2017 Forest River Salem problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (2) · Tires (1) · Structure:body:roof And Pillars (1)
Safety recalls (9)
Electrical System:wiring 2025-10-10 · campaign 25V682000 · 20,305 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Forest River Aurora, Coachmen Catalina, 2026 Coachmen Viking, Coachmen Clipper, 2016-2026 Wildwood, and Salem recreational trailers. The distribution panel wire may be connected to the battery without over current protection.
Risk: Unprotected wiring can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will relocate the distribution panel wire to the correct side of the breaker, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2025. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-4995. Forest River's number for this recall is 205-1987.
Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery 2018-08-21 · campaign 18V550000 · 5,847 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Forest River Salem, Wildcat Maxx, Wildwood, Vibe, and Rainier recreational trailers. The break-away safety switch may not have been wired to a constant power source, and, as a result, the switch may be inadvertently disconnected from the trailer house battery causing the brakes to not engage if the trailer detaches from the tow vehicle.
Risk: If the trailer brakes cannot engage if the trailer detaches from tow vehicle, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a new wiring harness to reroute the wiring, free of charge. The recall began September 25, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-503-831-5410. Forest River's number for this recall is 22/30-0824.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer 2018-06-27 · campaign 18V436000 · 326 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forest River Wildwood, and 2016-2019 Forest River Salem recreational trailers. The outside auxiliary shower faucet cover may cover the water heater exhaust panel when opened.
Risk: The covered water heater exhaust panel could increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will install a replacement outside shower, free of charge. The recall began on July 24, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-3167. Forest River's number for this recall is 44-0762.
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.
Tires 2017-04-26 · campaign 17V282000 · 71 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Salem, Wildwood, XLR, Sanibel, Wildcat, Vengeance, Chaparral Lite and Columbus recreational trailers. The Federal Placard may inaccurately list the tire and rim combinations that are installed on the trailers. Additionally, the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) information may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standa
Risk: The incorrect information may cause the operator to install an incorrect replacement rim or tire, overinflate the tire, or overload the vehicle, all scenarios that may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners and will provide a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-348-7440. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-04242017-0393.
Equipment:other:labels 2017-03-31 · campaign 17V218000 · 6 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017 Salem and Wildwood recreational vehicles. The Federal Placard on these vehicles incorrectly lists the Gross Axle Weight Rating capacity (GAWR) being 5,080 lbs, when the axles actually have a capacity of 4,400 lbs. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Risk: The incorrect GAWR may result in the vehicle being overloaded, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will provide a new Federal Placard with the correct GAWR, free of charge. The recall began on April 18, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-4058. Forest River's number for this recall is 27-03292017-0362.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer:lpg Systems 2017-02-24 · campaign 17V118000 · 17 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017 Wildwood recreational trailers, model WDT197BH and Salem recreational trailers, model SMT197BH. The lower sidewall vent for the refrigerator was improperly installed, allowing propane gas to enter the vehicle.
Risk: A propane leak into the interior of the vehicle in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire or explosion.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a new vent into the vehicle floor, free of charge. The recall began on April 7, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River Customer Service at 1-260-593-4001. Forest River's number for the recall is 72-02162017-0329.
Equipment:other:labels 2016-10-28 · campaign 16V787000 · 92 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2017 Salem recreational trailers, model SMT186RB, manufactured October 13, 2016 through October 21, 2016 and model year 2017 Wildwood recreational trailers, model WDT186RB, manufactured October 7, 2016, through October 21, 2016. The Federal Placard Label and the VIN incorrectly states that the vehicle has two axles, while the vehicle is only equipped with one axle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 4
Risk: If the owner follows the information on the Federal Placard Label, the operator may overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners and will provide a corrected Certificate of Origin, Federal Placard and VIN plate for each trailer, free of charge. The recall began on November 22, 2016. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-1251. Forest River's number for this recall is 6-10252016-0262.
Equipment:other:labels 2016-09-16 · campaign 16V673000 · 178 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2017 Salem and Wildwood recreational trailers manufactured August 9, 2016, to September 6, 2016. The Federal Placard on the affected vehicles incorrectly lists the tire and rim combination. The placard states ST225/75R15 Load Range C tires with an inflation pressure of 50PSI and a rim size of 15X6.0JJ, however, the trailer is equipped with ST225/75R15 Load Range D tires that have an inflation pressure of 65PSI, installed on 15X6
Risk: The incorrect tire information on the Federal Label may result in the operator under-inflating the tires. An underinflated tire may cause sudden tire failure, or poor handling, 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 October 27, 2016. Salem owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-1251. Wildwood owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-533-2165. Forest River's number for this recall is 27-09082016-0243.
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
2024-05-23 · Structure:body:roof And Pillars“the contact owns a 2017 forest river salem cruise lite rv. the contact stated due to water buildup in the roof, the ceiling was leaking during rainy weather. the contact stated that the leak had caused mold to build up on the front side of the camper. the contact stated that the roof slider had previously been repaired with tape due to water leakin…”
2020-06-22 · Tires · 3,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2017 forest river salem lite rv, equipped with four castle rock st brand tires n/a. tire line: unknown - dot number: jumr2mt, size: 23580/r16. the he contact stated that while driving, the left rear tire blew and a couple of miles later the right rear tire also blew out. the contact pulled to a safe place and called a road s…”
2019-10-30 · Structure:body · 1,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2017 forest river salem. the contact stated that a leak emerged from underneath the driver's side slide out portion of the trailer. the leak caused mold to form. the dealer an manufacturer were not contacted. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 1,000…”
2018-04-07 · Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer:lpg Systems:lines And Fittings · 500 mi“i replaced a leaking propane tank hose a few months after purchasing our travel trailer in march 2017. while preparing the trailer for a trip next weekend, i found that the 2nd tank hose is leaking propane in the same way as the first. i am concerned that this is an issue with more than just my trailer and that these defective hoses may be on mor…”
2017-08-31 · Structure:body · 300 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan titan hauling a 2017 forest river salem cruise lite travel trailer. while driving less than 40 mph, the awning on the rv prematurely fractured. the two bottom poles fractured onto the roadway and the contact had to pull the vehicle over to make an adjustment because of the failure. a dealer was notified (blue dog …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.