2018 Forest River Vibe problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Tires (1) · Suspension (1)
Safety recalls (2)
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:lpg Systems 2017-09-15 · campaign 17V573000 · 1,725 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Vibe, and 2016-2018 Rainier recreational trailers. The liquid propane (LP) line may have insufficient clearance above the axle shackle.
Risk: Without adequate clearance, the LP line may be damaged, resulting in a propane leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace the LP line with a longer one, routing it away from the axle hangers, free of charge. The recall began October 10, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-541-644-8063. Forest River's number for this recall is 64-0516.
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:recreational Vehicle/Trailer 2018-09-28 · 510780 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
per the service bulletin from dometic ?dometic corporation has identified a visual cosmetic defect that has occurred on our dometic dm2652 refrigerators up in the freezer compartment. this does not occur on all units, but may be present on units with serial numbers starting with mb between 805xxxxx
What owners report
2022-07-29 · Tires · 9,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 forest river vibe equipped with castle rock tires, tire line: radial st226, tire size: 225/75/r15, dot number: jult1mt. the contact stated while driving 55 mph, she heard a loud abnormal sound coming from underneath the rv. the contact veered to the side of the road. the contact noticed that the rear passenger's side tire wa…”
2019-12-04 · Suspension · 🔥 fire“tl* the contact owns a 2018 forest river vibe. while traveling 65 mph, the contact and her husband were alerted by another motorist that there was smoke coming from their vehicle. the contact's husband pulled the trailer over and discovered that the rear passenger side wheel axle was in flames. the contact's husband was able to extinguish the fire …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.