Forest River Quality Issues

[Jefrid]

We have a 2018 Forester 2291 RV. We have 26k miles on our unit and visited 40+ states. By Thanksgiving we will be up to 48. We have had minimal problems that we cannot fix ourselves. Screws need to be tightened which should not be a surprise if you think about what our units go through given the state of our nation’s highways. Drawer latches break as do other things. There are also a lot of minor upgrades we can make ourselves that make our units more enjoyable and deal with things we think the manufacture should have done better. Don’t be shy, do it. Look at the posts from other owners. The happiest RV owners I have run across are those who learn to fix things themselves. I do not want to relieve Forest River of their responsibility to provide quality units, but to be happy we all need to deal with the products we own. These forums provide us all with lots of great ideas how to enjoy our rides.

[TSS1961]

"As for the repairs, some things you’ll have to get the dealer to take care of, if they will. But, most things you’ll need to figure out how to do it yourself, with the aid of a great site like this one. If you come up with your own tip or trick you can always give back."

I'd rather have my teeth pulled than go to the dealer! The one here in Orange Park FL sucks.
I've made several "warranty" repairs myself to avoid them and did a better job. So, here is one for the "with the aid of a site like this" how can a rotting subfloor be replaced? It rotted out in the back right corner due to a very poor caulking job at the factory. Water has been entering there since I've owned it and I never knew.

Add another checklist item to the new RV walkthrough at time of purchase... Did the idiot with the caulk gun and one job to do do it right?

[Knarf]

Have to throw my 2 cents worth in here. 2016 Flagstaff 831FKBSS. AC, little air flow into bath and bed room. Under pinning fell off. TV fell off. Decals pealed off after only one year. Looks better without them. Little air flow from furnace. Plug covers that fell off, minor problem. Roof blew off, no storm or violent winds. Toilet cracked. Water pump leaked.Sounds minor but unless you have had a water leak you do not realize the severity of the problem.



And last but probably not lease, incompetent dealer service department.


Thank you.
Knarf

[Wildcat Buckeye]

#RVLIFE

[Stevemal]

I thought I was buying quality as well. Not so much! Haven't found anything that was done or built with quality on my Greywolf. 2 plus years and still no working fridge and most other components have been replaced and are defective again. Even the propane tanks were 3 years old when received! Now I'm out of warranty and the dealer or FR don't want to hear it. The dealer put hte wrong fridge on my invoice so even GE won't play well with me, not to mention all parts are now on backorder with no expected delivery time. Yea FR!

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by rsdata

so far your list seems rather minor...

you can call a traveling MOBILE RV repair service looked up locally where you are at to do the repair work, except it must be paid for in advance and request for reimbursement by FR after the warranty repair is OK'd by FR...

the mobile RV tech can help you with the warranty paperwork...

I second this.

Also oftentimes he can contact FR and get them to authorize the repair beforehand so there is a direct payment to him and no out of pocket for you

[mrfikser]

I agree, for the amount of $$$ paid cabinets shouldn't be falling off of the walls and they shouldn't leak...unfortunately the reality is that all the rvs in the forest river price range are of the same [inferior] quality and the dealerships are all no better then used car sales men... it really sucks and I feel for you, but this is what we all have come to expect from them and their products..welcome to Stockholm, if you are gonna stay in this marriage you need accept your [rv] spouse for the bum it is...Personally I have convinced myself that I like the constant repairing and worrying...I really do like it, I really do, I really do....

[Felicity]

We are considering buying a Flagstaff 26FKBS or Rockwood 2608BS. I understand there may be issues but my question is, are the new ones coming off the line any worse this year than in the past? Do you think they are substituting inferior parts due to shortages?

[upflying]

Originally Posted by Felicity

We are considering buying a Flagstaff 26FKBS or Rockwood 2608BS. I understand there may be issues but my question is, are the new ones coming off the line any worse this year than in the past? Do you think they are substituting inferior parts due to shortages?

I think the same parts are being used, it's the inferior people installing them.
Labor shortages, pay and benefits may also be a contributing factor.
Back in the day, I bought new Fleetwood TT's and I don't recall having quality issues with them.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Felicity

We are considering buying a Flagstaff 26FKBS or Rockwood 2608BS. I understand there may be issues but my question is, are the new ones coming off the line any worse this year than in the past? Do you think they are substituting inferior parts due to shortages?

I don't think there has been any quality improvements. The same issues exist, that existed last year.

[Casademike]

I got a new trailer from a somewhat terrible dealer in May. Had some warranty issues. Tried to work with the dealer on the first one and it never went anywhere. Had a few other slightly larger issues and contacted FR directly. Their communication back was spotty at best. They said I had to do through dealer. I begrudgingly called dealer again and they said they were not taking any service appointments and "try calling in a few months". They didn't even offer to call ME when they finally had appointments available.

It's super annoying. Forest River kicks you to dealers and a lot of dealers kick you to the curb. So yeah - I've fixed everything myself and at my cost.

When you buy a new car - the Mfr sends you a survey about your experience with the dealer. And it's usually a month or so AFTER your purchase. If the dealer scores low, there are significant consequences. I wish RV mfrs would show some leadership in getting their dealers in line. Dare to dream.

[Felicity]

Originally Posted by Casademike

I got a new trailer from a somewhat terrible dealer in May. Had some warranty issues. Tried to work with the dealer on the first one and it never went anywhere. Had a few other slightly larger issues and contacted FR directly. Their communication back was spotty at best. They said I had to do through dealer. I begrudgingly called dealer again and they said they were not taking any service appointments and "try calling in a few months". They didn't even offer to call ME when they finally had appointments available.

It's super annoying. Forest River kicks you to dealers and a lot of dealers kick you to the curb. So yeah - I've fixed everything myself and at my cost.

When you buy a new car - the Mfr sends you a survey about your experience with the dealer. And it's usually a month or so AFTER your purchase. If the dealer scores low, there are significant consequences. I wish RV mfrs would show some leadership in getting their dealers in line. Dare to dream.

Wow! Doesn’t give me much confidence in the industry!

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Casademike

I got a new trailer from a somewhat terrible dealer in May. Had some warranty issues. Tried to work with the dealer on the first one and it never went anywhere. Had a few other slightly larger issues and contacted FR directly. Their communication back was spotty at best. They said I had to do through dealer. I begrudgingly called dealer again and they said they were not taking any service appointments and "try calling in a few months". They didn't even offer to call ME when they finally had appointments available.

It's super annoying. Forest River kicks you to dealers and a lot of dealers kick you to the curb. So yeah - I've fixed everything myself and at my cost.

When you buy a new car - the Mfr sends you a survey about your experience with the dealer. And it's usually a month or so AFTER your purchase. If the dealer scores low, there are significant consequences. I wish RV mfrs would show some leadership in getting their dealers in line. Dare to dream.

Unfortunately, R/V manufacturers and their dealer networks are NOTHING like the automotive industry. Many folks believe it is because a R/V is mobile. For the manufacturers, it is ALL about the sale.

There are a scant few Forest River divisions (motorized) who are trying to break that mold but not nearly enough divisions to cover their industry as a whole.

I often recommend to newbies and folks who are not capable of repairing things themselves, that finding the right dealer is often as important as finding the right R/V.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Casademike

I got a new trailer from a somewhat terrible dealer in May. Had some warranty issues. Tried to work with the dealer on the first one and it never went anywhere. Had a few other slightly larger issues and contacted FR directly. Their communication back was spotty at best. They said I had to do through dealer. I begrudgingly called dealer again and they said they were not taking any service appointments and "try calling in a few months". They didn't even offer to call ME when they finally had appointments available.

It's super annoying. Forest River kicks you to dealers and a lot of dealers kick you to the curb. So yeah - I've fixed everything myself and at my cost.

When you buy a new car - the Mfr sends you a survey about your experience with the dealer. And it's usually a month or so AFTER your purchase. If the dealer scores low, there are significant consequences. I wish RV mfrs would show some leadership in getting their dealers in line. Dare to dream.

At any point, did you look into using an independent RV shop or mobile RV tech? Many of us do, during the warranty period. You just have to get pre-approval from FR and be willing to be reimbursed.

[billcrews81]

ive owned multi RV's. they are all built like crap and most of us know this going into it. The only way to help ease the pain is having an inspector with you to do the PDI when buying.. I failed my own rule recently.. and its costing me big time.

[SacRV]

One thing to keep in mind, Forest River trailers are manufactured at several different sites with completely different work forces. At some locations workers may be better trained and/or have better supervision and quality control than others. Lastly, you have to take into account what lines are being produced, as an example a Cedar Creek trailer is going to use better materials than say an entry level FR trailer.

[Ex-tenter]

Originally Posted by Felicity

We are considering buying a Flagstaff 26FKBS or Rockwood 2608BS. I understand there may be issues but my question is, are the new ones coming off the line any worse this year than in the past? Do you think they are substituting inferior parts due to shortages?

We bought our 2021 Rockwood 2608BS in mid-January 2021. We picked it up from the dealer in mid-July. We had a couple of warranty issues - the 12v fridge door had a couple of small dents in it, and one of the chairs had a flaw in the finish on one side. Neither stopped us from camping the rest of the summer. We took the rig back to the dealer for warranty repairs of the above, and it was completed in three days, where we had been scheduled for a month out. We really have no regrets about the purchase. The quality of the rig is very high.

As others have mentioned, you need to shop dealers as much as campers. We have an excellent dealer. Also, keep in mind that people with negative experiences are more likely to be vocal about it. Happy campers are too busy camping.

[grouchmore]

Originally Posted by Ex-tenter

We bought our 2021 Rockwood 2608BS in mid-January 2021. We picked it up from the dealer in mid-July. We had a couple of warranty issues - the 12v fridge door had a couple of small dents in it, and one of the chairs had a flaw in the finish on one side. Neither stopped us from camping the rest of the summer. We took the rig back to the dealer for warranty repairs of the above, and it was completed in three days, where we had been scheduled for a month out. We really have no regrets about the purchase. The quality of the rig is very high.

As others have mentioned, you need to shop dealers as much as campers. We have an excellent dealer. Also, keep in mind that people with negative experiences are more likely to be vocal about it. Happy campers are too busy camping.

Lets give an "excellent dealer" his just reward and share his dealership name with all of us. Sounds like they deserve the recognition.

[Canto]

Originally Posted by SacRV

as an example a Cedar Creek trailer is going to use better materials than say an entry level FR trailer.

Not really. The same appliances, pressed wood for cabinet frames and boxes, cheap furnishings, staples, stripped screws, electronic items such as $10 speakers, not to mention everything LCI from the frame to the windows.

[Stevemal]

I wish RV mfrs would show some leadership in getting their dealers in line. Dare to dream.[/QUOTE]


The problem is you need to get the MFGS. to give a damn first. They just sell the crap and we are left to fix it ourselves. My dealer at least followed up at first, but after 23 issues brand new, they have now kicked me to the curb as well.

GE seemed pretty good when I called about my replacement (for a Furrion ) refrigerator that is also inoperative. The tech came to my house at no charge and broke more parts!! The parts needed are not available any longer. So going into year 3 with no fridge.