2013 Forest River Forester recalls and problems

The 2013 Forest River Forester has 4 recalls and 0 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.

How the 2013 compares

Too few model years with complaints to compare.

4recalls

0complaints

0crashes

0fires

0injuries

—median miles

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, not verified and not adjusted for sales. Ranking compares this model's own years only.

Does your car have an open recall?
Recalls apply to specific vehicles. Only a VIN lookup on NHTSA's official site shows whether yours is affected and still unrepaired.

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4 recalls

Equipment

Jul 23, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V449000 · 1,041 vehicles

Problem: Forest River Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Georgetown, Sunseeker, Forester, Cross Country, Pathfinder, Cardinal, Blue Ridge, Cedar Creek, and Brookstone recreational vehicles manufactured March 11, 2013, through April 26, 2013 and equipped with certain Frigidaire Convection Microwave models CFMV152CLB and CFMV154CLS. The microwave may start on it's own and begin heating when unattended.

Risk: If the microwave starts on its own and there are contents inside, a fire could result.

Remedy & notes

Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will repair the membrane/keypad component, free of charge. The recall began in February 2015. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-353-7383.

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Equipment

May 17, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V203000 · 9,526 vehicles

Problem: Forest River is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Forest River models Blue Ridge, Cardinal, Cherokee, Columbus, EVO, Georgetown, Flagstaff, Forester, Lexington, Puma, Rockwood, Sabre, Salem, Sandpiper, Sandstorm, Sierra, Stealth, Sunseeker, Wildcat, Wildwood, Work and Play and XLR; Coachmen models Brookstone, Catalina, Chaparral, Concord, Encounter, Freedom Express, Freelander, Leprechaun, Mirada, Pursuit, and Sportcoach; Prime Time models Avenger, Crusader, Lacrosse, Saniber, and Tracer; Palomino model Maverick Truck Camper; Cargo Mate model Eliminator and Shasta models Revere, Phoenix recreational vehicles manufactured from February 13, 2013, through April 18, 2013. Due to a design change in the power awning motor assembly, the motor assembly screws may unknowingly shear.

Risk: If the motor assembly screws shear, it is possible that the awning can unfurl unexpectedly, either while the vehicle is at rest or while in transit, increasing the risk of personal injury or a vehicle crash.

Remedy & notes

Forest River will notify owners and Dometic staff will replace the affected motors with motors of a different design. The safety recall began on July 29, 2013. Owners may contact Forest River at 1-574-389-4600 or Dometic at 1-888-447-0003 for more information. Owners are being instructed not to drive their vehicle until repairs can be performed.

Owners 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 www.safercar.gov.

Electrical System

Feb 1, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V037000

Problem: Forest River is recalling certain model year 2013 Concord, Leprechaun, Freelander, Lexington, Forester and Sunseeker class B and class C motor homes built on Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana chassis. It may be possible to remove the key from the ignition when the vehicle is running or the transmission is not in the Park position. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, "Theft Protection."

Risk: If the ignition key is removed while the vehicle is still on and/or the vehicle is not in Park, the vehicle may rollaway and the unintended movement of the vehicle may result in a possible crash or injury to pedestrians.

Remedy & notes

General Motors (GM) will notify owners on behalf of Forest River. GM dealers will replace the ignition lock cylinder and the two associated keys. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall began on February 28, 2013. For more information, GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463 and Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. Owner's may also contact Forest River at 1-574-389-4600.

Customers may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); or go to www.safercar.gov.

Equipment

Sep 18, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V458000 · 1,585 vehicles

Problem: Forest River, Inc., (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Sunseeker 2860, 3120, 3170, Forester 2861, 3121, 3171, and Lexington 283 Class C motorhomes, manufactured from August 18, 2009, through September 12, 2012. The liquid propane gas (LPG) fuel line that supplies fuel to appliances in the slide out, can become damaged.

Risk: A damaged LPG fuel line can lead to an explosion and/or fire, increasing the risk of injury or death.

Remedy & notes

Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will repair the affected vehicles free of charge. The recall began on, or about October 23, 2012. Owners may contact Forest River at 1-574-206-7600.

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Recall text as published by NHTSA and the manufacturer.

NHTSA investigations

Trailer tire may contact floor

RQ14004 · opened Sep 10, 2014 · closed Jul 9, 2015

Summary

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 frame than the recalled trailers.Upon thorough examination of the condition experienced by the owners it was found that neither unit exhibited insufficient tire clearance between the bottom of the floor and top of the tire.Forest River's initial Information Request Response (IRR) submission did not adequately address all the questions asked by ODI.Following a meetingwith Forest River personnel on March 20, 2015 an IRR was submitted on May 22, 2015, which satisfied ODI.This submission is included in the public repository.When asked how Forest River identified the recall population they used a production change to determine the start and end dates.On February 3, 2012 Forest River introduced a new frame.The engineering drawings used to launch this new frame failed to identify the frame rail height.Furthermore, Forest River failed to verify that the new frame rail height was the same as the one it replaced.This created a half inch reduction in clearance.This issue was not identified and remed…

2013 vs. other Forest River Forester years

Owner complaints by model year; the darker bar is the 2013. Click a bar to switch year.

Questions

Does the 2013 Forest River Forester have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns covering the 2013 Forest River Forester, the latest from Jul 23, 2014 (equipment). A recall applies to specific vehicles: enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours is affected and still open.

What are the most common problems with the 2013 Forest River Forester?

Few complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Forest River Forester.