FOREST RIVER Complaints

Frame and Structural Integrity - Forest River Cardinal 366DLVE Doors and slide-outs open during transport. Cracks near the corners of upper deck slide openings. Separation of interior or exterior panels. Rub marks on floors under slide outs. Closet doors always coming off track in front bedroom. (cap) Excessive frame flex acknowledged by independent RV/trailer repair. Sawdust in the nose of the RV. Furniture rubbing walls or moving up and down or forward and back, every road trip. Unscrewing, loose, missing, or bent lag screws in the upper deck. Trim pieces on the front exterior move when hitched vs. unhitched. *Stress fractures in fiberglass on the side of the RV* Screws backing out and/or breaking on the slide in the upper deck. Cabinets pulling away from walls or ceiling. Trim pieces popping off or cracking due to shifting structure. (interior) Clunking or popping sounds when starting, stopping, or turning. Walls crinkling around windows and electrical outlets. Ceiling fan blades keep breaking. Tension rod curtains always drop out of window frame in transit. I have uploaded a few photos, additional photos upon request.

Axel failure. Took my trailer into the shop because the wheels were leaning inward and eating tires unevenly. The trailer mechanic said I had to replace both axels!! They were undersized from the manufacture. Extremely unsafe and very likely could have caused an accident while towing.

My fuel station was not pumping fuel only air because the fuel pump line and fill neck vent hose line on the fuel station where installed from the manufacturer backwards not allowing the fuel to be picked up from the tank to the transfer pump. In an email from the fuel station manufacturer “Your particular unit came from Forest River Plant #79 and had a batch of these units where they installed the lines incorrect, not allowing the pump to pull any fuel.”

The contact 2024 Forest River Georgetown built on a 2023 Ford F53 Chassis. The contact stated while the motorhome was parked, the contact stated that earlier in the day a low-voltage error code was displayed on the air conditioner display unit. The Forest River RV dealer in Katy, Texas was contacted and instructed the contact to bring the motor home to the location for an inspection. The contact stated that later that same evening, the contact and his wife noticed and abnormal sound coming from the A/C and black smoke coming from the air conditioner and melted plastic falling on the floor. The contact went outside to inspect the exterior of the motorhome and noticed fire coming through the roof of the motor home. The contact yelled for his wife to exit the motorhome. The contact stated that while his wife was rushing to exit the motorhome, she fell and there was melted plastic on her head. The contact stated that the melted plastic fell on her head and right arm. The contact assisted his wife out of the motorhome. The Fire Department was called. The Fire Department extinguished the fire, and a fire report was filed. The contact's wife was treated on site and bandaged for the injuries sustained from the melted plastic. The motorhome was towed to a local tow yard. The motorhome was then towed to Camping World in Spring, TX, for warranty repairs that were not relevant to the failure. The contact stated that upon returning to the residence on November 27, the recall notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V771000 (Equipment) was in the mailbox. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. Additionally, the contact stated that several Forest River representatives were contacted and made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The motorhome was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,400.

Tire size 205/75/r14 on a 2020 Forest River Wildwood single axel camper. Today was the second time one of these tires failed. The first time was early November of 2024, we were traveling in I69 in Indiana at around 65mph when the drivers side tire rapidly deflated and came apart. Today, we were traveling around 70mph on I70 in Indiana when I heard an explosion type sound and looked in my mirror to see tread flying in the air. During the first time, damage to the camper was minimal. Today bent metal and damaged the leveler, likely beyond repair. The tire that blew today was the spare tire that was put on in November. This was the first time that tire had been mounted and it had less than 500 miles on it. It spent its entire life with a tire cover on it so it was not damaged by the elements. I checked pressure prior to leaving today ensured it was inflated to the suggested 65psi. The tanks were all empty and we were not hauling any excess cargo weight.

Spare tire attached by cable underneath camper came loose and was bouncing around on road while still attached to spare tire cable. I had tightened up the spare tire cable prior to our 95 mile trip home, but the cable unwound while traveling until the spare tire started bouncing on road. Fortunately we heard the noise before too much damage was done and we were fortunate the tire didn't come off and become a road hazard to anyone following us. I see on multiple social media postings where this is a known problem with other Geo Pro campers and should be fixed by Forest River through a recall due to the risk of the issue.

When parked and level at a campsite the windshield cracked from the bottom up. You can not feel the crack on the inside or outside of the glass and nothing hit it. The RV had been parked and leveled in the same exact spot for 9 days, when we woke up on day 10 the crack was there.

ST 225/75R15 One driver side tire blew in May/2025 which caused extensive damage to the RV floor and sidewall. I replaced and did not file a claim. My family was in the tow vehicle when the blowout occurred. Debris was thrown across the highway and I had no room on the side of the highway to change the tire. Police called. Yesterday July 14/2025, the spare tire blew up all on its own while at a campground. It was on the back of the camper not being used. The spare tire cover was destroyed. Neighbors thought a propane tank exploded. Anybody walking by could have been seriously injured. I did a search and found a recall for these tires.

We purchased a Forest River fifth wheel trailer that arrived with serious manufacturing defects across multiple systems. The electrical wiring system was dangerously faulty—exhibiting loose connections, voltage irregularities, and safety risks confirmed by technicians. The furnace system has remained nonfunctional since delivery, making the unit uninhabitable in colder temperatures. Additional issues include a broken slide-out mechanism, compromised seals, a missing pipe, water intrusion, and a missing roof panel. All components are still in our possession and available for inspection upon request. These defects posed serious safety risks to our family, especially due to the compromised electrical system, which technicians described as a potential fire hazard. The inability to heat the trailer further contributed to unsafe living conditions. The problems have been confirmed by multiple certified technicians. Their assessments documented the electrical dangers and structural failures. Forest River's Warranty Director confirms that no Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) was completed before the unit was delivered to the dealer, indicating a systemic inspection failure prior to sale. To our knowledge, the manufacturer has not directly inspected the trailer in person, despite our repeated requests. No inspection has been conducted by law enforcement or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps or diagnostic messages present, as the trailer systems lacked functional indicators for these failures. Most symptoms appeared immediately upon delivery and worsened as attempts at repair failed. We are submitting this complaint because Forest River continues to avoid accountability, and the unit remains unsafe and unusable. We believe this trailer never should have cleared quality control and poses ongoing risks to consumers

A new travel trailer was sold while there was a stop sale recall notice on it. The heaters in the bedroom and bathroom represent a fire hazard. This was only discovered after registering the purchase with the manufacturer. The warranty/service personnel from United RV disputed this claim even though the notices were provided to them. Those are attached to this complaint, Forest River ID: 91-1740 and NHTSA recall 24V137. This is a violation of Federal Law pursuant to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 49 CFR Part 573.11 United RV eventually relented and repaired the unit. However during that time claimed we had damaged the roof through wear and hail damage requiring a total replacement. However in consultation with Forest River we retrieved the unit and on careful maintenance and inspection have determined that there is in fact no damage at all. It was this and other practices at United RV that triggered us to file this complaint in the hopes that they will cease these business practices immediately. We were finally able to reach the owners by circumventing middle management and were promptly promised swift action. It is our hope that this complaint and others ensures this actually happens. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.