2014 Palomino Columbus problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (11) · Wheels (5) · Tires:temporary/Emergency Spare Tire (1)
Safety recalls (2)
Equipment 2016-11-15 · campaign 16V828000 · 1,104 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 FR3 motorhomes manufactured September 24, 2014, to May 12, 2016; 2015-2017 Prime Time Spartan toyhaulers manufactured June 10, 2014, to May 31, 2016; 2013-2016 Palomino Columbus toyhaulers manufactured October 4, 2012, to December 4, 2015; and 2015-2016 XLR Thunderbolt and Nitro toyhaulers manufactured May 23, 2014, to November 23, 2016. These vehicles were equipped with certain aluminum, black, ladders manufactured by
Risk: If the hinges separate from the ladder while in use, the ladder may fall from the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a remedy kit to correct the issue, free of charge. The recall began on January 3, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-11102016-0271.
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
2020-01-13 · Structure“i own a 2014 palamino columbus 5th wheel camper. there is a small crack in the front corner of the bedroom slide out. the columbus facebook page is full of complaints about this particular problem. forest river has fixed some units under warranty and they admit that there is a structural problem with the frames of the campers. lippert is the manuf…”
2018-01-05 · Tires:temporary/Emergency Spare Tire“tl* the contact stated that while towing a 2014 palomino columbus on a 2012 ram 2500. the vehicle was being towed at unknown speeds, the spare tire carrier detached from the recreational vehicle without warning. the local dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was unknown. …”
2015-12-18 · Service Brakes“on july 10, 2014 my wife and i bought a columbus 340 rk fifth wheel made by forest river. upon delivery august 14th 2014 we noticed immediate defects and called rv wholesalers to notify of the issues. since we had a tripped planned with the 5th wheel to drive through the rocky mountains my wife and i stated we would take it in for repairs after the…”
2015-04-01 · Wheels“the studs snap off and the wheel and tire are no longer secured to the hub. the wheel may separate from the trailer causing it to be a projectile on the highway increasing the risk of a crash. *tr…”
2014-12-02 · Service Brakes · 6,700 mi“brakes were suspect, weak, inconsistent action. took to dealer for repack and inspect brakes. discovered all 4 seals failed and all four brake assemblies were covered in grease. dealer contacted manufacture of brake assembly, lippert components, inc., and they replaced brakes under warranty. *js…”
2014-11-08 · Service Brakes · 1,500 mi“note - axel info is: front axel serial# 045-002512768, rear axel serial# 045-002512757, nv# 284479, dom is 1-16-14. purchased trailer new with first use in april 2014. over next few months trailer would not stop as easily and quickly as it did when we first started using it. the continued reduction in braking ability over time required that i conti…”
2014-10-25 · Service Brakes · 8,000 mi“unit returned to dealer for inspection after receiving notification of important safety information from the brake manufacturer (lippert components). dealer inspected and found grease in three of the four brake units. dealer notified forrest river and lippert, both seem to be pointing to the other for the repair costs. this rig is 17 months old a…”
2014-10-25 · Wheels · 6,000 mi“took trailer to shop because brakes were sluggish and not working well. dealer discovered all seals blown and brakes covered in oil. line for brakes on front axle pinched, therefore no braking action on front axle. had to have all four brake units replaced and brake line to front axle repaired. mechanic stated that grease in axles was not proper …”
2014-10-15 · Service Brakes · 1,127 mi“brakes failed to provide adequate braking since 5th wheel trailer was new. i complained to collier rv of rockford of poor braking ability and asked them to inspect brakes which they said they did. this august 2014 while at the forest river owners rally in goeshen, indiana i took advantage of lippert's rally price on forward adjusting brakes to be i…”
2014-10-14 · Wheels · 2,000 mi“when i purchased my fifth wheel, the wheel bearing on the front right side axle had no bearing seal cap. grease had been flown to brake shoes and drum. lippert does not want to cover the damages or repairs. i had to replace the brake shoes and bearings. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.