2003 Forest River Salem problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer (2) · Tires (1) · Suspension:rear:springs:leaf Spring Assembly (1)
Safety recalls (1)
Equipment 2017-11-22 · campaign 17V756000 · 365,885 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2003-2018 Forest River Berkshire, Charleston, Rockport, Cedar Creek, Cherokee, Riverstone, Salem, Sandpiper, Sierra, Vengeance, Wildcat, Wildwood, XLR Boost, Cargo Mate, Continental Cargo, motorhomes, recreational trailers, toyhaulers, cargo trailers and restroom trailers and 2009-2018 Coachmen Mirada, Pursuit, Concord, Leprechaun, Freelander, Orion and Prism motorhomes, 2009-2017 Coachmen Apex and Catalina recreational trailers, and 2013-20
Risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began on December 27, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-348-7440, or Kidde customer service toll free at 1-855-262-3540, or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0544.
Service bulletins (1)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Equipment 2020-08-05 · 511213 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a document that describes how to take the required photos to assess the slideroom mechanism for adjustment and function.
What owners report
2008-06-24 · Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer“tl*the contact owns a 2003 forest river salem travel trailer. the vehicle has a dometic refrigerator, model rm2652. the refrigerator was repaired in june of 2005 because it would not cool. the contact received a safety recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 06e076000 (equipment: recreational vehicle) in december of 2007. dometic stated that…”
2008-06-02 · Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer“tl*the contact owns a 2003 forest river. the vehicle has a dometic refrigerator, model rm2652. he spoke with a representative from dometic (asia, 21841034) in january of 2008, and was informed that they would call him back once they reached massachusetts and would be covered. the contact called dometic in may of 2008 and was informed that the r…”
2008-03-19 · Tires“i purchased a forest river 38' sand piper sport f37sp toy hauler fifth wheel new in 2003. the trailer was equiped with tandom axels. we experianced numerous tire blow outs. each time the tire would blow it would blow up with pieces of rubber flying every where causing excessive damage to the rv and causing the trailer to become difficult to control…”
2008-02-06 · Electrical System:wiring · 🔥 fire“tl*the contact owns a 2003 forest river salem. the contact smelled smoke in his fifth wheel trailer. he detected smoke and immediately went outside to disconnect the wires. the fire department was not called and the dealer was not notified. no other vehicle information was applicable.…”
2007-09-20 · Structure:body · 300 mi“tl*the contact owns a 2003 forest river cherokee fifth wheel (na). while the vehicle was parked, the grey water tank fell off. the tank, which could weigh up to 400 pounds, was secured with only four screws. the contact spoke with the dealer and they advised him to call the manufacturer. the manufacturer was unable to provide any assistance. t…”
2007-07-22 · Suspension:rear:axle:spindle“problems with accelerated tire wear on a 5th wheel travel trailer. i have a cedar creek 5th wheel model year 2003, manufactured 11.02, model # 30rlbs. the trailer has 5200# axles manufactured by al-kober and they are causing extreme tire wear on the inside edges of the tires. have spoken to al-ko and they deny any problems but it has been detailed …”
2006-05-18 · Suspension:rear:springs:leaf Spring Assembly · 7,500 mi“drove over two or three rough bridges. leaf springs on left side of trailer flattened & lost their support, causing the tires to rub on underside of trailer with a breaking action to that side, causing travel trailer to go out of control. trailer was declared a total loss by insurance company due to bent frame after loss of control. no one was inj…”
2006-03-07 · Structure:frame And Members · 15,000 mi“dt*: the contact owns a 2003 forest river salem travel trailer. when the trailer was towed the left tires rubbed against the frame supports. although the dealership and manufacturer were alerted no repairs have been made.*ak updated 3/28/2006 - the manufacturer has agree to repair the unit and replace the tire at no cost to the consumer. *nm …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.