2016 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 2016 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
- Body & structure337.5%
- Brakes225.0%
- Electrical225.0%
- Exterior lighting112.5%
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
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The Maxxair fan is a component that sits on the roof of the RV. Looking at the install instructions, the unit is installed by attaching the flange to the roof. What failed was that the 'top' portion of the fan, where the motor and and the cover attachments are, flew off at speed, on the highway. Fortunately, I pulled over right away, and found the unit still attached by the power wires. The safety issue would be if a 15"x15"x8" unit weighing about 20 lbs went airborne in traffic, causing an incident for whoever was behind the RV where this happened. IMHO this is a manufacturing defect by Maxxair. These 4 screws should never have worked out, causing the issue. These fans are commonly installed by most major RV mfgrs. We're OK. We have to replace the fan. No one was hurt this time.
WHITE PLASTIC COMPONENT FELL OUT OF THE RV COACH ENTRY DOOR LOCK MECHANISM CAUSING DOOR LOCK TO JAM. MOST OF THE LOCK MECHANISMS ARE METAL BUT THIS SMALL PIECE IS PLASTIC AND THERE IS NO MECHANISM TO KEEP IT FROM FALLING OUT. AFTER I RE-INSERTED IT AND OPERATED THE MECHANISM A FEW MORE TIMES, IT FELL OUT AGAIN. I WAS REQUIRED TO REPLACE THE LOCK MECHANISM AT COST OF $125.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE BRAKES ARE NOT GOOD. YOU HAVE TO PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL TO GET THEM TO WORK. I JUST HAD TO STOP TO PREVENT HITTING SOMEONE IN THE REAR. I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO PUMP BRAKE. I LITERALLY HAD TO TAKE IT TO THE FLOOR TO STOP. THIS WAS REPORTED TO YOU PREVIOUSLY AND WE NEVER HEARD A THING!,
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FOREST RIVER FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO STOP, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL UNTIL THE VEHICLE STOPPED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RV PRESENTED THE FAILURE FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AND FOUR MONTHS. THE RV WAS TAKEN TO FIELDS MOTORCARS (4141 N FLORIDA AVE, LAKELAND, FL 33805) WHERE THEY CHANGED THE BRAKE FLUID AND BLED THE BRAKE LINES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FOREST RIVER FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE REAR CAMPER SLIDE OUT STRUCTURE SLID OUT ERRONEOUSLY ON THE DRIVER SIDE CAUSING THE CAMPING STRUCTURE TO EXTEND FROM THE RV WHILE IN MOTION. THE RV WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER RV WORLD LOCATED AT 14025 W FREEWAY DR, HUGO, MN 55038 WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CAMPING SLIDE OUT MOTOR WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MOTOR WAS REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE RV HAD BEEN SERVICED FOR THE SAME FAILURE ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
LOST ALL TAIL LIGHTS 4 HAS BEEN FIX OR AND RECALL DONE 2 TIMES. NOW RIGHT SIDE TAIL LIGHT DOES NOT WORK FOR TURN OR BRAKE AND IT BEEN IN A SHOP FOR A MONTH NO ONE KNOWS WHY
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
LOST ALL TAIL LIGHTS 4 HAS BEEN FIX OR AND RECALL DONE 2 TIMES. NOW RIGHT SIDE TAIL LIGHT DOES NOT WORK FOR TURN OR BRAKE AND IT BEEN IN A SHOP FOR A MONTH NO ONE KNOWS WHY
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 .