauling the RV he heard an abnormal exploding sound and realized that the passenger side rear tire on the RV blew out. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had weighed the RV and it was approximately 1,400 lbs. The contact pulled over to change the tire on the RV and noticed that the leaf-spring on the passenger was collapsing. The contact checked and observed that all the leaf-springs on the RV were collapsing, and he noticed that the passenger side front tire was wearing at an extremely accelerated rate at only 700 miles since the purchase. The contact drove the vehicle to a tire dealer and had four new tires installed on the RV. The contact stated that the tire dealer found that the tire pressure monitoring sensor banding had detached from the rim of the tire and was cutting the tire. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it had not yet been diagnosed and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately on the RV was 700 and on the vehicle approximately 7,600.

Tire size: 225/75/R15 We were getting on the highway, but didn't even make it off of the on ramp after having just visually inspecting and checking the tire pressure prior. On the way to where we were leaving we actually had another one of these castle rock tires blow out, so we were planning to stop and get four new tires as there was obviously even less milage on the castle rocks when the first blow out occurred, but didn't we make it that far. Both blow outs caused considerable damage to the unit and there was no apparent cause for them happening.

ST235/80R16 Tire Load rang E Before going on a trip, I noticed the tire had lost about 10 lbs of pressure compared to the other tires. I found no leak or hazard in the tire, like a screw or nail, so I raised the tire to pressure. (80 psi) While travelling at 60 mph I noticed the tire's temperature was about 8 - 10 degrees hotter than the other tires, but still within acceptable range. After arriving at my destination 80 minutes later I inspected the tire again and noticed the center of the tread was bulging out all around the tire. I removed the wheel and tire, took it to a tire dealer, and had it replaced with a Goodyear Endurance. The dealer said it was a cord separation.

This travel trailer is dual axle. Each side has 3 couplings welded to the frame. The leaf springs bolt to these couplings. During a routine inspection on 9/30/2023, found cracks on the aft passenger side coupling. The aft welds are cracked all the way through and the front welds are cracked half way through. The coupling is pulled away from the frame. This coupling has less than 1 inch of the weld intact holding it to the frame. If the remaining weld failed, The aft section of the leaf spring would become free. This could cause the travel trailer to become unstable and possibly crash. This is the second serious issue we have had with this travel trailer. (See complaint 11493254, dated 11/12/2022). Tomorrow (10/2/2023) will be contacting welding shop to see if it is reparable and get an estimate.

The contact owns a 2016 Forest River Amera-Lite. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V015000 (Equipment, Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that the parts had been shipped to the local dealer for the recall repair. The contact stated that he later followed up with the manufacturer and was informed that the part was never shipped to the local dealer. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Castle Rock Radial ST 225/75R15 When driving North on I81 in West Viginia just outside of Martinsburg my front left camper tire blew out and caused a lot of damage to the sideout on my camper. When traveling back from our camping trip weekend the right front axle tire blew approx. 15 miles from our home in [XXX] . The second tire that blew out damaged the other side of my camper, now I have both sides of my camper damaged from these tires. There was not warnings or anything they just blow out. I always check my tire pressures before I leave on a trip. The tire pressures were all good. I was driving 68 to 70 miles per hour, the tires are rated for 75 miles per hour. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The first time we used the oven the plastic backsplash started melting. There is no heat guard and the stove is installed right up against the wall. Plastic backsplash is a fire hazard.