2020 Forest River Salem problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Tires (4) · Electrical System (2) · Wheels:rim (1)
Safety recalls (7)
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.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer 2021-08-09 · campaign 21V621000 · 336 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Salem, Wildwood and 2020-2021 Stealth EVO travel trailers. The fresh water tank may not be properly secured to the vehicle's frame.
Risk: A fresh water tank that detaches from the frame could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will properly secure the holding tank, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 23, 2021. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-503-831-5410. Forest River's number for this recall is 22-1400.
Equipment:appliance:oven/Stove/Cooktop 2020-11-23 · campaign 20V727000 · 4,203 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Coachmen Chaparral and Shasta, 2019-2020 Coachmen Concord and Orion, 2020-2021 Coachmen Cross Trek and Forest River Berkshire, 2019-2021 Coachmen Freelander, Leprechaun and Prism, 2020 Coachmen Mirada, Pursuit and Sportscoach, Dynamax Force, DX3, Dynaquest XL and Isata and Forest River Wildwood and 2008 and 2020 Forest River Salem vehicles equipped with Dometic 3 burner cooking stoves. The saddle valve securing bolt may be overtightene
Risk: A gas leak can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a remedy kit of gaskets, washers, thread locker bolts, and two round orange labels, free of charge. The recall began January 11, 2021. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-4995, or Dometic customer service at 1-574-293-0681. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1259.
Electrical System: Integrated Trailer Brake Control 2020-09-18 · campaign 20V563000 · 4,397 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Wildwood, Salem, and 2020 Sonoma travel trailers. The break-away safety switch may not be wired to constant power, which can cause the trailer brakes to not activate in the event of a trailer separation from the tow vehicle.
Risk: If the brakes of the trailer do not engage, it can result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will rewire the breakaway switch, free of charge. The recall began October 13, 2020. Owners may contact Forest customer service at 1-909-873-3777. Forest River's number for this recall is 67A-1230.
Equipment 2020-08-14 · campaign 20V482000 · 643 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Salem and Wildwood motorhomes. The fresh water tank may not be properly secured to the vehicle's frame.
Risk: A fresh water tank that detaches from the frame could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will properly secure the holding tank, free of charge. This recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-503-831-5410. Forest River's number for this recall is 22-1219.
Service Brakes, Electric 2020-01-29 · campaign 20V049000 · 218 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Freedom Express, Salem, Stealth EVO, Vibe, Wildcat Maxx, and Wildwood recreational trailers. The emergency break-away switch may fail.
Risk: In the event of trailer separation from the tow vehicle, a failed break-away switch will not apply the trailer's brakes, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace the break-away switch, free of charge. The recall began February 19, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-503-831-5410 or 1-574-825-8205. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1129.
Equipment 2019-10-23 · campaign 19V754000 · 41 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 EVO, Salem and Wildwood travel trailers. The trailer cooktops were installed with a rubber liquid propane (LP) gas line instead of a copper one.
Risk: The rubber hose may melt, allowing gas to enter the vehicle, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rubber LP gas line with a copper gas line, free of charge. The recall began November 7, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-909-873-3777. Forest River's number for this recall is 67A-1107.
Service bulletins (6)
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.
Unknown Or Other 2024-09-10 · 061843 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
reference document in the event a dealer needs to inspect an "in wall slide mechanism".
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2021-10-29 · 511435 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
generic instructions for xantrex - freedom x inverter configuration "adjusting feature settings in configuration model".
Structure 2021-04-07 · 511323 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
rear wall backer locations for installation of rear ladders at dealerships.
Equipment 2021-02-23 · 511299 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
adding trim to cover screw holes.
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.
Structure 2019-11-01 · 041104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the 42dl model has a potential of the side wall bowing when the sliderooms are in the deployed position. add decorative gussets per notice.
What owners report
2025-01-28 · Electrical System · 🔥 fire“our forest river salem hemisphere travel trailer posed a severe safety risk to my family due to improper construction. specifically, an electrical outlet installed under the sink and near the water heater was not gfci-compliant or waterproofed, violating nec table 310.15(b)(16) and nec 551 standards, which are mandatory for rvs. while camping, we …”
2023-07-19 · Tires“had two castle rock tires blow out on the highway one after the other tread, de-laminated in the center will attach photos…”
2022-06-24 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch“the contact owns a 2020 forest river salem. the contact stated that the door on the travel trailer was unable to be opened from inside or outside. the contact stated that she had to remove the lock and use a screwdriver to unlock the door. the rv was not diagnosed by a dealer nor an independent mechanic. the door lock manufacturer rv locks and more…”
2022-06-22 · Electrical System:propulsion System:dc/Dc Converter · 🔥 fire“the contact owns a 2020 forest river salem fifth wheel. the contact stated that the rv was not able to start up. additionally, the converter caught fire while the contact's husband was inside the rv. the contact's husband put out the fire with a fire extinguisher. no injuries were sustained and no medical attention was received. the rv was towed to…”
2022-01-06 · Structure:body“roof/wall seals prematurely failed. travel trailer is a 2020. only 1 1/2 years old. bought it brand new. water damage can cause mold, creating health issues and structure issues. currently at a repair facility being inspected for total damage and estimate on cost. had it's last outing august 2020, no damage or signs of problem then, not…”
2021-09-24 · Tires“the contact owns a 2020 forest river salem trailer equipped with lionshead tires, tire line: castle rock, tire size: 235/80/r16, dot number: jumr2mt4818. the contact stated while driving 65 mph, the passenger’s side front and passenger’s side rear tire experienced blowouts and caused severe damaged to the trailer trims, plastic inner wheel well lin…”
2021-06-27 · Tires“driving down the road and tire exploded. cruise was set on 70 miles an hour and no debris was hit. camper was empty, 14,000lbs. we were 80 miles from the dealership who preformed a full inspection of camper and tires. …”
2021-02-23 · Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer:materials:insulation“tl* the contact owns 2020 forest river salem. the contact stated that inside of the rv there was insulation from the metal outside of the rv to the walls, causing the metal to sweat, which caused mold to develop inside of the rv. additionally, there was an abnormally strong propane odor inside the rv. the contact called the local dealer oregon west…”
2020-12-21 · Wheels:rim · 3,854 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2020 forest river salem equipped with lionshead tires, tire line: castle rock st, tire size: 205/75/r14, dot number: jujtymt1219. the contact stated that while driving at 65 mph on the highway, he heard an explosion and became aware that the passenger's side rear tire on the trailer was deflated. the contact pulled over and c…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.