2025 Forest River Salem Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
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What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2025 Forest River Salem, 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 & structure233.3%
- Electrical116.7%
- Interior & seats116.7%
- Other / unspecified116.7%
- Suspension116.7%
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 tempered glass covering the interior electric fireplace exploded randomly, sending shards of glass throughout the trailer. There was no warning, and we were simply sitting in the trailer enjoying the day. The fireplace was not turned on, and there was no power to the trailer. Battery was turned off, and the temperature inside the trailer was 70 degrees. There were no weak spots, dings, chips, or any other flaw in the glass.
The latch on the gate on the rear patio failed to remain secure, and the gate swung open multiple times driving down the freeway. We had to pull over and secure the latch manually.
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
The slide out mechanism is not strong enough to pull the slide out into the trailer itself for transport. This must be manually done, underneath the trailer, with a crescent wrench, even after extensive troubleshooting. The slide out does not operate independently, even when all cargo is removed.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The latch on the gate on the rear patio failed to remain secure, and the gate swung open multiple times driving down the freeway. We had to pull over and secure the latch manually.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
The tempered glass covering the interior electric fireplace exploded randomly, sending shards of glass throughout the trailer. There was no warning, and we were simply sitting in the trailer enjoying the day. The fireplace was not turned on, and there was no power to the trailer. Battery was turned off, and the temperature inside the trailer was 70 degrees. There were no weak spots, dings, chips, or any other flaw in the glass.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
Purchased this camper as brand new from camping world in November of 2025, after towing the camper home with my family in the vehicle, I proceeded to go through it about a week later to prepare it for winter. Upon going under the trailer I found two bolts that secure the leaf springs to the frame to be loose. One of them (front bolt of front driver side leaf spring ) was 3/4 of the way out, the other the nut was on by just 1 thread and the bolt was also backing out. This could have caused a serious accident or death as the vehicle could have rolled over or collided with another vehicle while turning. I proceeded to contact the dealership, they told me to contact Forrest river directly. I have submitted photos of issues and had back and forth correspondence and they have still not corrected the issue.. it has now been 3 months since I first reported this, and no one has corrected anything. Due to the severity of the issue I can not tow it to be serviced anywhere. I will be contacting my states attorney general as well to file a complaint.
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 .