Did I get a Lemon?

[DWelker]

We’ve had our Forester for two+ years and I have to confess that this vehicle been a string of headaches. The jacks didn’t work, the the fridge wouldn’t run while driving, now the slideout is stuck out,and our vacation is on the verge of ruin. We had a travel trailer for 20 years and never had such a string of problems. Did I get stuck with a lemon? Are Foresters just badly made? Thoughts?

[richp]

Two things...

1. This site tends to collect reports of problem cases, rather than discussing crisp, clean builds with no issues.

2. The conventional current wisdom seems to be they are not making them like they used to.

Evaluate responses accordingly, and good luck in getting the enjoyment you hoped for out of your rig.

Rich Phillips

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by DWelker

We’ve had our Forester for two+ years and I have to confess that this vehicle been a string of headaches. The jacks didn’t work, the the fridge wouldn’t run while driving, now the slideout is stuck out,and our vacation is on the verge of ruin. We had a travel trailer for 20 years and never had such a string of problems. Did I get stuck with a lemon? Are Foresters just badly made? Thoughts?

RVs were better built 20 years ago. So comparing your experience with a RV built in 2001, to one built in 2018, isn't fair.
From what I've seen here, most Forester owners are very happy with theirs.
Doesn't mean that yours was assembled well. But FR doesn't manufacturer the jacks, fridge nor slideout mechanism because they are more assemblers, than manufacturers. All 3 of those issues are possibly due to whoever made them.

[F.R.O.G.]

There are several reasons that a slide might not operate. One of the first that comes to mind is the battery. Since the slide operates on 12V power, the battery needs to be charged in order for it to operate. Are you hearing anything at all when you try to retract it? If not, check the battery level and the fuse.

I'm going to assume that your unit is a 2019 since you've had it for about two years. The online owner's manual / component manual, located at
has a troubleshooting guide that might help. You'll find the component manual at Component Manual

If that doesn't help, you might want to contact Chris Myers in the Forester Service Center at (574) 206-7608.

[High Country Duramax]

It took a year to work the bugs out of my 5th wheel. Smooth sailing since.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by bikendan

RVs were better built 20 years ago. So comparing your experience with a RV built in 2001, to one built in 2018, isn't fair.
From what I've seen here, most Forester owners are very happy with theirs.
Doesn't mean that yours was assembled well. But FR doesn't manufacturer the jacks, fridge nor slideout mechanism because they are more assemblers, than manufacturers. All 3 of those issues are possibly due to whoever made them.

I would agree that problems with jacks and fridge are likely defects introduced during manufacture.

Not so sure about the slideout. There are bunches of faults that can be introduced during assembly. A few are:

• Slideout out of square in several different ways
• Damage to tracks, cabling, or hydraulics during assembly
• Tracks or hydraulic cylinders mounted improperly
• Etc.

[cmartz]

I have a 2019 Forester (maybe a 2018 chassis). Except for the radio not working in the cab, I have not had any problems apart from what I've brought on myself! I Hope you get your's fixed soon. I did replace the battery with two better batteries before I started on an extended trip.

[charles l]

Your question is not likely to garner many good responses. There are troubleshooting videos and instructions on the Forest River website and the manufacturers website. Could be a simple connection loose, bad wire, motor failed, etc. There is a test using the controller to give the appropriate flashes of the light to identify the trouble. Locate the controller.

My Sunseeker has been good. I had one motor go bad and my ac failed last month. I would rate it 7 on the 10 point scale.

https://myrvworks.com/wp-content/upl...l-override.pdf

[rlocicero]

My 1989 mallard was junk. Kept it two years. 1991 Coachman was cheaply built. Qur 1995 Prowler was great. We traded it in 1999 for a wildwood fifth wheel that was really bad. Bought it in August 1999 and traded it in June 2000 for a Sunline TT. This was a great trailer also. We traded it on a Holiday Rambler Savoy for extra room. We owned it for three years but the dealer had ir for 18 months for warranty repairs. In the summer of 2009, we ordered a Flagstaff 829FKSS because we loved the floorplan. we still have it today and it has been the best of all.
In 2012 we toured the great lakes and stopped at the Rockwood/Flagstaff factory for a tour. they inspected our unit and found the floor soft in three places. That fall, they brought our trailer from Rochester NY back to the factory and replaced the whole floor no charge. They also fixed some other minor items that we did not even mention. It has been great ever since.

[rickkey2]

We bought a 2007 Forest River Charleston 400QS DP in 2012 with 19000 miles on it. We put another 56000 miles on it when we sold it in 2019. Everything worked perfect with just normal minor issues. Never any problems with any big items at all. The camping / traveling bug hit and we bought a 2021 Rockwood 2506S and picked it up in March. We have camped it six times and put around 3500 miles on it. And so far everything works as it should with no issues at all. Just saying that all brands have issues sometimes even the big boys like Prevost and so on. But as stated most of the problems are the vender items and yes there are some quality issues from the factory's from time to time as with anything else we buy. I feel lucky I have had good ones. Yes it was a big downsize from a 40 foot diesel pusher to a 25 foot travel trailer but we / I love the ease of getting around and not towing our car behind and have many more camping and destinations to go to. I drove tractor trailers over the road for many years so to me it was never a size issue. Now its a just much more convenient as there is just my wife and myself.

[U.S.ArmyVeteran]

Lemon? Maybe not. But there is a bit of citrus in most RVs. :-)

Good luck!

[bradw661]

Originally Posted by U.S.ArmyVeteran

Lemon? Maybe not. But there is a bit of citrus in most RVs. :-)

Good luck!

No doubt that….[emoji23]🤣

[6speed]

Bought a used 2019 Forester 2861 in September 2019 and never had any problems. Went on several months long trips and never had a single complaint. Everything worked as expected.
We would still have it except my wife wanted something with more room. We traded it in February for a 2021 FR3 34DS and that has been trouble free also. I consider myself lucky as the only problems encountered have been self inflicted.

[Daniel.mullins4]

I chose to buy a used RV, 2009 Rockwood Ultralite WRLF8265WS 5 years old, all the warranty issues taken care of by the original owner, I payed half the price, in this case you do need to be experienced in the inspection of a used RV before buying. So far no issues and I have done many upgrades for our personal comforts. I have had friends buy new RV's and always first six months in the shop for warranty issues. soo many and soo much time in the shop they said heck with it I will fix it myself.

[Highwayguy]

No you did not buy a lemon,you are just experiencing the non quality control that is standard in the industry.

[Houndwalker]

Dwelker, I feel your pain. We previously owned a tent trailer and four travel trailers. Two and a half years ago we bought a used 2017 sunseeker. I've been very happy with the switch to a motorhome but the repairs have been endless. Far more repairs than all our previous RVs combined. And no, an extended warranty would not be the solution. Most of the repairs have been inexpensive but it been a real hassle. The only costly repair was replacing the refrigerator. Water heater failed twice, once was my fault, a bunch of the ceiling lights have failed, one of the TVs failed, I've had to replace two roof vent covers and one skylight. door lock failed, and the door strut broke off which was a bit of a challenge to get fixed and took two attempts at repairs. The cabinet underneath the refrigerator started to sink So the refrigerator started to move out of the cabinet. Cabinet latches, 2 stereo speakers not working, USB port not working. And the most serious, I a roof leak I just cannot seem to get to the bottom of. We love RV life and have put a lot of miles on our motorhome which I suppose is part of the reason we're having so many repairs. But already thinking about the next rig.

[billwww3]

Originally Posted by Houndwalker

Dwelker, I feel your pain. We previously owned a tent trailer and four travel trailers. Two and a half years ago we bought a used 2017 sunseeker. I've been very happy with the switch to a motorhome but the repairs have been endless. Far more repairs than all our previous RVs combined. And no, an extended warranty would not be the solution. Most of the repairs have been inexpensive but it been a real hassle. The only costly repair was replacing the refrigerator. Water heater failed twice, once was my fault, a bunch of the ceiling lights have failed, one of the TVs failed, I've had to replace two roof vent covers and one skylight. door lock failed, and the door strut broke off which was a bit of a challenge to get fixed and took two attempts at repairs. The cabinet underneath the refrigerator started to sink So the refrigerator started to move out of the cabinet. Cabinet latches, 2 stereo speakers not working, USB port not working. And the most serious, I a roof leak I just cannot seem to get to the bottom of. We love RV life and have put a lot of miles on our motorhome which I suppose is part of the reason we're having so many repairs. But already thinking about the next rig.

They're kinda like boats... always something to fix. Never ending. Slightly less expensive than boat parts. And at least you don't sink if you mess up!!
I had "boat lessons" on my buddy's 42 Endeavour; i learned that >>>

I cannot have a boat - my budget does not allow. This RV is a stretch enough.

[Ace202]

have had many issues, most minor on our 2021 Ozark 1800QSX, Biggest issue was the slide stuck in, due to a manufacture issue on the slide install, per CW Their fix? wrap a 4x4 in carpet and attach to bottom of chase lounge, as per forest river. plus replace Swintek system, as it was all stripped out.
Now the latest issue, and as far as I'm concerned, the biggest issue. First night in campground, lose power. checking all breakers, fuses and GFIs, nothing. Call out a mobile RV repair. Guy finds that there had been a previous repair/fix on the wires from the shore power connect, inside the wall of our trailer. Never had it been repaired that we know of. The Romex wire had been cut and reattached using electrical tape. The black wire came apart. Could have shorted out and burned down the trailer. Awaiting FR response to this. crazy. My wife is afraid to sleep in this trailer, for fear of what else the did so shoddy.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Ace202

Now the latest issue, and as far as I'm concerned, the biggest issue. First night in campground, lose power. checking all breakers, fuses and GFIs, nothing. Call out a mobile RV repair. Guy finds that there had been a previous repair/fix on the wires from the shore power connect, inside the wall of our trailer. Never had it been repaired that we know of. The Romex wire had been cut and reattached using electrical tape. The black wire came apart. Could have shorted out and burned down the trailer. Awaiting FR response to this. crazy. My wife is afraid to sleep in this trailer, for fear of what else the did so shoddy.

Could have happened at the dealer. Trailer on lot. Someone steals the power cord for the copper. Shoddy attachment of new cord by dealer staff. (I won't use the word "tech" since this is not tech-quality work.)

[bclemens]

So the OP swung by, dropped a grenade and then headed off into the sunset? Was the slide fixed? What does "stuck" mean...what steps were taken to correct it?