2023 Forest River Cedar Creek Owner Complaints

We purchased a Forest River fifth wheel trailer that arrived with serious manufacturing defects across multiple systems. The electrical wiring system was dangerously faulty—exhibiting loose connections, voltage irregularities, and safety risks confirmed by technicians. The furnace system has remained nonfunctional since delivery, making the unit uninhabitable in colder temperatures. Additional issues include a broken slide-out mechanism, compromised seals, a missing pipe, water intrusion, and a missing roof panel. All components are still in our possession and available for inspection upon request. These defects posed serious safety risks to our family, especially due to the compromised electrical system, which technicians described as a potential fire hazard. The inability to heat the trailer further contributed to unsafe living conditions. The problems have been confirmed by multiple certified technicians. Their assessments documented the electrical dangers and structural failures. Forest River's Warranty Director confirms that no Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) was completed before the unit was delivered to the dealer, indicating a systemic inspection failure prior to sale. To our knowledge, the manufacturer has not directly inspected the trailer in person, despite our repeated requests. No inspection has been conducted by law enforcement or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps or diagnostic messages present, as the trailer systems lacked functional indicators for these failures. Most symptoms appeared immediately upon delivery and worsened as attempts at repair failed. We are submitting this complaint because Forest River continues to avoid accountability, and the unit remains unsafe and unusable. We believe this trailer never should have cleared quality control and poses ongoing risks to consumers

NHTSA ID

11673558

Incident

Dec 1, 2023

We purchased a new fifth wheel camper on [XXX]. After we picked it up, we joined some Facebook groups related to our model and learned there is a recall associated with the model we bought. We confirmed there is an open recall (24V395) on our VIN on forest river's website [XXX] ). Upon review of the recall instructions listed online - our RV was in fact wired incorrectly and not only needs inspected but fixed. Recall 24V395 was opened on June 5, 2024 and dealer notification occurred July 14, 2024. With this in mind, our dealer should have been aware that they sold us a new RV with an open recall. Is this not illegal? Dealer was McGeorges RV - camping world company in Ashland, VA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11611230

Incident

Aug 17, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Forest River Cedar Creek Trailer. The contact stated that there were electrical failures with the heating and other electrical components in the trailer. The contact stated that a technician inspected the trailer and found exposed wires in the glued-shut control board. The wires were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the furnace board and control board needed to be replaced twice. The trailer was repaired but the failure persisted. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V395000 (Equipment) and believed that the recall repair to reroute the wires was insufficient to fix the trailer because the repair was previously performed. The contact was informed that the trailer should not be used because of the possibility of a fire due to condensation in the control box. The contact stated that a case was opened with Forest River. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11607611

Incident

Dec 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2023 Forest River XLR Toy Hauler RV. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and hauling the RV he heard an abnormal exploding sound and realized that the passenger side rear tire on the RV blew out. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had weighed the RV and it was approximately 1,400 lbs. The contact pulled over to change the tire on the RV and noticed that the leaf-spring on the passenger was collapsing. The contact checked and observed that all the leaf-springs on the RV were collapsing, and he noticed that the passenger side front tire was wearing at an extremely accelerated rate at only 700 miles since the purchase. The contact drove the vehicle to a tire dealer and had four new tires installed on the RV. The contact stated that the tire dealer found that the tire pressure monitoring sensor banding had detached from the rim of the tire and was cutting the tire. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it had not yet been diagnosed and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately on the RV was 700 and on the vehicle approximately 7,600.

NHTSA ID

11549603

Incident

Sep 29, 2023

Mileage

700 mi