RoadVitals

2008 Forest River Salem Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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 Aug 2, 2011
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Oct 26, 2009

What this page shows

Our database holds 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2008 Forest River Salem. 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.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–3 of 3

Suspension
Filed Aug 2, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FOREST RIVER SALEM TRAILER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH FRONT AND REAR AXLES WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT THE FOUR LEAF SPRINGS WERE POORLY DESIGNED AND DANGEROUS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID
10416621
Incident
Jun 26, 2011
Tires & wheels
Filed Apr 18, 2011

PURCHASED A 2008 FLAGSTAFF TRAILER MODEL 31FKBBS IN JUNE 2009. HAVE HAD THREE TIRE BLOW OUTS ONE EACH IN OCTOBER 2009, JULY 2010, AND FEB 2011 AND A WHEEL BEARING FAILURE POSSIBLY CAUSED BY LAST BLOW OUT IN FEB 2011. UNABLE TO TOW TRAILER IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH BECAUSE OF TIRE PROBLEM. AFTER LAST TIRE BLOWOUT TIRE DEALER POINTED OUT DATA ON TRAILER STATES TIRES SHOULD BE ST225/75R15 LOAD RANDE D VS. ST205R/7515 TIRES THAT CAME ON TRAILER. OVER $3000 IN TIRES AND REPAIR COST. DEALER CLAIMS THAT FORREST RIVER SUPPLIED INCORRECT TIRES. HAVE ONE OF THE BLOWN OUT TIRES AND RECEIPTS FOR THE REPAIRS TO THE TRAILER AND TIRE REPLACEMENT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10396715
Incident
Feb 26, 2011
Mileage
510 mi
Suspension
Filed Oct 26, 2009

WE HAVE A 2008 FOREST RIVER SURVEYOR MODEL 301 30 FT TRAVEL TRAILER EQUIPPED WITH LIPPERT AXLES. WE WERE ON VACATION AND WE HEARD A LOUD BANG LIKE A TIRE BLOWING OUT. I PULLED OVER GOT OUT AND INSPECTED THE TRAILER AND MY TOW VEHICLE AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. WITHIN 600 MILES MY RT REAR TIRE WENT BALD ON THE OUTSIDE AND I TOOK IT TO A TIRE DEALER IN KALLISPELL MONTANA AND THEY PUT MY SPARE TIRE ON. WE THEN DROVE HOME. I INSPECTED THE TRAILER AND FOUND THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BALD AND ONE OTHER TIRE GOING BALD. I HAD THE TIRES REPLACED AND TOOK THE TRAILER TO MY DEALER AND POINTED OUT TO THEM THAT THE FRONT AXLE WAS BENT UPWARD IN THE MIDDLE AND THE FRONT AXLE SHACKLES WERE NOT TIGHT AGAINST THE FRAME. THE AXLE IS ACTUALLY TOUCHING THE FLOOR IN THE MIDDLE. PICTURES WERE SENT TO THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY INSIST IT IS A TIRE PROBLEM ANGOODYEAR SAYS IT IS AN AXLE PROBLEM. I FILED A REPORT WITH GOODYEAR AND I TOOK THE TIRE TO AN INDEPENDENT TIRE EXPERT AND BOTH CONFIRMED IT WAS A MISALIGNED OR DAMAGED AXLE. I DID NOTHING ON THE TRIP TO CAUSE THIS PROBLEM.THE AXLE IS A MODEL 3500 BUT I CANNOT GET ANYONE TO GIVE ME A MANUFACTURE DATE.REPEATED CALLS TO FOREST RIVER HAVE BEEN UNANSWERED.ONE OTHER PROBLEM I FOUND WITH THE AXLES WEREPLASTIC DUST COVERS OVER THE AXLE BEARINGS HAD DISINTEGRATED(THIS WAS BEFORE THE TRIP). I TOOK THE RV TO MY DEALER AND THEY REPACKED THE BEARINGS AND REPLACED THE REAR SEALS.I REPLACED THE DUST COVERS WITH METAL ONES. WHEN I CALLED LIPPERT AND DISCUSSED MY AXLE PROBLEM I BROUGHT THE DUST COVER PROBLEM TO THEIR ATTENTION AND THEY SAID THEY WEREN'T USING THEM ANY MORE. I ASKED THEM WHEN THEY STOPPED AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHEN. THE RV HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR 6 WEEKS AND NOBODY CAN TELL MEWHAT CAUSED THE AXLE TO FAIL. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT SOMEONE NEEDS TO LOOK INTO. I AM NOT MOVING THIS RV UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS IDENTIFIED PROPERLY REPORTED AND FIXED. NOTE: ON YOUR WEBSITE "SURVEYOR" MODEL NOT LISTED SO I LISTED "SALEM" TO PROCEED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10289871
Incident
Aug 25, 2009
Mileage
10,000 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .