2020 Forest River Surveyor problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Suspension (1) · Structure:body (1)
Safety recalls (4)
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer:lpg Systems:furnace 2020-06-19 · campaign 20V360000 · 176 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Surveyor recreational trailers equipped with a specific 30K BTU furnace. The furnace may not have been properly secured inside the furnace cabinet, allowing it to move freely inside the cabinet.
Risk: If the furnace moves within the cabinet, it may detach from the exhaust vent, possibly causing a build up of carbon monoxide inside the vehicle, increasing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or death.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will secure the furnace and verify the exhaust vent connections, free of charge. The recall began July 1, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3119 Option 2. Forest River's number for this recall is 47-1175.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer 2020-05-22 · campaign 20V297000 · 88 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Surveyor Travel Trailers, model SVT296QBLE. The safety chains are insufficient for the trailer's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and may break in the event of the trailer coming unhitched.
Risk: If the vehicle trailer becomes detached from the tow-vehicle, the safety chains may break, leading to complete detachment and potential property damage, personal injury or a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and a dealer or service center will replace the safety chains, free of charge. The recall began June 8, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3112. Forest River's number for this recall is 37-1170.
Tires:temporary/Emergency Spare Tire 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.
Equipment 2019-10-25 · campaign 19V772000 · 19 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Surveyor trailers, model SVT33KFKDS. A fuse of the incorrect amperage was installed for the 12V refrigerator, potentially allowing the wiring to overheat.
Risk: If the wiring overheats, an electrical short can occur, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will replace the incorrect fuse with one of the correct amperage, free of charge. The recall began November 7, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-499-2100. Forest River's number for this recall is 37-1108.
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 2020-05-15 · 511086 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the p-trap swivel fitting may crack during normal use, potentially allowing water to leak, which may lead to premature degradation of any non-water resistant components.
What owners report
2020-09-11 · Suspension · 499 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2020 forest river surveyor towed by a 2019 ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and going over a bump in the roadway, the tires rubbed underneath the trailer. the contact inspected the rv and determined that the under body of the rv was low. the contact reached out to johns rv sales and serv…”
2020-08-10 · Unknown Or Other“we had a rock or some solid object (we didn't see it happen) hit the front window of our trailer, while driving. the glass completely shattered (not like safety glass) and resulted in small pieces and shards of glass all over our murphy bed (which folded up against the window) and all throughout the front end of trailer. the shards of glass are so …”
2020-07-27 · Structure:body · 1,500 mi“this was the first road trip with our new 2020 forest river legacy trailer, 19rble. we were traveling down the highway under the speed limit, approximately 68 mph. clear day, with approx. 35-40 mph winds. no traffic in front of us. while driving, the slide protruded about a foot from the trailer while at highway speed. the front window of the…”
2020-05-20 · Unknown Or Other · 300 mi“fresh water tank fell out from bottom of the trailer. support for tank gave out while towing trailer, nearly took out a motorcyclist. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.