2013 Coachmen Freedom Express problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Wheels (2) · Tires (1) · Structure:body (1)
Safety recalls (3)
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.
Structure:frame And Members 2017-10-02 · campaign 17V611000 · 594 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Coachmen Freedom Express recreational trailers. The frames on these vehicles may not have had reinforcement stiffeners welded onto the exterior I-Beam in the axle area, allowing the axles to be misaligned.
Risk: Misaligned axles can affect vehicle handling, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and the frame manufacturer will inspect the trailer for frame reinforcements, installing them as necessary and secure the axle mountings, free of charge. The recall began on October 24, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-8205, or Lippert Components customer service at 1-574-537-8900. Forest River's number for this recall is 220-0529.
Equipment 2013-05-17 · campaign 13V203000 · 9,526 vehicles
Defect: 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; P
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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
2019-04-20 · Wheels · 13,000 mi“wheel fell off while traveling through durham,nc on april 5th,2019.it was determined by appraiser from amica insurance co. that the frames were split just above the support shackels holding the suspension.there was no interaction with property or other vehicles. no police involvment other than trafic safety by the durham city police. *dt*jb…”
2018-09-10 · Equipment“tl* the contact owns a 2013 coachman freedom express equipped with a kidde fire extinguisher, model number: fa110g. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 17v756000 (equipment). the kidde manufacturer was contacted at 1-855-262-3540 approximately nine months ago and the contact was informed that a replacement fire extinguisher …”
2017-06-05 · Wheels · 5,000 mi“tire blew out while travel trailer was being pulled on the highway. tires had been maintained and checked prior to trip. 65 mph travel speed was not exceeded. trailer was not over loaded.…”
2016-04-25 · Tires · 3,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2012 (na) coachmen freedom express rv equipped with trail express power towing tires st (na), size 225/75r15d (na). while driving 70 mph, the rear passenger side tire blew out and the thread separated. one month later, the failure recurred on the front driver side tire. the vehicle was taken to a tire shop and both tires were…”
2015-02-18 · Structure:body“tl* the contact owns a 2013 coachmen freedom express. the bed inside the trailer came down and crushed the contact's motorcycle without warning. the failure occurred once. the trailer was not diagnosed or repaired. the vin was not provided. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. there was no mileage available. …”
2014-03-04 · Service Brakes, Electric“grease detected on brake linings: further details in odi files. updated 03/07/14*lj updated 03/18/2014 *js updated 06/10/14*lj the consumer stated the vehicle has been repaired 3 times. updated 06/16/2014 *js…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.