Forest River Travel Trailer 2004

Model Travel Trailer made in 2004 by Forest River got 20 consumer complains as well as 1 recall. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to equipment and power train. There was one recall concerning wheels .

Model 2004

Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
WHEELS - LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS
05V121000FOREST RIVER, INC. V (Vehicle)MFRFOREST RIVER, INC.03/30/200503/29/2005
Defect SummaryOn certain travel trailers that use aluminum wheels, the lug bolts and wheels can come off.
Consequence SummaryLoss of the lug nut could cause the wheel to come off the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective SummaryForest river has not yet provided a remedy for this recall. the manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. owners may contact forest river at 1-574-389-4600.
NotesCustomers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
EQUIPMENT - RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
12/08/20071
 Dometic refrigerator recall .06e076000 company recall letter on this issue shows a recall number of 07v85000 this number does not come up on your web site. i feel they did not comply with recall and repair my problem correctly. they only put in what they called a heat shield instead of replacing defective tube. *tr
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY
04/13/20074000103/31/2004
 Imminent blowout averted on 2004 forest river sandpiper travel trailer, which was manufactured with alko-kobler axles. the inside of the front tire on the driver's side was worn smooth, and the rear tire also had evidence of wear. tires have approximately 4,000 miles on them. this was noted when winterizing last fall, so we brought it into arlington rv sales as soon as we uncovered the camper this spring, not taking any chances on driving it for pleasure. service technician indicated that axles were bent. alko was not willing to stand behind product, although other rv owners experienced the same problem. we would like to add our complaint to odi numbers: 10174036, 10174097. serious accidents will occur since the tire wear was not readily apparent unless someone physically crawled under the trailer to check the tires. please act before someone was killed. alko-kobler should be forced to recall the defective axles.*ak
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT
08/26/2006202/17/2004
 Noticed unusual worn tires, brought into dealer for inspection, dealer said the axles were defective. causing excess ware on the mounting hardware and tires. if i had not taken the trailer into the dealer, the axles could have broken loose from the frame and caused an accident. still fighting with alko to see if they will cover the cost of repairs. two axles are defective. *nm
STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS
07/16/2007500107/16/2007
 Tl*the contact owns a 2004 forest river cedar creek 30lbhfs travel trailer. the contact stated that between the frame and tire, lies a piece of iron that rubs on the tires. as a result, the piece of iron cuts away at the tires and has worn down the sidewalls. the dealer and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle is no longer under warranty since he is not the original owner. the tires have not been replaced. no other vehicle information was provided. updated 02/01/08. *lj the consumer noticed 4 steel brackets protruding from the frame by each tire. the brackets had very little clearance to each tire, they varied a little bit bracket to bracket. it appeared when towed, the brackets came in contact with the inside sidewall of the tire and abraded the sidewall away.
11/13/200512000111/20/2004
 Dt*: the contact stated while pulling the 5th wheel trailer 20 mph, the pin box sheered. as a result the trailer collapsed onto the truck and caused a separation between the trailer and the truck. both the trailer and truck sustained significant damage; however no injuries occurred. the trailer was towed to an independent repair shop, repairs were made. the manufacturer was alerted. updated 3/28/2006 - *nm
03/15/2005104/22/2004
 Bought a new holiday trailer, wildcat by forest river in 2004. trailer never trailed right behind truck. in 2005 three brand new sets of axles were put under trailer and all failed safety regulations. finally, axle hangers were measured and found that the one side was set back 1/2 farther than the other side. trailer wanted to pull us into the ditch and swayed the truck terribly. apparently the trailer has to be pulled all apart to re-weld the hangers to the enclosed frame. almost had several accidents because trailer started 'whipping' behind the truck.*jb
10/01/2004303/20/2004
 While traveling 1200 miles tires continuously blew out. consumer found that the frame cracked, and the axle was going side ways. *ak the consumer felt that the suspension was to light, wearing out the spring hangers, flattening the springs, allowing the frame to carry the load on just the tires which were underrated. on one occasion the tire blewout damaging water lines under the trailer. all this in under 5000 miles on the trailer (forest river f37sp fifth wheel 2004). *bf *nm *nm
SUSPENSION
10/01/2004303/20/2004
 While traveling 1200 miles tires continuously blew out. consumer found that the frame cracked, and the axle was going side ways. *ak the consumer felt that the suspension was to light, wearing out the spring hangers, flattening the springs, allowing the frame to carry the load on just the tires which were underrated. on one occasion the tire blewout damaging water lines under the trailer. all this in under 5000 miles on the trailer (forest river f37sp fifth wheel 2004). *bf *nm *nm
SUSPENSION - MULTIPLE AXLE
05/31/20075000110/20/2003
 We own a 2004 cedar creek 5th wheel. excessive tire wear on the inside tires indicated an axle problem. also kober refused to replace their bad axles or replace the worn tires. fortunately, we noticed the failure prior to being involved in a blowout or accident. the manufacturer of our 5th wheel, cedar creek, took it upon themselves to replace the axles and tires. also kober has known of this issue for a number of years now and continues to deny their faulty axles! janesville rv service did the repairs to replace the axles. they took pictures of the axles and tires and sent them to steve hicks at cedar creek in indiana. this is an axle problem that also kober needs to take care of and a forced recall issued immediately! also kober continues to deny that they manufactured faulty axles. someone should not have to be killed for a recall to be ordered. please note, our 5th wheel trailer is not listed in your drop down lists in the next section! *tr
05/26/20072000308/04/2006
 I purchased a 2004 f37 sandpiper fifthwheel toy hauler with carlisle 235/85/16 load rating e tires. less than 2,000 miles on trailer and never over 350 mile trips. i have had two tires go flat in two separate 70 mile camping trips. i notified the dealer i purchased the trailer from about the incident and they forwarded the complaint to the manufature who stated the problem is not the weight of the trailer and did nothing about the flats (forest river). the last time i traveled, 10 miles from my house the 3rd tire exploded at 50 miles and hour and tore the side apart and wheel well of our trailer up within the 100 ydrs or so it took me to stop. the tire totally separated and the tread came off of the belts. i took the trailer to the weight station and weighed it to see if it was overloaded and it was not at the time. the tires had 80 psi for max weight capacity as printed on side wall. after dealing with forest river i took the trailer over a certified scale. the gvwr on the trailer is 13,700lbs and the gawr is 6,000 lbs per axel, i weighed the trailer at the axle and it weighed 10,700 lbs with 100 gallons of water. no 4 wheelers, no fluids in holding tank and about 7 gallons of gas in 15 gallon station, no food and no equipment. i was sold a toy hauler that is incapable of carrying the water (100 gal), fuel (15 gal) and two atv's as advertised without being over the gvwr. this does not include any clothing, food, equipment or waste in any tanks. what good is a toy hauler that is advertised to have these capacities but cannot carry anything in the tanks or you have to leave the toys at home. i have a garage at home. i purchased the trailer to haul a 735lb harley and one atv at about 1,300lbs in an email from forest river i should be able to carry more. i didn't disconnect the trailer from the truck to see the true gvwr but at 10,700 lbs at the axle, if i add my motorcycle and atv i am done!!! no equipment, no food, no clothing nothing!! *tr
08/13/20051
 While making a 200 mile trip to iowa we thought that we had just blown a tire. while taking shelter inside the camper from the busy hwy we discovered that the axel was broken and the whole camper could've tipped over with us(including a 6 month old infant.) the tires on the passenger side had been rubbing causing the blow out. the blow out also damaged a lot of the underside. this probably because of the double axel it needs a triple axel to better withstand the weight. the next day we had it welded and new tires put on and pulled it a few more miles to a camp site and left it there unable to trust it to go any further. we contacted forest river and basically we were told that they didn't care but did eventually come around and gave us the number of the closest forest river dealer to get it. the dealer and ourselves called forest river on a daily basis almost with no prevail. after about 3 months of calling the company that did the work on the axel called us and offered to reinforce the axel. when the entire axel needed to be replaced. so after almost 8 months it is still sitting at the dealership in iowa gathering dust with nothing being fixed. *nm
TIRES
05/31/20075000110/20/2003
 We own a 2004 cedar creek 5th wheel. excessive tire wear on the inside tires indicated an axle problem. also kober refused to replace their bad axles or replace the worn tires. fortunately, we noticed the failure prior to being involved in a blowout or accident. the manufacturer of our 5th wheel, cedar creek, took it upon themselves to replace the axles and tires. also kober has known of this issue for a number of years now and continues to deny their faulty axles! janesville rv service did the repairs to replace the axles. they took pictures of the axles and tires and sent them to steve hicks at cedar creek in indiana. this is an axle problem that also kober needs to take care of and a forced recall issued immediately! also kober continues to deny that they manufactured faulty axles. someone should not have to be killed for a recall to be ordered. please note, our 5th wheel trailer is not listed in your drop down lists in the next section! *tr
07/18/20064000201/18/2005
 While traveling home from a camping trip, one of the tires blew on our travel trailer, causing significant damage to the trailer. after replacing the tire with a spare, we continued on and went approximately 30 miles, the second tire blew on the other side of the trailer also causing significant damage. we had our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter with us. because we had no other spares, we were forced the drop the trailer and continue home. my husband had to find another tire on a sunday afternoon and drive back up the mountain to replace the tire in order to bring our trailer back home. fortunately we were not involved in any accidents to this, but still have significant damage to our trailer. *nm
06/26/20053500307/03/2003
 I purchased a 2004 forest river, flagstaff 26dl travel trailer in july 2003. it came equipped with 5 carlisle st205/75r14 load range c tires. i have properly maintained tire pressure and have never exceeded the trailer's listed gvw. from 3000 to about 3500 miles i have experienced 3 catastrophic blowouts. each failure was identicle in appearance. i recently read in a trailer periodical that carlisle has had a recent history of this type of failure and was being very cooperative with consumer complaints. this is all well and good but is not addressing the problem before someone gets killed or injured.it is a nervous experience in an auto with a blowout but is more than chilling when it happens in a 6000 pound vehicle hooked behind you!
04/29/20053
 We purchased a rockwood roo in feb 2004. it had carlisle tires on it. last year we travelled about 5000 miles. first time out this year in one trip, we had 3 blowouts. we purchased two tires on the first session, where we blew 2 tires and was left with no spare. the first tire store happened to only sell carlisle tires. the second round was in another state and we purchased another brand. after getting home, we find the carlisle will not honor a warranty since we could not bring home the three blown tires. (limited space while camping to keep trashed tires). we have researched camping forums and find out the carlisle tires are destined to blow in as little as 6 months from manufacture date. now we feel we have to throw away 3 brand new tires (spare and two we purchased) before we can dare head on another trip. we seem to have no recourse and somehow this seems so dangerous and unfair. there was also damage to the trailer, they completely ignored the pictures of the damage.
TIRES - TREAD/BELT
11/24/2007211/10/2004
 I had two blow outs on the same trip home. my tires our on trailer. the tire name is carlisle radial trail st/225/75r15. i was on the side of the highway for over three hour's. i need to know if my tires are recalls. *tr
03/26/2007311/20/2004
 3 general ameri trailer st 205/75r15 tires installed on 5th wheel trailer have blown out within 650 miles of first failure. tires had tread separation and sidewall exploded. 4th tire tread was separating at time of removal. tires have less than 10,000 miles all tires were inflated to proper pressure, speed was 55-60 miles hour and roads were clear and dry. dot number a3ul 3cu 0804 tires caused body damage to trailer. all tires shipped to manufacturer. *tr
06/30/20063000103/15/2004
 The tire was on a 2003 wildcat fifth wheel purchased in mar 2004. the tire has 15 trips of roughly 3000 miles on them. the tire was on the driver side front of the fifth wheel, all tires were checked prior to leaving. we were traveling on the interstate at 65 mph when the tire blew. carlisle, dealer or forest river, the maker of the fifth wheel, are not going to replace the tire or cover cost of damage of the fifth wheel. the tire split from across the tread, ripping apart from 2 below the tread on both inner and outer tire. *jb
06/16/20064500208/15/2003
 I have had two failures of carlisle tires, model radial trail, size st225/75r15/d. neither tire blew, but the first had the tread peel away. diagnosed by the tire shop as an internal separation. shop noted that the tire was properly inflated and was in good condition. i still have one of the tires if you desire to examine it. i consider these failures to be potentially very dangerous and have read numerous complaints from other owners about these tires. please investigate. *nm
03/24/20052
 I was traveling with my 5th wheel trailer on i-37 between corpus christi, tx. and san antonio, tx. when one ofthe carlisle st205/75r15 tires blew on the 5th wheel. the tires were inflated to specification(50 psi/cold) before starting the trip home from corpus christi. there was no damage to trailer. i was able to pull off the highway safely. this was on 3/24/05. i was traveling at 65 mph at the time. carlisle tire co. replaced tire free of charge as it was still under warranty. on 6/20/05 while traveling through kansas city, mo. on i-435 the same thing happened, another blown carlisle st205/75r15 tire. this time there was some damage to the 5th wheel, about $300 worth. i was able to pull off the road safely without incident. i was traveling at 60 mph at the time. i decided to replace all four of the carlisle tires with a more reliable brand rather than take a chance on another blown carlisle tire. the tire pressure was 50 psi/cold when i started on the trip. i have also read and heard of people having problems with carlisle trailer tires. the 5th wheel is a 2004 rockwood by forest river model f8285ss pulled with a chevy 2500hd duramax 4x4.

Car dealers selling


StateCityZipNamePhone
00LEDUC, ALBERTAT9E 8B8SCHWAB'S RV WORLD780-986-4674
AKWASILLAVALLEY RV907 745-7747
AZSURPRISEORANGE WOOD
CACORONIACAR'S TRAILER
CALOS BANOSTOSCANOS
CAONTARIOCARL'S ACRES OF TRAILERS909 983 9647
MDJOPPA21085DAYS RV410) 679-1155
MIESCANABA49829HILLTOP R.V. SUPERSTORE906 786 7986
MNROCHESTERUNIVERSAL MARINE AND RV
MTGREAT FALLS59405MCCOLLUMS RV406-761-3520
ORDALLAS97338FOREST RIVER503-831-1200
RIEAST GREENWICH02818ARLINGTON RV SUPERCENTER888-787-8737
WIJANESVILLE53545JANESVILLE RV CENTER608-757-2700