2017 Forest River ROCKWOOD: complaints, problems and recalls

A SPRING IN THE DEXTER ELECTRIC BRAKE ASSEMBLY FAILED, CAUSING BRAKE COMPONENTS TO FALL INTO THE BRAKE DRUM WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THIS LED TO BRAKE FAILURE, COMPONENT DESTRUCTION, AND OVERHEATING OF THE WHEEL. BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED ON A TRAILER, WE DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT HAPPENED UNTIL WE REACHED OUR DESTINATION. WE HAD PUT APPROXIMATELY 1,000 MILES ON THIS NEW VEHICLE WHEN IT HAPPENED. (THERE ARE MANY SIMILAR REPORTS ON VARIOUS RV OWNER INTERNET DISCUSSION GROUPS.)

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11030693 at NHTSA ↗

SLIDE OUT MECHANISM IN RIGHT REAR WHEEL PASSENGER SIDE IS INSTALLED/BUILT/DESIGNED SO THAT PART OF IT'S MECHANISM MADE OF 1/4" STEEL STICKS INTO THE TIRE OF THE VEHICLE. IT HAS CUT INTO THE TIRE AS SEEN IN PHOTOS (ATTACHED) THE TIRE HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETELY DESTROYED HOWEVER IT CONTINUALLY BEING CUT/DAMAGED BY THIS METAL. THIS TRAVEL TRAILER CANNOT BE USED UNDER IT CURRENT CONDITION DUE TO POTENTIAL DANGER INVOLVED, NOT TO MENTION RUINING AN OTHERWISE NEW TIRE. I HAVE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THIS. I BELIEVE, HAD I NOT NOTICE…

Owner-reported narrative. 160 miles reported. Look up ODI 11033483 at NHTSA ↗

WHILE TRAVELING HOME FROM CAMPING ON I-4, THE LEFT REAR TRAILER TIRE BLEW. AFTER SAFELY GETTING TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY, I DISCOVERED THE RIGHT SIDE TIRE WAS ALSO BLOWN ON THE SAME AXLE. I HAD TO PUT TWO NEW TIRES ON MY CAMPER. WHILE DRIVING TO THE TIRE STORE TO REPLACE THE FRONT TWO TIRES, A THIRD TIRE ON THE RIGHT FRONT AXLE BLEW. THE TIRES IN QUESTION ARE CASTLE ROCK ( MADE IN CHINA ) ST225/75R15 LOAD RANGE D-DOT JULT IMT 0216. I HAD EXACTLY 65 PSI IN THOSE TIRES PRIOR TO GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY.

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11121244 at NHTSA ↗

NHTSA RECALL 17V129 THE SLIDE ROOM MOUNTING BRACKET DOES NOT MEET THE TOLERANCE OF 3 1/2 INCH MINIMAL DIMENSION AWAY FROM THE TREAD OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE. FOREST RIVER HAD SENT A REPLACEMENT BRACKET WHICH HAS BEEN INSTALLED BY ORCHARD TRAILERS IN WHATELY, MA WHICH DOES NOT MEET THE MINIMAL TOLERANCE. WE ARE UNABLE TO GET THIS RECALL RESOLVED AS OF 11/30/18 ( THE ORIGINAL RECALL NOTICE WAS DATED 02/24/2017). WE PURCHASED THIS TRAILER ON 04/15/2017, UNAWARE THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY RECALL IN EFFECT AT THE TIME WHICH HAD NOT BEEN ADDRESS…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11155241 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 FOREST RIVER ROCKWOOD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER METAL BRACKETS WERE BENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE WATER TANK MAY FALL OFF THE TRAILER. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. A FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT PROVIDED. *DT*DT *TR

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11361770 at NHTSA ↗

Despite never being used, and always stored with a tire cover and proper inflation, this ~4 year old spare tire spontaneously developed a tread bulge. The bulge decreased in size, but still remained visible, after deflation and removal from the wheel. An air bubble exists between the inner liner and the casing.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11423608 at NHTSA ↗

All four locations on my vehicle have FAILED Maryland State Inspection because the weld point between the axle and the mounting bracket have BROKEN. There is no justification for Dexter Axle to sell products with such potentially serious manufacturing defects.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11523610 at NHTSA ↗

The contact owns a 2017 Forest River Rockwood RV equipped with Castle Rock Tires, Tire Line: Radial ST226, Tire Size: 225/75/R15, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the front and rear driver's side tires experienced blowouts. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The tires were replaced with a spare tire and a replacement tire. The tires were original tires. Additionally, the contact stated while driving to the residence, the rear passenger's side tire experienced a blowout. The contact was able to pu…

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11591024 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2016-07-22 (July 22, 2016)

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2017 Rockwood and Flagstaff trailers manufactured July 8, 2016, to July 11, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a Federal Placard that incorrectly indicates that the ST225/75R15D tires have a recommended pressure of 50 PSI. These tires should be maintained at 65PSI. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence: If the tires are run at a low pressure, they may overheat and fail, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will provide a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall began on September 18, 2015. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-2640. Forest River's number for this recall is 10-07192016-0230.

Reported: 2016-10-12 (October 12, 2016)

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2017 Flagstaff and Rockwood trailers equipped with two air conditioners. There is may be excess slack in the wiring harness used in the air conditioner that contains a heating element.

Consequence: If the wires are not tied back and properly secured away from the heating element, the wires may contact the heating element, melt and short, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a remedy kit to constrain the wires, free of charge. The recall began on November 1, 2016. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-5164. Forest River's number for this recall is 10-10062016-0254.

Reported: 2017-03-01 (March 1, 2017)

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017 Rockwood and Flagstaff recreational trailers. The slide room mounting bracket on these vehicles may contact the driver side front tire, potentially damaging it and causing tire deflation.

Consequence: Tire deflation can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a rearward offset mounting bracket head to keep the slide room bracket from touching the tire, free of charge. The recall began on April 12, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-2640. Forest River's number for this recall is 10-02152017-0328.

Reported: 2017-03-14 (March 14, 2017)

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017 Flagstaff and Rockwood recreational trailers. The Federal Placard on these vehicles indicates a capacity of 5,000 lbs for each axle, however, each axle actually has a capacity of 4,000 lbs. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

Consequence: The incorrect information can cause the vehicle to be overloaded or result in axle failure, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Federal Placard with a corrected one, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-2640. Forest River's number for this recall is 10C-03082017-0341.

Reported: 2017-04-07 (April 7, 2017)

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017 Rockwood and Flagstaff recreational vehicles. The Federal Placard may indicate an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) of 2,200 lbs when the correct GAWR actually is 3,000 lbs. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

Consequence: Inaccurate GAWR information on the Federal placard can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owner's, and dealers will install a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2017. Owner's may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-2640. Forest River's number for this recall is 10-04042017-0366.

Reported: 2017-07-14 (July 14, 2017)

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017 Rockwood travel trailers, models RLF8301WS and RLF8301WS-W. The affected vehicles have a Federal Placard with an incorrect ninth place check digit printed on the VIN label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

Consequence: The incorrect Check Digit will hinder the registration of the vehicle, which can lead to improper licensing and the failure to properly account for the vehicle in the event of a safety recall.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and will provide a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-5164. Forest River's number for this recall is 10C-07142017-0480.

Reported: 2017-10-26 (October 26, 2017)

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Rockwood and Flagstaff travel trailers. The slide room arm may contact and damage the passenger side rear tire.

Consequence: The damaged tire may leak air, resulting in a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a lift kit to elevate the chassis and replace any tire that has evidence of damage, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-5164. Forest River's number 10-0588.