Forest River Cherokee body problems

STRUCTURE

A-frame tongue rail twisting away from the main chassis frame on the camper

NHTSA complaint #11757027 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

There have been numerous issues with our brand new 2026 Forest River Cherokee Wolf Pack 24-15 toyhauler. Few weeks after the purchase the aluminum side skirt started to peel away from the body of the trailer, submitted for warranty. Went to de-winterize, coolant leaked all over the kitchen floor area, plumbing not connected, submitted for warranty. Back-up camera which was suppose to come with a monitor, did not and has not worked, submitted to warranty. Trim coming off in the bedroom and missing in the kitchen area behind the "Wolf Pack" sign, submitted for warranty. Soft spot in the floor of kitchen (panel not properly secured, found out today [XXX]), submitted to warranty. Linoleum by the floor tie-downs coming up, submitted for warranty. Water tank leaked out 2/3 of our fresh water on the only camping trip we took. Only had one camping trip since we purcahsed in March 2026. Found out, skirting was replaced under warranty after Bish's RV in Meridian had to fight for us on the full replacement on both sides. Water tank needs a loop in the vent line since the anti-siphon is not working. Biggest worry of all is what the tech found, and I will quote on the work order: "Tie Down Gussets Missing all Nuts to Secure body to Trailer" The manufacturer "FOREST RIVER" did not have any nuts securing the body of the trailer to the frame. This could have KILLED my whole family!!!!!!!!!! Tech ended with "WOW factor" INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11756346 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

I am the original owner of a 2021 Forest River Wolf Pack 325PACK13 fifth-wheel trailer (VIN: [XXX]), purchased new on [XXX]. The trailer is built on a Lippert Components chassis manufactured in September 2020. My trailer developed multiple structural cracks in the front overhang/pin box area of the frame. This is not a single crack. The damage includes multiple cracks in the steel chassis, separation between the fiberglass front cap and the trailer body, gaps between structural members beneath the floor, and movement throughout the front of the trailer. Because the pin box transfers all towing forces into the frame, I considered the trailer unsafe to tow and immediately removed it from service. This is a structural failure involving the primary load-bearing chassis, not cosmetic damage. I am concerned this defect could affect towing stability, structural integrity, and increase the risk of failure during highway travel. The trailer has remained at an authorized repair facility for approximately four months awaiting repairs. During that time, I have repeatedly contacted Forest River for updates, often daily, but have received virtually no meaningful communication. My calls have routinely gone unanswered or unreturned, and the repair facility has also struggled to obtain responses, significantly delaying repairs. I am concerned this may represent a broader safety issue affecting other Forest River trailers built on similar Lippert chassis. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate whether these structural frame failures are occurring in other units and determine whether a safety-related defect exists that warrants corrective action. I have photographs documenting the multiple frame cracks, structural separation, repair records, warranty documentation, and communication records and will provide them upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11754798 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2021 Forest River Cherokee Toy Hauler. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the frame was flexing at the RV pin box location. The contact stated that while unhitching the trailer, the contact noticed that there was weld separation on the left and right sides of the tow hitch outer frame. Additionally, the contact stated that the cargo door holding the propane tank was opening unintendedly while driving. The trailer was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with spring damage, and the contact was informed that the cargo door that held the propane tank was opening unintendedly because the frame was flexing at the RV pin box location. The Lippert manufacturer that installed the frame was contacted and advised the contact to send pictures of the failure. The manufacturer, Forest River, was notified of the failure and advised the contact to apply gel in the weld gaps. The trailer was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11685770 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

The slide mechanism and gear rack are out of spec per their manufacturer of the component (schwintek inverted gear rack). On my unit the “shoe” part of the rack has failed (possibly because of improper installation) and I am afraid that if the slide is not secured by the gear rack that it could slip out while the vehicle is in motion. Lippert does have a TSB for this, but apparently doesn’t apply to my date range. Lippert TSB is 146-001-2022. Forest river tells me “this can happen over time from usage.” Lippert (schwintek mfg) says: “The concern appears to stem from an out-of-spec installation. We recommend reaching out to the coach manufacturer, as they may participate in resolving the issue” Neither company appear to be concerned for safety

NHTSA complaint #11656771 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

Front entry door opens while driving down the road. I have started deadbolt locking it. Lucky the hand rail folded in has caught the door from swinging out. Still could be dangerous for other drivers if something inside falls out of the RV.

NHTSA complaint #11615018 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

Front entry door opens while driving down the road. I have started deadbolt locking it. Lucky the hand rail folded in has caught the door from swinging out. Still could be dangerous for other drivers if something inside falls out of the RV.

NHTSA complaint #11615018 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

Noticed interior night stand and paneling buckled. Upon inspection, found multiple welds on frame and hitch area that had separated due to poorly performed welds. Contacted both Forest River and Lippert. Neither were interested in this safety concern. The failures of these welds will result in this RV detaching from tow vehicle if not identified soon enough. Mine was very close to this!

NHTSA complaint #11603456 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

There is a bracket that welds to the frame and supports the crank for the ice house and the entire weight of the RV. there are some very questionable welds on the brackets that looks like they were blown through the metal so now that bracket is bent and unlevel and digging into the side of the fish house causing the diamond plate in the wheel house to come off and expose the insulation.

NHTSA complaint #11595162 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

There are 2 major defects that we would like to make the NHTSA aware of and feel that the manufacturer should issue a recall and have these issues properly fixed. Our 2020 Forest River camper/ice house has a structural defect and the entire camper is breaking away from the frame. We had this confirmed by a service company that specializes in RV frames/wheel alignment. Our camper has had structural issues within 2 years of owning it. We are the original owners (bought Aug 2020) and the camper's wheel well is bowing, the exterior walls on the camper are bowing/wavy, interior walls are bowing/wavy. We have made attempts to work with Forest River to fix this major structural issue, but they have denied our claim. We have an extended warranty, but was given the impression that they also will deny our claim. In talking with other owners of Forest River camping/ice house, this is a wide spread issue (both the structural wall and tongue failure). We are also aware of a recall of what appears to be a similar if not exact issue that Forest River had to fix in 2014/15 (NHTSA Recall No. 14V-689 / Manufacturer Recall No. 6-102914). In addition to the wall/structural issues, the trailer's tongue weld failed and snapped while we were in transit. This occurred in Nov 2023. I have documents and pictures to upload and provide, but I was unable to get the upload tool to work when submitting this request.

NHTSA complaint #11561005 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE

One of the frameless windows detached and flew off the vehicle while driving on the interstate. The window is held by adhesive bond on a hinged upper and fixed lower attachment bar. Upon inspection, the adhesive bond holding the window to the lower bar failed completely, causing the window to flap freely on the hinged upper bar. At highway speeds, this rapidly caused the window to hinge upwards and shatter into multiple pieces against the side of the vehicle, and large pieces of glass fell from the RV potentially putting others in danger. This exact component (Hehr/Lippert 3000 series frameless windows) has been recalled for previous year models for the same adhesive bond failure. Clear Vision window -JPH

NHTSA complaint #11497952 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

Broken welds on Frame, Axle supports, and body support brackets broken & weld failure

NHTSA complaint #11497887 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

The contact owns a 2022 Forest River Cherokee. The contact stated that all three slides of the RV extended independently. While attempting to return the slide into place, the contact was unable to retract the slide. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure prevented him from having the RV taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V243000 (Equipment). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would send a mechanic to his location to repair the failure. However, the dealer failed to provide further assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75.

NHTSA complaint #11469657 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

We have had our travel trailer for about 1 year and have had it in for service to the bedroom door as we noted it was sticking. This weekend the bedroom door failed. The frame of the door itself came away from the door making it difficult to open. At the same time the other entry door was stuck shut. My wife was unable to open the door. I was able to open it with great difficulty. The door side of the trailer was in direct afternoon sunlight it it appeared to have swollen and jammed itself in the doorway. It did not resolve itself until the outside temperature dropped and we ran the air-conditioning inside the trailer. If my wife would have been inside alone and would have needed to escape the trailer should would not have been able to. In researching forums and forest river related Facebook groups this appears to be a common issue.

NHTSA complaint #11467060 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

Mounting nuts from body to frame are loose after only 2 years of use.

NHTSA complaint #11459767 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

All the bolts holding camper on frame were loose & 2 we're missing... Screws around slide out loose. Causing the side to split.

NHTSA complaint #11459623 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

On my camper, there are bolts from the body through the frame to hold the two together. While inspecting my camper nearly all the bolts could be unscrewed by hand, with a few having a noticeable gap where they had backed away. There were only 3 bolts on the entire camper that were tight. If these bolts had continued to loosen it is possible the body could separate from the frame while driving. I contacted the manufacturer over this issue and was told to inspect those bolts each time. Nowhere in the owners manual could I find where this is a requirement.

NHTSA complaint #11459478 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

trailer bolts and nuts dont hold trailer on and break off. Cab of trailer is moving on frame and cab can come off of frame while driving. I have several of these model trailers and they all have the same problem. In addition, ive ask other owners of these trailers and they also have the same problem.

NHTSA complaint #11449862 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2015 Forest River Cherokee travel trailer. The contact stated that rainwater leaked into the RV through the side panels and passenger's side sliding door. The rainwater leaked from the passenger's side sliding door and spread into the master bedroom causing water damage to the floor. Additionally, the passenger's side sliding door was inoperable. The dealer was made aware of the failure and had an associate inspect the travel trailer. The dealer informed the contact to bring the travel trailer in for diagnostic testing. The travel trailer was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.

NHTSA complaint #11445390 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

The contact owns a 2017 Forest River Cherokee Toy Hauler. The contact stated that he was informed by an independent mechanic that the box on the rooftop of the RV frame had detached and slipped to the passenger’s side of the RV. The contact also stated that the sliding door inside the RV had pierced the ceiling of the RV. The dealer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The RV was taken to a second dealer United RV Center (5100 Airport Fwy, Haltom City, TX 76117) who diagnosed that the substructure of the RV was not cut and aligned properly which caused the box on the rooftop to slip due to vibration while driving the RV. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the RV was out of warranty. The RV was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11428087 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.