2021 Forest River Salem problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Suspension (1) · Structure:body (1) · Equipment (1)
Safety recalls (10)
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:plumbing:potable Water:storage Tank 2022-09-30 · campaign 22V729000 · 5,168 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Salem, Wildwood, and Ozark travel trailers. The fresh water tank may dislodge from the vehicle and fall to the ground when full or overfilled.
Risk: A tank falling to the ground while in transit can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the fresh water tank for straps. and install straps as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2022. Owners may contact at Forest River Customer Service at 1-574-534-3167. Forest River's number for this recall is 72-1559.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer 2022-08-02 · campaign 22V562000 · 609 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Salem and Wildwood fifth wheel travel trailers. The awning rail may not be attached to a backer in the sidewall, which can allow the awning to detach while the vehicle is in motion.
Risk: An awning that detaches increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect for backers and reattach the awning if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2022. Owners may contact Forest River Customer Service at 1-574-534-3167. Forest River's number for this recall is 69-1538.
Equipment:recreational Vehicle/Trailer:lpg Systems:lines And Fittings 2022-04-13 · campaign 22V243000 · 99,190 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Coachmen Adrenaline, Apex, Catalina, Freedom Express, Spirit, East to West Alta, Della Terra, Silver Lake, Forest River Cedar Creek, Cherokee, Columbus, Flagstaff, Impression, Ozark, Rockwood, Sabre, Salem, Sandstorm, Shockwave, Stealth, Stealth Evo, Vengeance, Vibe, Wildwood, XLR Toyhauler, Palomino Puma, Prime Time Avenger, Crusader, Lacrosse, Sanibel, Shasta Oasis, 2022 Coachmen Cross Trail, Prism, Forest River Aurora, Rainier,
Risk: A gas leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the quick disconnect and perform a LP system check, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2022. Owners may contact the applicable customer service number for their vehicle model. Please see the recall report for the list of phone numbers.
Equipment:other:labels 2021-09-24 · campaign 21V745000 · 61 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Salem and Wildwood fifth wheel trailers. The Federal Placard lists a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) that exceeds the load carrying capacity of the pin box, which could result in an overloaded pin box.
Risk: An overloaded pin box can fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will mail owners a new Federal Placard, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 8, 2021. Owners may contact Forest River Customer Service at 1-574-534-3167. Forest River's number for this recall is 69-1423.
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.
Exterior Lighting 2021-06-11 · campaign 21V443000 · 289 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021 Salem Fifth Wheel, Salem Travel Trailer, Wildwood Fifth Wheel, and Wildwood Travel Trailer vehicles. The red and amber clearance lamps do not reflect enough light. As such these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Assoc. Equipment."
Risk: Less reflective clearance lamps can affect how other drivers judge the length of the trailer, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will add reflex stickers to both the amber and red clearance lamps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 11, 2021. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-3167. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1359.
Equipment:appliance:oven/Stove/Cooktop 2020-09-25 · campaign 20V589000 · 551 vehicles
Defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021 Salem and Wildwood recreational trailers. The flame on the cooktop may become inverted, due to the cooktop not being isolated from the furnace return air.
Risk: An inverted flame can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will add sealant to the gaps in the paneling that are allowing the return air from the furnace to cause the inverted flame, free of charge. The recall began October 15, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River Customer Service at 1-574-534-3167. Forest River's number for this recall is 72-1232.
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 bulletins (7)
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".
Electrical System 2021-08-02 · 511377 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
as per lippert components technical service bulletin 11-004-21. the slide room actuator was assembled incorrectly, which may cause the room to become stuck in the out position and prevent from fully retracting.
Equipment 2021-07-13 · 511384 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
how to change a lci schwinteck slide mechanism.
Wheels 2021-05-19 · 831334 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
it was discovered that the manufacturing plant did not cut a stress relief line in the upper deck driver side and in on certain models, passenger side under the slide room(s). the upper deck in the impression fifth-wheel needs to flex, without the "stress relief cut" the sidewall filon may crack und
Structure 2021-04-07 · 511323 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
rear wall backer locations for installation of rear ladders at dealerships.
Showing the 6 most recent of 7 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-11-21 · Suspension · 🔥 fire“* on the way back home from the dealer in pa for a water-tank recall service, the right leaf spring on the trailer broke on the highway and caused the trailer on fire. the less than 3-years old trailer was totaled. police and i took photos of the damaged trailer and spring. i also kept the broken spring for inspection. * it could be a fatal inciden…”
2021-08-11 · Equipment“the contact owns a 2021 forest river salem. the contact stated that the strap hooks in the trailer were screwed to the floor but not the frame; therefore, no items of substantial weight were able be strapped in the trailer which would be used for hauling large items. the contact also stated that the hooks were advertised to hold up to 2300 pounds w…”
2021-08-06 · Unknown Or Other“while driving this 2021 travel trailer down the road the underbelly blew out of the bottom of the trailer. this is causing air now to push up underneath the travel trailer possibly causing further damage to the walls and flooring of the trailer. …”
2021-06-01 · Structure:body · 1,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 forest river salem. the contact stated while stationary, the bolts attaching the front live-in slide to the body fractured, resulting in the slide detaching from the body. the trailer was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was not informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 1,000. the consumer provided photos…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.