2018 Forest River Forester recalls and problems

The 2018 Forest River Forester has 3 recalls and 1 owner complaint on file with NHTSA; the most reported problem area is structure.

How the 2018 compares

Low

Fewest complaintsMost complaints

Low complaint count among 16 Forester model years — 12th most.

3recalls

1complaints

0crashes

0fires

0injuries

12,000median 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.

Check your VIN →

3 recalls

Equipment

Aug 13, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V527000 · 2,582 vehicles

Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Coachmen Work and Play and Adrenaline recreational trailers, 2018-2019 Forest River Forester and XLR recreational trailers and 2018 Forest River Rockwood recreational trailers. The awning may deploy while moving.

Risk: If the awning deploys while moving, there would be an increased risk of a crash.

Remedy & notes

Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace the awning controller, free of charge. The recall began September 13, 2018. Owners may contact Coachmen customer service at 1-574-825-6302, Forester customer service at 1-574-206-7600, Rockwood customer service at 1-574-642-4053, XLR Toyhauler customer service at 1-574-642-0432, or Lippert customer service at 1-574-538-4514 or recall@lci1.com. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0715.

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

Oct 2, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V612000 · 6 vehicles

Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Forester motorhomes, model FRC3271SF. The Federal Placard may inaccurately state that the vehicle has single rear wheels and tires, when the vehicle is equipped with dual rear wheels and tires. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 120, "Wheels and Rims-Other than Passenger Cars" and fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

Risk: The Federal Placards may cause the operator to not properly maintain the tires and/or wheels. Failure to maintain the tires may lead to improper handling, potentially increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy & notes

Forest River will notify owners and will provide a corrected Placard, free of charge. The recall began on October 18, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 34-0528.

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

Aug 18, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V513000 · 184 vehicles

Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Forest River Dynamax, Forester, Sunseeker, and Coachmen Prism vehicles built on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans. The affected vehicles have tire labels on the B-pillar that list a tire pressure that is too low. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

Risk: Operating the vehicle with low front tire pressures may result in tire damage, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy & notes

Forest River will notify owners, and authorized Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealers will inspect and replace the tire pressure label with correct tire inflation pressure, free of charge. The recall began on September 5, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-854-888-3214. Forest River's number for this recall is 35.55.215-0491.

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.

Recall text as published by NHTSA and the manufacturer.

What owners complain about

Structure1

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA; one complaint can name several areas. Not verified by NHTSA.

NHTSA investigations

Trimark 060-1650 Door Latch Failures

PE20021 · opened Nov 23, 2020 · closed Dec 13, 2024

Summary

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 Ownerâs 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 porous and brittle over time and can break without warning, causing the vehicle owner to be unable to open the recreational vehicle door equipped with the latch.If the motorhome does not have any other doors such as some Class A models, occupants could be trapped inside, needing to climb out using the emergency exits. If locked out, owners would be unable to easily get in and retrieve children and pets. ODI analyzed the data provided by Trimark in response to its January 27, 2021 information request letter.Although an elevated failure rate was evident on a specific combination of plunger bolt, door lock/latch assembly and door, the data showed that most failures occurred within the first two years of service on the affected 2015-2017 vehicles.This data suggests that component failures generally would have already occurred.Further, ODI data reflects a downward trend in complaints after calendar year 2018 and for post- MY 2016 vehicles.This downward trend may be attributed Trimark's acti…

2018 vs. other Forest River Forester years

Owner complaints by model year; the darker bar is the 2018. Click a bar to switch year.

Questions

Does the 2018 Forest River Forester have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns covering the 2018 Forest River Forester, the latest from Aug 13, 2018 (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 2018 Forest River Forester?

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA most often mention structure (1). Complaints are consumer reports and are not verified by NHTSA.