Forest River 2017 Freedom Express RV Recall: Drive Shaft Rubbing Risk
Forest River recalls 2017 Freedom Express RVs with potential drive shaft rubbing against tires, risking tire failure and crashes. Owners must contact customer service for free repairs.
Use caution until it’s fixed
If the driveshaft rubs against the tires, tire failure may result, possibly causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
What happened, in plain English
Forest River is recalling certain 2017 Coachmen Freedom Express recreational vehicles due to a risk that the driveshaft may rub against tires, causing tire failure and potentially leading to loss of control or crashes. Affected vehicles were manufactured between May 16 and July 19, 2016. Read more at govinfonow.com/recall/1225698-forest-river-2017-freedom-express-rv-recall-drive-shaft-rubbing.
Source Summary by GovInfoNow · govinfonow.com/recall/1225698-forest-river-2017-freedom-express-rv-recall-drive-shaft-rubbing · Updated October 9, 2026 · Official notice: NHTSA #16V550000
Cite this page
“Forest River 2017 Freedom Express RV Recall: Drive Shaft Rubbing Risk.” GovInfoNow, updated October 9, 2026. https://govinfonow.com/recall/1225698-forest-river-2017-freedom-express-rv-recall-drive-shaft-rubbing. Based on NHTSA recall #16V550000 (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=16V550000).
Why it’s dangerous
The driveshaft may rub against the driver's side tires due to insufficient space between the slideroom driveshaft and the tires. This rubbing can cause tire failure, which may lead to loss of vehicle control and increase crash risk.
Who’s affected
Owners of 2017 Coachmen Freedom Express recreational vehicles with model numbers FET28SE, FET282BHDS, FET282BHDSLE, FET281RLDS, FET281RLDSLE, FET29SE, FET292BHDS, and FET292BHDSLE are most at risk. These vehicles were manufactured between May 16 and July 19, 2016.
How to tell if you have this one
Check if your 2017 Coachmen Freedom Express has model numbers FET28SE, FET282BHDS, FET282BHDSLE, FET281RLDS, FET281RLDSLE, FET29SE, FET292BHDS, or FET292BHDSLE. These vehicles were made between May 16 and July 19, 2016.
- Brand
Forest River- Category
Vehicle
What to do — step by step
Contact Customer Service
Call Forest River at 1-574-825-8205 to schedule a free repair for your vehicle.
What NHTSA says to do
Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on August 25, 2016. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-8205. Forest River's number for this recall is 220-07192016-0229.
How this recall unfolded
Recall timeline
2 dated steps over 34 days.
- NHTSA received the defect report
- Recall began
Dates from the agency record only; steps without a date are left out.
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Where this comes from
The facts (hazard, remedy, dates, manufacturer) are pulled from the official NHTSA recall record. The plain-language summary and step-by-step checklist are written by GovInfoNow to make the official notice easier to act on — they don’t replace it.
- Official source: NHTSA Recall #16V550000 (July 22, 2016)
- Plain-language summary written by qwen3:4b on October 9, 2026, from the official record above. Not reviewed by a person — if it conflicts with the NHTSA notice, the notice is correct. Report an error on this page.
- GovInfoNow is an independent service and is not a government agency. We republish official NHTSA recall data; we don’t issue, amend or administer recalls.