RoadVitals

2018 Forest River Puma

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.
3
Latest Jul 11, 2022
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.
3
Latest Jun 4, 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 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2018 Forest River Puma, most frequently naming the tires & wheels, body & structure and other / unspecified categories. 3 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 2 manufacturer communications are on file.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Tires & wheels250.0%
  • Body & structure125.0%
  • Other / unspecified125.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

3 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
24V395000

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER:120/240 VAC ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:CHARGER LOW VOLTAGE BATTERY

Jun 4, 2024
41,353 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2004-2024 Cedar Creek and 2006-2024 Puma fifth wheels trailers. The overcurrent protection from the trailer battery may have been incorrectly routed, allowing the wires to be pulled out of the junction box.
The risk: A loose wire can cause a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy: Dealers will reroute the wires to the protected side of the mini-beaker, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 10, 2024. Owners may contact Puma customer service at 1-574-642-0588 or Cedar Creek customer service at 260-593-4000. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1786.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 51-1786View on NHTSA.gov
17V699000

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Nov 6, 2017
8 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Puma recreational trailers. The Federal Placards indicate incorrect tire load range and tire pressure (PSI) information. The placard states a tire size of ST205/75R15/D requiring 50PSI, however the installed tires are size ST205/75R15/C, requiring 65PSI. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims," and they also fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
The risk: The incorrect tire information can cause the operator to over-inflate the tires, which can cause premature tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River Customer Service at 1-574-642-0588. Forest River's number for this recall is 425-0560.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 425-0560View on NHTSA.gov
17V635000

WHEELS:HUB

Oct 9, 2017
742 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Puma recreational trailers. When installing and tightening the wheels on the trailers, the wheel center caps may have interfered, preventing the wheels from being properly tightened.
The risk: If the wheels were not properly tightened, they may loosen and detach while the trailer is moving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will remove the plastic wheel center cap and install a different center cap, free of charge. The recall began on November 1, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-0588. Forest River's number for this recall is 420-0537.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 420-0537View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Tires & wheels
Filed Jul 11, 2022

Tire Blew out. Tread coming off inner tire and metal wire every where. Less than 4k miles on the tires

NHTSA ID
11473322
Incident
Jul 10, 2022
Body & structure
Filed Feb 12, 2021

THE UNDERBODY OF THE 2018 PUMA RV HAD RUSTED SO BADLY THAT THE FRONT OF THE RV TORE OFF WHILE EXITING A GAS STATION. THIS TYPE OF THING SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED, PARTICULARLY SINCE IT'S ONLY A 2018 MODEL. LUCKILY THEY WEREN'T ON A HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT 55 MPH.*DT*JB*DT

NHTSA ID
11395921
Incident
Oct 21, 2020
Mileage
6,000 mi
Other / unspecifiedTires & wheels
Filed May 21, 2020

CASTLE ROCK ST225/75R15 BLEW OUT AT NORMAL OPERATING PRESSURE. THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AT 65MPH ON I95. THE TIRE PASSED PRE TRIP INSPECTION AND PRESSURE CHECK. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES, THE TIRE BLEW OUT ON CLEAN PAVEMENT. THE TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY 3000 MILES OF USE ON TIME OF BLOW OUT. THE SIDE WALLS WERE NO COMPROMISED AND MANY OF THE "NIBS" WERE STILL PRESENT.*DT*JB *TR

NHTSA ID
11325439
Incident
May 18, 2020
Mileage
3,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

510780

EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

Per the service bulletin from Dometic ?Dometic Corporation has identified a visual cosmetic defect that has occurred on our Dometic DM2652 refrigerators up in the freezer compartment. This does NOT occur on all units, but may be present on units with serial numbers starting with MB between 805xxxxx and 820XXXXX. The visual cosmetic defect in no way affects the performance, operation, safety, or function of the refrigerator and does not represent a non-compliance issue to one or more of the FMVSS standards or result in a risk of personal injury, death, vehicle crash, or property damage.?

4250668

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

The monitor panel incorrectly displays the level of fresh water, gray water, black water, etc. and is required to be changed with a replacement monitor panel.

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 Puma by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025130—
2024040—
2023110—
2022340—
2021430—
2020620—
2019510—
2018Viewing330—
2017230—
2016230—
2015130—
2014140—
2013140—
2012020—
2011120—
2010120—
2009020—
2008120—
2007010—
2006110—

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.