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2021 Forest River Ibex

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Jul 10, 2021
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
2
Latest Apr 17, 2024
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2021 Forest River Ibex. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Safety recalls

2 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
24V272000

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

Apr 17, 2024
4,480 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Forest River Cardinal, Wildcat, 2018-2019 Cedar Creek, 2021 Columbus, 2023 Continental Cargo, 2021-2024 Dynamax DX3, Dynamax Dynaquest XL, Dynamax Isata, Forest River IBEX, 2022-2024 Dynamax Europa, Forest River NOBO, 2022-2023 Forest River Sandstorm, Shockwave, Stealth, and 2021-2023 Dynamax Force trailers. The LED backlight circuit board in the cooktop range may fail, causing the board to overheat.
The risk: A circuit board that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy: Dealers will disconnect and cut the circuit powering the LED backlights and terminate the wiring, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed by May 14, 2024. Owners may contact Suburban customer service at 1-574-247-9235 option 5; Cardinal & Wildcat customer service at 1-574-296-7700; Cedar Creek customer service at 1-260-593-4000; Columbus customer service at 1-574-821-1487; Continental Cargo customer service at 1-254-420-0171; Dynamax customer service at 1-574-264-6664; Ibex & Nobo customer service at 1-574-6421612; and Sandstorm & Shockwave customer service at 1-909-873-3777. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1760.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 51-1760View on NHTSA.gov
21V442000

SUSPENSION:CRITICAL FASTENERS

Jun 11, 2021
42 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021 IBEX travel trailers. The shackle nuts may have been insufficiently tightened during production.
The risk: Loose shackle nuts can fall off the shackle bolt, causing the axle to detach and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will tighten shackle nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 24, 2021. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3119. Forest River's number for this recall is 77-1361.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 77-1361View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Filed Jul 10, 2021

There were so many QC issues I can't even list here but I opened the back to find the microwave door open and hanging my one bent hinge with the other broken. Then my door started sticking and it got progressively worse. It then became apparent that the frame was separating from the walls creating a gap behind the door that continually got worse and was later evident across the entire rear of the trailer. I tried to get the dealer to look at this but they would not as it wasn't listed under their "Keep you Camping" policy. They even removed the wheels to repack the hubs and didn't catch the major issue right above the axle. SO, they ordered me a new microwave but wouldn't think about the root of these problems which were evidence of a bending and breaking frame. Frustrated with the dealer, I then contacted Forest River/Ibex warranty dept and sent pictures. I was told to take it to an authorized repair center. This center said the frame was broken, the trailer was not safe to tow further and should be totaled. It remains on their lot 2000 miles from my home. Ibex warranty turned this over to Lippert, the frame manufacturer, who sent out a mobile tech. His report mentioned evidence of "bouncing" or bottoming out which would create a crack on top of the frame. He stated "both gray and black water tanks are behind the axle one of them all the way back and must have been filled with water to cause this much damage." Since the black water valve was broken for 2 months and I couldn't use the toilet this was certainly not the case. Obviously, he thought weight behind the axle was a problem but failed to mention that Ibex placed their heavy refrigerator in the far back. Lippert denied the warranty claim so Ibex summarily did the same. Poor design, factory weight distribution issues, cheap thin materials and the shape of the roads in this country are all to blame, not me. A brand new 2021 trailer began breaking a month in and failed completely in less than 5 months.

NHTSA ID
11424221
Incident
Jun 7, 2021

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

831334

WHEELS

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 under the slide room(s).

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Forest River Ibex by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027010—
2026010—
2025010—
2024130—
2023020—
2022130—
2021Viewing120—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.