Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Forest River R-Pod. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–8 of 8
Front glass shattered with NO IMPACT: High Temps (104) outside & cooling inside. The entire glass shattered-Not laminated glass- Safety Glass: The result was shards of glass in the cabin sleeping area. We were outside at the time so no injury.
RV TRAILER NO BRAKES BRAND NEW TRAILER, WE DROVE SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE DEALERSHIP THEN WE BROUGHT THE TRAILER RIGHT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THE SAME DAY. WE LEFT THE TRAILER A THE DEALERSHIP FOR ONE WEEK, THEY SAID THEY REPAIRED IT AND WE CAN COME PICK UP OUR NEW TRAILER. USED THE TRAILER THREE TIMES SINCE THE BRAKES WERE SAID TO HAVE BEEN REPAIRED, AND APPEARED TO BE WORKING AFTER THE REPAIR, BUT BRAKING WAS UNEVEN ONLY THE DRIVERS SIDE BRAKE SEEMED TO BE WORKING, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS NOT. WE HAVE RETURNED THE TRAILER AGAIN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM INSPECT, AND REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY, WERE STILL WAITING FOR REPAIRS TO BE COMPLETED BY THE DEALERSHIP IT'S BEEN SIX WEEKS, DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY ARE WAITING ON PARTS FROM FOREST RIVER.
This is on a Travel Trailer (TT) with less than 5500 miles on these tires. ST225/75R 15. I was towing my TT down the highway all of a sudden the tire on the drivers side blew. It was like an explosion. It tore the metal fender and caused damage to the underside of the TT. Once the spare was put on I continued driving until all of a sudden the passenger side tire blew. Sounded exactly the same like an explosion causing more damage to the TT inside and out. Mine and my wifes safety was put at risk when these tires that are on a single axel blew and could have flipped the trailer or truck. I reported the incident to the dealer and brought them the tires upon return from the trip we were on. They agreed something didn't seem right. I am going to start an insurance claim this week after I file the report with you and the company. There wasn't a warning with the tires and we actually had two different people check them before the trip and both said the tires looked good.
Front windshield shattered while driving down the freeway. It was not struck by a rock or debris. We didn't even hear it break (as you would if it was hit). We only discovered it after I noticed the slide-out was extending into the next lane. Apparently the wind going in the trailer was forcing out the slide-out. Luckily this was daytime and I could see it extending. Had it been at night and it continued to extend this could have created a very dangerous situation. Forest River has had a problem with at least the 2020-2021 R-Pod front windows. There are many reports of similar incidents on Facebook. Forest River changed the design on later models but never recalled and repaired or replaced the previous models. I feel they should be forced to recall all the models with the glass window and replace them with the new plastic/composite version.
The front window shattered. It was not involved in an accident. We do not believe it was hit by a rock. We had only driven a short distance from our last stop when we entered the trailer and noticed it. We were able to have it crash wrapped so we were able to drive the trailer home. We reported it to Forest River who says it is not a design or components issue although a number of other R-Pod trailer owners have reported the same issue. We have not had it inspected but are awaiting the arrival of a replacement so it is available for inspection.
On Sep 17th, while coming off a 2,000 mile road trip to Yosemite, the rhino rack with tent and awning ripped off my No Bo 10.6 trailer, did 4 frisbee turns in the air and came crashing down into the fast lane of I93 between Las Vegas and Kingman. The weight alone (roughly 500 lbs.) would've killed anyone driving behind me. Luckily it didn't and skidded into the emergency lane. The lack of concern from the manufacturer has me stymied. I've been told it was a manufacturing defect but am unable to get any phone calls or emails back from their warranty/service department. This was installed at the manufacturer. I need to make sure all owners of a No Boundaries 10.6 trailer are aware of this as I do not believe any type of recall or notice has gone out from Forest River. Dealer has all photos. Tom's Camperland in Mesa AZ
WE PURCHASED A 2021 R-POD 171 IN MARCH 2021. THE FRONT WINDOW RANDOMLY SHATTERED ON I-10 AS THE TRAILER WAS BEING TOWED AT 55 MPH. THERE WAS NO DEBRIS ON THE ROAD, OR FOUND WHEN CLEANING UP THE GLASS IN THE CAMPER. THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. THE ROAD WAS SMOOTH. I HAVE COME TO LEARN THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH R-POD FRONT WINDOWS, AND FOREST RIVER WILL NOT FIX THE ISSUE. FOREST RIVER WAS USING SINGLE PANE WINDOWS. THOSE BROKE. THEY SWITCHED TO THICKER GLASS (WHICH IS WHAT I AM TOLD WHAT WE HAD) THAT SUPPOSEDLY DON'T BREAK. NOW THEY DO DOUBLE PANE WINDOWS. THESE ARE $361 AND $200 SHIPPING. ESTIMATED 1 HOUR LABOR INSTALL. THE FRONT WALL IS BEGINNING TO WARP SO I WORRY IT WAS MORE THAN JUST THE WINDOW THAT WAS AT FAULT.
WORKING WITH ONE OF THE LATEST FAILURES I THINK WE HAVE POTENTIALLY IDENTIFIED THE CAUSE OF THE 195/196 R-POD FROM WINDOW FAILURES. IT IS NOT FROM ROCKS OR ROAD HAZARDS. TEMPERED GLASS DOES NOT NORMALLY BREAK THE WAY IT HAS BEEN ON THE 195/196 R-PODS FRONT WINDOWS; THIS TYPE OF BREAKAGE IS GENERALLY CAUSED BY STRESS IN THE GLASS NOT SOMETHING LIKE A ROCK STRIKE. WHEN I INSPECTED MY WINDOW AND FRAME, I FOUND ON THE FRAME INSIDE MY POD, ON THE SIDE OF MY WINDOW, A BEND IN THE FRAME RESULTING IN AN UNEVEN SEATING SURFACE FOR THE WINDOW. THIS WOULD RESULT IN UNEVEN LOADING OF THE GLASS WHEN DRIVING (WIND LOAD) WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY RESULT IN THE BREAKS PEOPLE ARE SEEING (TEMPERED GLASS DOES NOT LIKE STRESS LOADING). SEE THE PHOTO BELOW OF MY WINDOW FRAME AND THE BEND; I HAVE NOT HAD THE GLASS BREAK YET. THROUGH THE FACEBOOK OWNERS GROUPS, WE HAVE FOUND THOSE WITH BROKEN WINDOWS, WHERE JUST THE GLASS WAS REPLACED, OR THOSE THAT STILL HAVE THE BROKEN WINDOW, HAVE THIS BEND. THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE ARE ALSO FINDING THIS BEND IS NOT IN ALL 195/196. FROM WHAT I CAN TELL THIS SEEM TO BE EITHER A DEFECT IN THE FRAME MANUFACTURING OR IN MANUFACTURING INSTALLATION WHERE THE FRAME IS FORCED TO FIT THE SHAPE OF THE FRONT CURVE OF THE POD. THERE IS A SECONDARY FRAME INSIDE (I LABELED IT 'SCREEN FRAME?') THAT HAS LOTS OF BENDS ON THE SIDES, I DON'T THINK THIS HAS ANY IMPACT ON THE GLASS, BUT DOES INDICATE THAT THE FRAME WAS TWISTED TO GET INSTALLED. FOREST RIVER TOLD ME THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW THE CAUSE AND THAT NHTSA WAS INVESTIGATING SO THEY DID NOT WANT TO KNOW WHAT I HAD FOUND.
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.
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