What Forest River Forester owners have reported to NHTSA, the service bulletins the manufacturer sent dealers, and any federal defect investigations, by model year. See Forest River Forester safety recalls or check your VIN.
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA, by the model year of the vehicle. A high count can also mean a popular year, so compare it with how many were sold.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injured | Deaths | TSBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2016 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The vehicle systems named most often in Forest River Forester complaints (one complaint can name several).
In the owners’ own words, as filed with NHTSA. Unverified reports; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
I purchased and paid for two NEW front tires for my RV from Macâs Tire & Complete Auto in Tucson, Arizona. After the tires were installed, I drove the RV approximately 2,000 miles. During this trip, the front tires began deteriorating and coming apart on the inside. Because the damage was on the inner side of the tires, it was difficult to see during normal visual inspection. I stopped at a Firestone location in Casa Grande, Arizona, where the tires were inspected. I was informed that the two front tires that had been installed and sold to me as new were actually approximately 13 and 14 years old based on their DOT manufacturing date codes. I had driven approximately 2,000 miles at high…
1. COMPONENT FAILED / AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION: Rear A/C and its electrical control box under the master bed failed completely on night one. The box suffered a severe thermal event (melted plastic odor, scorched components, with some smoke). The melted box and vehicle are available for inspection in my driveway. 2. SAFETY RISK: My husband and I were sleeping directly on top of the bed when the box beneath it began burning, creating an immediate fire and smoke-inhalation hazard while we slept. The vehicle's electrical breakers failed to trip and cut power before the component reached temperatures high enough to melt and smoke, indicating a catastrophic safety architecture failure. 3. CONFIR…
While Driving down the road the wheel cover came off. This could have caused an accident. These wheel covers are the size of the entire wheel and are metal.
While traveling down the road the wheel cover flew off of the vehicle. If this happens in traffic it could cause and accident. These wheel covers are the size of the entire wheel and are metal.
The contact owns a 2022 Forest River Forester built on a 2022 Ford E-450 chassis. When the contact arrived at her destination, she turned on the propane tank she would smell propane inside the cabin of the RV. The contact stated she smelled propane outside the RV also. The contact stated that on two occasions the carbon monoxide alarm activated after turning on the propane tank to heat the hot water tank. Additionally, the contact stated that the main access door to the RV was jammed. The contact stated that she had the door repaired three times and the door had failed three times. The door could not be opened from inside or the outside the RV. Additionally, the night vision motion sensor ac…
We have been sold a new 2022 Forest River Forester 2401BSD that has a safety recall. Part 573 - Safety Recall Report 22 V - 131 from NHTSA: "torsion bar on certain Sprinter vehicles was not bolted to the torsion bar linkage by the component supplier during front axle assembly in accordance with design specifications. The shim on the torsion bar was incorrectly installed between the nut and the torsion bar, rather than between the ball stud and the torsion bar. Due to the incorrect assembly, the torsion bar may not meet operational strength requirements. Settling effects may occur between the journal flange and the torsion bar. These effects might reduce the bolt preload at the connection, …
The Maxxair fan is a component that sits on the roof of the RV. Looking at the install instructions, the unit is installed by attaching the flange to the roof. What failed was that the 'top' portion of the fan, where the motor and and the cover attachments are, flew off at speed, on the highway. Fortunately, I pulled over right away, and found the unit still attached by the power wires. The safety issue would be if a 15"x15"x8" unit weighing about 20 lbs went airborne in traffic, causing an incident for whoever was behind the RV where this happened. IMHO this is a manufacturing defect by Maxxair. These 4 screws should never have worked out, causing the issue. These fans are commonly…
THE BRAKES ARE NOT GOOD. YOU HAVE TO PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL TO GET THEM TO WORK. I JUST HAD TO STOP TO PREVENT HITTING SOMEONE IN THE REAR. I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO PUMP BRAKE. I LITERALLY HAD TO TAKE IT TO THE FLOOR TO STOP. THIS WAS REPORTED TO YOU PREVIOUSLY AND WE NEVER HEARD A THING!,
Repair instructions and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about known issues. A TSB is not a recall, and the repair is usually free only while the car is under warranty; ask your dealer for the bulletin number.
According to Ford Recall 25V726: "On your vehicle, it may be possible to experience a noisy, partially inoperable, or completely inoperable Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) blower motor. An inoperable or partially inoperable HVAC blower motor may affect windshield defrost and defogging capability, which can decrease visibility under certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash."
According to Ford Recall 25V793: "According to Fordâs records, the remedy software for Safety Recall 20S73 may not have been installed correctly during a prior dealership visit. Because the correct software may not have been installed on your vehicle, the underlying condition specified in Safety Recall 20S73 may still exist. On your vehicle, it may be possible that the engine cover insulation does not fully extend to the perimeter of the factory engine cover. This may result in elevated temperatures at certain areas of the engine cover surface in the passenger compartment on both driver and
According to Ford Recall 25V726: "On your vehicle, it may be possible to experience a noisy, partially inoperable, or completely inoperable Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) blower motor."
According to Ford Recall 25V315/25S49: "The infotainment screen may freeze followed by a black screen and a system reboot. If this occurs during a backing event, the rear-view image may be frozen, missing, or delayed. A frozen rear-view camera display image while in reverse can reduce the driverâs view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash."
In certain circumstances, the Alpha Roof Sealant may not adhere to the Tekmodo Roof. This may be due to dyne levels on the Tekmodo roof being inconsistent (per Alpha) and if they are too low, Alpha sealant may not adhere.
According to Ford Recall 25V315: "The infotainment screen may freeze followed by a black screen and a system reboot. If this occurs during a backing event, the rear-view image may be frozen, missing, or delayed. A frozen rear-view camera display image while in reverse can reduce the driverâs view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash."
According to FCA recall 25V330: "The Security Gateway Module (SGW) on your vehicle may prevent some communication between vehicle modules, which may result in the rearview image not displaying in a backing event. The vehicle operator may notice that the rearview image is not displayed if attempting to reference the image while backing. A rearview camera image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility of what is behind the vehicle and if not heeded, increases the risk of a crash."
This is a product service bulletin from Global Link concerning counterfeit keys for entry doors being sold on certain websites. Forest River is reporting as we are sharing with the dealer body.
Cracks may originate at the flange of the living room and/or bathroom skylight and extend outward.
According to GM Recall 24V702: "The brake lines in these cutaway vehicles may not meet the recommended clearance to the GM-provided body mounts. If brake lines contact the body mounts, the brake line may experience wear or damage that could lead to a brake fluid leak. A brake fluid leak can result in reduced stopping performance or inoperative service brakes, increasing the risk of a crash.
According to General Motors Recall 24V702: "The brake lines in these cutaway vehicles may not meet the recommended clearance to the GM-provided body mounts. If brake lines contact the body mounts, the brake line may experience wear or damage that could lead to a brake fluid leak. A brake fluid leak can result in reduced stopping performance or inoperative service brakes, increasing the risk of a crash."
According to a Ford Campaign 23N04: "Ford is extending the warranty for 11 years or 120,000 miles from the warranty start date, whichever occurs first for the Exhaust Gas Temperature sensor."
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opens these when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Many end in a recall.
On November 23, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE20021 to investigate allegations of inoperative Trimark THP 060-1650 door lock/latches originally equipped on model years (MY) 2015-2017 Class A and Class C motorhomes.ODI received forty-six Vehicle Owner’s Questionnaires (VOQs) describing consumers being locked in or out of their vehicles. The door latch, containing a die-cast zinc plunger, was produced by Equality during calendar years 2014-2016. The die-cast may become
ODI opened RQ14-004 based on 3 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) which reported a condition similar to recall 13V-554.This recall addressed insufficient clearance between the tire and trailer floor. The condition was due to a frame supplier change which resulted in reduced clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the wheel wellOf the three VOQs reported in the opening resume two were not included in recall 13V-554 and one was. Both of the vehicles not included used a different fra
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation public data (complaints, manufacturer communications, investigations), model years 2010 and later. Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA.
In complaints filed with NHTSA for model years 2012–2026, owners most often name: electrical system, structure, equipment. 28 complaints are on record.
No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is the manufacturer telling dealers how to fix a known issue; it is not a safety recall and is usually covered only under warranty. A recall is a formal safety action, and its repair is free.
File a vehicle safety complaint at NHTSA.gov. NHTSA reads every report, and patterns of complaints are what open defect investigations and, eventually, recalls.