Forest River
Reviews and Complaints

I own a 2006 Flagstaff 831BHSS TT and noticed significant leak in the back within 4 months after buying in Feb 06. I was told by the dealer - RON HOOVER RV in Houston - that the roof was covered under warranty, but NOT THE SEALS! I went on a several weeks spree contacting the top people in Forest River in July-August 2006 and was never even offered any help - that's just the way it is they all said. ON A BRAND NEW TRAILER! I have gone 4 years now with constant leaks, no matter how many times I have repaired and how much money I have paid. The back outer shell has now developed a crack and the trailer is probably worthless now. I have gotten absolutely no offer of asistance by HOOVER or Forest River for my lemon. Also, I have had to buy a replacement water heater ($850) since it went out a few months after the warranty on it expired, a busted faucet, new axle (insurance paid for most), water line leaks, etc. I vowed 4 years ago that I would make sure the world knows and NOT TO BUY A FOREST RIVER! Besides the crack on the outside, the wood cabinets and roof, ceiling, and walls are completely water damaged and the trailer always smells musty, despite doing everything I knew how to stop it.

do not buy a rv of any kind from forest river rv, they fall apart and they do not stand be hind them a one year warranty is not enought when you only use one one time ayear and then they fall apart, they say they want stand behind any thing after that when you spend fourty thousand dollars for a rv that sucks bad rv. company stay away

Bought a 2011 Forest River Salem 36BHBS. The windows are in crooked, the patio door frame is warped and the slider wont close. They covered the staples on the paneling with putty that's smeared it all over. The quality of this camper is very poor. The dealer told me It's just a camper and most people don't care about that stuff and since I bought a cheap one only spending $20, 000 what do you expect. I haven't got to use it yet because it's in the shop being butchered up. I would like a refund but after just one day of owning it the dealer said it’s mine. Aren’t there consumer laws to protect against having to be stuck with a junk like this?

i priced a pop-up camper door lock on amazon for $17.13 + $6 shipping, then decided to check out Forest river Rv for the door lock on my flagstaff pop-up, their price was $15.86, and i ordered it...when i received it i checked my bank account and was charged $33.65...they charged me $17.79 to deliver a .5 lb door handle across one state!.
when i called the representative i ordered it from, she refered me to her supervisor, who loudly argued with me and then hung up on me...

i want to warn all potential consumers to avoid doing business with a company that treats their customers with such comtempt.

I called the Oregon Forest River RV plant and ordered a replacement fender skirt for my 5th wheel. I was told that I would have to order a pair of them because that was the only way they packaged them. At $100.00 each, and only needing one, I tried to explain that I would probably never have a use for a 2nd one and could'nt they break up a pair and hold the 2nd one for the next person that needs one...They were adamant that they could'nt ( or would'nt) do this.

It seems rediculous to make a person purchase 2 of something when only one is needed. This will make me reconsider my opinion of Forest River and I will probably not purchase another one of their products.

Emailed Steve at forest river with the pictures of the rotten floor of my 5th wheel unit which leaked through a larger than normal opening for the back compartment, leaked around the opening.

have now waited going on 4 months and still no reply to anything that i have sent, poor customer service and this was a $50, 000 unit never again will i purchase a forest river product and will make it well know to all of the campers i see not to look at this product, made in the USA my ***.

with poor customer service from the corporate office i guess they just don't give a rats butt if they lose sales to other companies, i will be checking other manufactures when i get my next model.

so long Forest River right down the drain.

My wife & I bought a Palomino TXL-FL pop-up camper here in Houston in 1999.

The lift system now has a problem on one corner, so I took it to an RV repair place, they estimate $1, 200 - $1, 500 to repair it.

I looked in our original owner's manual & it states that the warranty for the lift system is guaranteed for life. I called the warranty dept. of Palomino (owned now by Forest River) in Colon, Michigan, and they said too bad, I have no warranty due to the company being sold to Vanguard Industries in 2002 & sold to Forest River in 2005.

I bought a 2010 Cherokee Grey Wolf 19RR Made by Forest River Inc, When the trailer arrived it only had a single step which is very high and in there list of standard features it list a double step as standard, after calling dealer which told me oh well I contacted forest river which said they can change whatever they decide, If they advertise it as standard then it should be the step from the step to the ground is abot 16 inches it is a safety factor if nothing else

We purchased a 2009 XLR 37 x 16 Fifth Wheel Toyhauler and used it 4 times. On the fourth trip, our equalizers between the 2nd and 3rd axles flipped - pulling the 2nd and 3rd axles together so the tires were rubbing. We had to deflate the middle tires in order to get home. We called our dealer who told us to call Scott Haney in the warranty department at Forest River. Scott dismissed our case by saying we hit a curb - on the highway! We took our trailer to a Suspension Company in Calgary who looked at the problems. It turns out we had a missing weld on the left hand front equalizer. The excessive movement caused by the missing weld wore out the bushings which SIEZED. When the equalizer tried to absorb the shock of a bump, it moved up as it is designed to do, but could not flip back into the neutral position again. Each sucessive bump caused those equalizers to sieze higher up each time until the axles were pulled together.

We have tried to work with our dealer in order to get Forest River to look at the issues, but Scott Haney has refused to look at the evidence. We have submitted photos and a report from Standen's Springs via email. Scott just falls back to his tired excuse of "You hit a curb"!

We love the trailer...it's functional and well constructed but this repair cost us $1250.00 CDN so far...the tires took a beating before we could get pulled over and will need to be replaced as well.

As a representative of Forest Rivers Warranty Department, we can only assume that Scott Haney's refusal to acknowledge the documentation of the missing weld and the subsequent issues it caused to be a company policy. Therefore, BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL of Forest River and DO NOT PURCHASE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY that the company sells as a "worry free, comprehensive package" that actually covers these kind of problems. Also, do not expect to be treated like you have even the smallest amount of intelligence.

We purchased a new 31 ft. Flagstaff Rv made by Forest river. We have had it for 6 months and only used it 3 times. We have had nothing but problems. The roof leaks, sink leaks, windows leak, Parts on glide out are broke the list goes on. We paid 30, 000 dollars for a HUGE piece of junk. If you are considering buying an rv PLEASE don get foretst river. We had A Prowler for 17 years and never had one problem with it. We made a HUGE mistake buying a new travel trailer from Forest River. Fleetwood is so much better. Take my word you dont need thedse headaches from forest river and the poor quality of thier rv's.

My husband and I designed and purchased a new Silverback fifth wheel from Forest River in 2007. Since day one we have had 13 repairs done on the unit, all of which were factory related. 5 non water related, and 8 water/septic related. Some were fixed to satisfaction, and others still remain. All happened under full warranty. To our frustration, a bad musty, mold odor has developed over the past year and a half and has taken over everything in the trailer. Forest River claimed that they could never smell it. Just told us to properly ventilate the unit. Well, over storage time, we installed vent covers, and a dehumidifier/ionizer. The first trip out this spring...the smell overwhelmed every bit of clothing, food, and supplies in the trailer again! I took it upon myself to hire an outside reputable company to give us a written estimate of damages. Well, almost $4000 of work just to find where they were getting readings of 80% moisture still present in our trailer! Forest River's reply...We have fulfilled our warranty above and beyond. You and your smell are on your own. Nice people. We are left to make sure that 80% moisture throughout the middle to upper part of our fifth wheel doesn't turn into mold! Another camping season lost? No way! I will fight this battle to the end! Manufacturer's should not be allowed this type of injustice. Every payment I make on our "dream trailer" gives me a stomach ache.

I have a 2007 Forest River, Cardinal, fifth wheel trailer. Numerous flawed items including doors, drawers, curtains, and shelves of a cosmetic nature have been repaired or replaced since new...Numerous items of a functional nature including roof fan mechanism, LP gas pressure valves, wiring, and a faucet have been repaired or replaced since new. Numerous road safety items have been repaired, adjusted, or replaced including the failure of two tires, one enroute, wheel brake drums, rims, and suspension system since new...The studs on one wheel just snapped off enroute on one trip sending the wheel out into the adjoining woods where it was later recovered...very damgerous...Unfortunatelu, most of the problems I have experienced seem to be repeated in similar airings on the various blogs...I am going to attempt to stir some interest again at the NHTSA with the advent of a new administration...The tire issues are just about universal and systemic exposing all travelers to grave and avoidable dangers repeatedly...I have seen countless complaints regarding these tires and, as far as I can determine, the NHTSA has managed to ignore scores of complaints on the subject...

Sincerely,

Wayne Brown

I have recently purchased a 2009 Rockwood High Wall 276 tent camper from your company via *** RV center. As they did not have one in stock on July 15, we sat down and ordered my unit directly, with all the options except 2, that being the screened in porch and the extra fridge option. It was told to me that I would be receiving my camper in August. August 15 I was told that my camper had come off the assembly line and that it would be arriving soon. Upon receiving my camper I did not have time to thoroughly inspect the unit before using it on a trip. I spent 4 days in this unit (most of the time I did have in it, was spent cleaning up after the assembly, rivet shafts, bits of aluminum shavings, dust, and wood cuttings. I told **** rv center not to clean it, that I wanted to take care of it myself.) When I brought the camper back home I had more time to go over more important items that I felt should be addressed in this letter.

I must say at this time I am very disappointed in the quality of work that was completed on this unit. I have seen allot of Forest River products and have admired what they have done and knew that when it came time to buy another camper, I knew to buy Forest River.

It is at this time I would like to share the problems I have found with this unit:

The latches on the roof to lock it down are all 1/4 inch off from the corresponding locking device below it.

The 2 drawers are very hard to open, I pull up then out and they will not open with out having to use force.

In the bathroom I have found poor sealing of the edges, if any sealant was used at all. A plastic cover behind the toilet does not have sealant on the bottom and water is going into it. the walls were not finished, they have round beads of silicone going up the wall but was not finished. The toilet itself rocks around on the base. Also it was told to me that I should have a light in the bathroom which there is none.

The stove had dried silicone on the hinges which I had to remove along with silicone on the counter top and floor. Also there is a large deposit of glue on the bathroom door, about the size of a half dollar and at least a 1/16 inch thick.

There are cuts in the counter top and along the edging of the counter top.

Hinges and latches on the cabinet doors are loose and upon trying to tighten found the screws to be stripped and 2 screws even missing. Also the fridge screws are put in to the wood on a very hard angle as to allow the screw threads to be seen through the material on the surface of the base cabinet along with the trim piece on the bottom being bent outward approximately 3 inches, outward into the walking area.

The outside door that is put in after the tent is up does not fit. I have tried to see if the door was bent or twisted but it is the door frame on the camper that appears to be cut wrong. The door has 1/3 inch gap towards the bottom and does not fit tight in the channel using the provided locks (the white parts that are used to hold the door in the frame do not touch the frame of the camper to hold it in place along with large gaps of air space)

The outside grill that hangs off the camper is a great product, however the gas line is not long enough to attach to it if you have the hanger in the lower position, I have to move the hanger over and on top of the fridge vents by 2 inches in order for the gas line to reach the grill.

Under the cabinets there are screws that had been pre-started but had not been installed into the walls to join the cabinet bases to the walls, I have so far found 8 of these pre-started screws under cabinets and other places.

Bunk pins are on one side, very hard to get into the hole, I have to push very hard on the bunk to get the pin past the slide that holds the bed, the other side is on an angle and is not straight up and down. the other 2 pins that hold the bunks from closing are 1 inch away from the bunk slide.

In the cabinet under the sink there is a panel with started screws but I do not know were this panel belongs, it was laying on the floor.

The water while using the pump and water tank is very poor. The pressure starts nice but after 2 or 3 seconds it drops to a trickle in both the shower and sink areas.

there is a grease type of substance on the vinyl inside the slide out area and also small tears on the backing of the vinyl.

There is a dominate squeak in the center of the floor between the microwave and the dinette slide out.

The antenna (which notably was moved from the back of the camper and was installed by the door was broken when it came to the dealership) was a small black plastic or rubber areal was sent back and replace by a much larger metal antenna that now hits the outside porch light, and the screws holding the base, one of them was not even tight, it is just loose and not holding anything.

the most recent problem I have found is the switch to control the top up and top down stuck in the up position and tore the red cable out of the aluminum, I was fortunate enough to stop it before it did any other damage.

The shower faucet for the hot and cold handles both turn open to the right, as the other faucets (sink and outside shower faucet) turn hot counter clockwise, cold clockwise.

The putty used to water proof the sink, the outside pole guides for the awning and other areas including the diamond plating is very messy and gets on everything (what ever happened to silicone around the sink?)

not sure if the assembly line does this but I have 2 plates that were put in a drawer, from pictures of other 276hw's I noticed they are used to attach the awning legs to the camper and were screwed into the camper next to the latches to hold the top down when traveling.

I also am not sure if there was suppose to be a jack or a lug wrench but would have been nice to have these items. Also I ordered the stabilizer jacks with sand pads (in the book and other pictures of the same model the pads were round, mine are square, not sure if that is right or not as I am aware that products can change or be replaced by better products.

I have not had any trouble with any of the equipment (i.e.. a/c, hot water heater, furnace or any other products that was fitted into the unit).

It is with great regret to write this letter, as I have stated earlier, I held Forest Rivers name in high standings and knew the products that came from you were of top quality, However, I am sure by the list of things I have concerns about, you understand how frustrated and sadly disappointed I am, and that the quality and reputation of Forest River has not been shown in this particular camper.

I have not talked with *** RV center on this matter because I feel there is not much they can do to help me fix most of these problems. I believe it to be a quality in workmanship and something that cannot be fixed with out remaking the majority of the unit. (How could you fix a wall that was cut to large for the size of door that it is suppose to house? How can a cabinet base be replaced that was built into the unit?) These issues I bring to your attention in hopes that Forest River will remedy the problems and hope that there employees on the assembly lines will understand that there work in the future is an extension of themselves. I hope they understand that being fast and getting the job done does not mean take short cuts and skimp on the quality that has made Forest River a name to be proud of and that taking pride in there work should still be of first concern.

I am self employed, with this in mind I know the quality of my work versus other companies in my profession has to be the best I can deliver. I know my clients can get the job done with sometimes a lower price or with less hassle in the final production. The fact is, they trust me and the trust that when I put my name on something they know they have received nothing less then 110% of my ability. So with this in mind, I wish I could meet the people that made my camper so they could put a face to the camper they provided me and allow them to go through this unit and ask themselves if they would except the work they have done and if they would want to spend $15, 900 on this particular camper.

I wrote this letter to Forest River along with over 60 pictures showing them even more problems with this unit. I have not received word as of yet.

I hope they do get back with me. I hope they just dont think I will go away. Im in advertising and really think that writing this to all the web blogs i can find would put forest river in a most uncomfortable situation when there sales fall do to over exposure to bad publicity. (all with out having to leave the house) Buy American but be careful what americans give you in exchange for your money, careful of american pride in there work. Some americans just want a pay check. I would not think Forest River would be paying there employees minimum wage so I would expect that they pay them good to deliver bad quality. Dont they know ITS THERE JOB THEY WILL LOSE IF NO ONE BUYS THERE PRODUCTS.

The implied warranty of merchantability requires that the product and its container meet certain minimum standards of quality, chiefly that the product be fit for the ordinary purposes for which such goods are sold (U.C.C. § 2-314). This requirement includes a standard of reasonable safety.