2017 Forest River Cherokee problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Wheels (3) · Suspension (3) · Structure:body (2)
Safety recalls (6)
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer 2018-03-21 · campaign 18V186000 · 448 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Forest River Cherokee recreational trailers, models CCKT16BF, CCKT16BHS, CCKT16FQ, CCKT16GR, CCKT16GRH, CCKT17RP and CCKT18TO. These vehicles are equipped with Norcold N306 mini refrigerators that may have a loose or missing propane gas valve test port screw, allowing propane to leak out when the refrigerator is used in 'gas' mode.
Risk: A propane leak increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and Norcold dealers will install and tighten the gas valve port screw, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 19, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-499-2100, or Norcold customer service at 1-800-543-1219. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0687.
Electrical System:wiring 2018-01-11 · campaign 18V034000 · 223 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Forest River Cherokee travel trailers. On the affected trailers, a 14 gauge and a 12 gauge neutral wire for the 110V Air Conditioning were connected to the same lug in the 120V panel neutral bus bar.
Risk: If both wires were connected to same lug, the smaller wire may overheat and fail due to trying to handle a higher load, thereby increasing the risk of an electrical fire.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will relocate the subject wire to another 14 gauge terminal, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 14, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-499-2100. Forest River's number for this recall is 17A-0609.
Electrical System:wiring 2017-12-21 · campaign 17V838000 · 3,297 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Cascade and Cherokee recreational trailers. The trailer wiring may have been improperly routed, allowing the wires to be pinched between the chassis and the vehicle body.
Risk: Pinched wires may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the trailers, rerouting the wires, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 7, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-541-644-8072. Forest River's number for this recall is 64-0456.
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.
Equipment:other:labels 2017-03-14 · campaign 17V171000 · 14 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017 Cherokee recreational trailers, model ORCKT244JR-64. The Federal Placard has incorrect tire and rim size information, indicating ST205/75R15C tires with 50 PSI and a rim size of 15X5.5JJ, when the actual combination is ST205/75R14C tires with 50 PSI and a rim size of 14X5.5JJ. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: The incorrect tire information can cause the operator to install the wrong size of replacement tires, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall began on March 31, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-541-995-3447. Forest River's number for this recall is 64-03082017-0339.
Tires 2016-08-03 · campaign 16V579000 · 230 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2017 Cherokee recreational trailers, models CCKT16BHS, CCKT16FQ and CCKT17CJ, manufactured April 15, 2016, to July 28, 2016. The affected vehicles may have insufficient clearance between the bottom of the trailer and the top of the tire and, during use, the tire may make contact, possibly damaging the tire.
Risk: A damaged tire may unexpectedly deflate, causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a bolt on lift kit, free of charge. The recall began on September 15, 2016. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-593-4005. Forest River's number for this recall is 17C-07292016-0234.
What owners report
2024-12-04 · Suspension · 🔥 fire“leaf spring fractured and failed twice on the same side of rv following nthsa mandated recall repair 16v579, and safety modification kit part# 425750. this time the leaf spring failure caused the tire to rub the wheel well and create enough friction to start the interior wheel well carpeting and a garment bag on there to ignite and smolder fillin…”
2022-08-20 · Tires“driving through construction zone on 70 at 70/71 interchange and tire exploded. 2nd one to explode on same side of the camper. first was a while ago but damaged tire was the same condition as this one. …”
2022-04-04 · Structure:body“all the bolts holding camper on frame were loose & 2 we're missing... screws around slide out loose. causing the side to split. …”
2021-08-06 · Structure:body“the contact owns a 2017 forest river cherokee toy hauler. the contact stated that he was informed by an independent mechanic that the box on the rooftop of the rv frame had detached and slipped to the passenger’s side of the rv. the contact also stated that the sliding door inside the rv had pierced the ceiling of the rv. the dealer was made aware …”
2021-05-04 · Suspension · 2,000 mi“i have been trying to arrange for my dealer to fix this problem since 11/16/20. i also called 01/02/21,on 3/05/21 i personally stop in . each time was told they would order part. i contacted a manager on 05/04 - we have been texting - still no action. recall:16v579…”
2021-03-15 · Unknown Or Other · 20,000 mi · 💥 crash“while driving on a straight, smooth road at approximately 30 mph, the trailer axle suddenly broke free, causing the trailer to flip onto its side. the trailer appears to be a total loss. the towing vehicle was damaged slightly. as far as i can tell, the ride side leaf spring broke, causing the axle to break free. the axle tube bent and broke …”
2019-05-22 · Wheels · 7,000 mi“tire blow out and trailer damage while driving on us 239 going south in live oak, fl…”
2019-05-22 · Wheels · 70,600 mi“sitting in house and heard a loud pop. go outside and travel trailer is leaning. the tire on the opposite side of the trailer has blown sitting still 5 days from when the tire on the other side blew going down the road. not safe…”
2017-06-14 · Engine · 25 mi · 🔥 fire“tl* the contact owns a 2017 forest river arctic wolf 285drl4 cherokee rv (na). the contact observed melted plastic and water leaking from the rv without warning. the water heater melted the water hose. the vehicle was taken to the local cheyenne camping center, located at 2960 n plainview rd, walcott, ia, 52773. the rv was not diagnosed because the…”
2017-05-11 · Suspension · 700 mi“this grey wolf 29te 2017 trailer is 36.5' long and it rides low and bottoms out a lot. i have had a couple of spots where the chains dragged on the front and the back end bottomed out. when it is sitting level, there is only 13"-14" of clearance from the frame to the ground. it is a big enough of a problem that it actually broke the bracke…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.