2020 Forest River Puma problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Wheels:rim (1) · Wheels (1) · Tires (1)
Safety recalls (2)
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer:120/240 Vac Electrical System:charger Low Voltage Battery 2024-06-04 · campaign 24V395000 · 41,353 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2004-2024 Cedar Creek and 2006-2024 Puma fifth wheels trailers. The overcurrent protection from the trailer battery may have been incorrectly routed, allowing the wires to be pulled out of the junction box.
Risk: A loose wire can cause a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will reroute the wires to the protected side of the mini-beaker, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 10, 2024. Owners may contact Puma customer service at 1-574-642-0588 or Cedar Creek customer service at 260-593-4000. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1786.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer 2020-02-12 · campaign 20V075000 · 4,464 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Surveyor, NO BO, Cherokee, R. POD, Clipper, Viking, Independence, Puma and East to West trailers. The spare tire carrier U-bolts may fail allowing the spare tire carrier and spare tire detach from the vehicle.
Risk: If the spare tire carrier and spare tire detach from the vehicle while in motion, it can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace U-bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 20, 2020. Owners may contact Surveyor, NO BO, R. and POD customer service at 1-574-642-3119, Independence, Viking, and Clipper customer service at 1-269-467-4600, Puma customer service at -574-642-0606, East and West customer service at 1-574-264-6664 or Cherokee customer service at 1-877-426-5337. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1133.
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:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2020-06-12 · 4251172 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the model year identifier in the vin (10th digit) that is printed on the federal placard is incorrect.
What owners report
2023-10-17 · Wheels:rim“the contact owns a 2020 forest river puma rv. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and hauling the rv trailer, he became aware that the rear driver's side tire was flat. the rv was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the flat tire was the result of a crack in the wheelbase of the wheel assembly. the rv was…”
2023-06-10 · Tires“castle rock st 235/80r16 on the drivers side rear axle tire. i had just exited the interstate when the tire violently exploded. debris from the side of the trailer and parts of the tire scattered across the opposing lane of traffic. fortunately, no one was coming. this failure was harmful enough but would have been catastrophic for someone had this…”
2022-08-01 · Wheels“3 wheels have had holes/cracks causing them to leak air. had a tire blow out which caused major damage to the rv…”
2022-01-19 · Structure“the contact owns a 2020 forest river palomino puma travel trailer. the contact stated that there was brown water leaking from the roof into the ceiling light fixture and walls of the rv. the rv was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the insulation caused the water to change to a brown color. the dealer replaced the wood on the walls of the rv; …”
2021-08-11 · Structure:body · 2,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 forest river puma rv. the contact stated while driving 70 mph, the structure underneath the trailer detached from the rv. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact stated he continued driving to his destination. the contact took the rv to an independent mechanic and was informed that the structure unde…”
2021-05-14 · Electrical System · 🔥 fire“the contact owned a 2020 forest river palomino puma 28bhss travel trailer. the contact stated that while she and her two children and husband were sleeping, the electrical panel located in the children's room inside the bunkhouse caught fire. the contact's husband was sleeping in the children's room and was awaken by the fire. the contact's husband…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.