2004 Forest River Forester Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2004 Forest River Forester, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Tires & wheels266.7%
- Suspension133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
ON OUR 2ND TRIP WITH OUR 24FT ROCKWOOD 5TH WITH ONLY 500 MILES ON IT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT, SIZE ST205/75R14 I HAD CHECKED TRIES BEFORE LEAVING SAW NOTHING WRONG, CONTACTED MIKE AT FOREST RIVER HE SAID HE HAS NEVER HEARD OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CARLISLE TIRES. MY 5TH WHEEL TRAILER GVW IS 1,100 OVER THE MAX TIRE LOAD AND HE SAID (MIKE) THAT THE 1,100 IS THE HITCH WEIGHT, I TOLD HIM THAT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN TOWING THAT YOU LOSE HITCH WEIGHT AND THEN ALL THE WEIGHT IS ON THE TIRES. I ASKED FOR MY TIRES TO BE UPGRADED TO LOAD RANGE D OR E HE SAID NO. WE DON'T FEEL SAFE ON THESE TIRES. SOMETHING NEED TO BE DONE.*AK
PURCHASE A NEW '04 SANDPIPER 5TH WHEEL IN AUG '03. MADE TWO LOCAL TRIPS THAT PUT APPROXIMATELY 1500 MILES ON THE TIRES/UNIT. KEEP ALL THE WHEELS COVERED WHILE IN STORAGE. CHECKED FOR PROPER INFLATION PRIOR TO LEAVING ON A TRIP FROM S. CA THAT WOULD GO THROUGH TETONS, YELLOWSTONE, RUSHMORE, THEN BACK DOWN THROUGH COLORADO AND 4 CORNERS. THE FIRST TIRE BLEW OUT WEST OF STURGIS. LESS THAN 3000 MILES ON THE TIRES. THE TIRE BLEW WITH SUCH FORCE THAT I SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE RIG. INSPECTED REMAINING TIRES AND PLACED SPARE ON RIG. JUST N. OF FT COLLINS, CO THE SECOND TIRE BLEW. HAD JUST INSPECTED AND CHECKED FOR PROPER TIRE INFLATION LESS THAN 100 MILES BEFORE THE TIRE BLEW. IT APPEARED THAT THE TREAD SIMPLY PEELED AWAY FROM THE TIRE. CARLISLE REPLACED ALL TIRES AFTER I EXPRESSED CONCERNS IN REGARDS TO PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH LIABILITIES. ESTIMATED REPAIRS TO RIG ARE APPROXIMATELY $1900. CARLISLE REQUIRED WE SHIP THE TIRES TO THEM. HOWEVER, I HAVE PHOTOS OF TIRES AND DAMAGE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST. COPIES OF SAME WHERE EMAILED TO CARLISLE TIRES. THESE WERE LOAD RANGE E RADIAL TRAIL SIZE LT235/85R16, WHICH WERE MADE IN CHINA. *LA
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FOREST RIVER CARDINAL 29WB FIFTH WHEEL (NA). WHILE PUTTING FUEL IN THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE INSIDE TREAD ON THE DRIVER SIDE REAR KENDA TIRE WAS BALD. HE STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE WAS ALSO BALD. HE SENT PICTURES TO KENDA AND THEY STATED THAT THE AXLES (ALKO KOBER) WERE OUT OF ALIGNMENT. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY ADVISED HIM TO CALL THE AXLE COMPANY. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,300 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,800. NO OTHER VEHICLE INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .