FOREST RIVER Complaints

The contact owns a 2017 Forest River Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V844000 (Trailer Hitches). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact first contacted an unknown dealer for the recall repair but was informed that a certified welder was not on-site to perform the recall repair. The contact then contacted a second dealer that was referred by the manufacturer but was informed by the dealer that they were busy and already had a waiting list of customers and were unable to assist. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to another dealer. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2018 Forest River Surveyor RV equipped with Castle Rock tires, Tire Line: Radial ST22, Tires Size: 205/75/R14, DOT JUJTYMT2017. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph, the passenger’s side front tire had experienced a blowout. Less than two years later, the other three tires and the spare tire experienced the same failure. The contact indicated that the spare tire experienced the failure while being mounted onto the tire carrier and was not being used at the time of the failure. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The tire failure mileage was 4,500. The consumer provided of photo of the tire.

The Kingpin ripped away from the pinbox on our 5th wheel. We were told by some that it appears to be inferior material and/or poor weld. Our truck almost flipped down the hill where our rv landed. Others could have been injured or killed had the RV gone a different direction. I have contacted the RV manufacturer and currently awaiting a response. No warnings. Police and tow drivers said they have never seen this in over 50 years of service. Photos available.

The contact owns a 2021 Forest River Salem. The contact stated while stationary, the bolts attaching the front live-in slide to the body fractured, resulting in the slide detaching from the body. The trailer was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000. The consumer provided photos of the trailer.

There is many things currently wrong with this trailer as the floor is soft in many spots, the electrical for the pop out is on a fail safe and the manual override for this is in a location to not be accessed, the fresh water tanks and pump are having mechanical or some issues.

While towing my RPOD down interstate 20 east board through MS/AL my Thule awning came off the mount (the attachment screws appear to not have been properly installed) my wife was driving behind me and was almost hit. Since this was in the early evening and was low light she was not sure WHAT had happened and we were not aware the awning departed the vehicle until several hours later when we stopped for the evening.

The lippert i-beam frame used on these campers fails because lack of strength in the wheel well area. The i-beam frame will develop cracks that will eventually lead heavy swaying to the point that the tires will begin to rub on the trailer itself. In my particular case I saw smoke coming out of the wheel well while driving on a windy highway. I went to several RV dealers who al said my trailer was unsafe to travel in and was not repairable. I eventually found a frame shop that was able to repair the frame and a cost of $4,300 and I also had to purchase 4 new tires. My insurance company refused the claim because they stated this was a manufacturers defect that is a know issue and as a result their is a class action lawsuit against Forest River and Lippert.

I check air pressure before every trip, tires were at 80PSI, driving on interstate between 60-65MPG outside temperature was between 75-80F about 50 miles into trip I heard something and heard a vibrating noise I thought of a flat so I checked my truck display and truck tires were good. I pulled of next exit which was less than a 1/2 mile I got to a safe spot and did a visual and driver side rear travel trailer tire had tread separation, I went about 1 mile to a shopping center parking lot to change the tire and tread was impaled into the travel trailer floor causing damage to electrical converter and put a hole in the slide out. This is the start of the 3rd year camping with this travel trailer we average about 10 trips a year with a total mileage between 1000-1200 total

Engine would not go faster than 20 mph going up hill in NC. Engine would down ship but no power. Ithadtobe towed

Fluids leaked in front cargo bay and leaked into Molex connector which was screwed onto the floor resulting in electrical fire.