RoadVitals

2005 Forest River Sierra Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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 Mar 10, 2015
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
1
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.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2005 Forest River Sierra, 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 & structure1100.0%

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

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.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

ISSUE - ONE OF TWO OF THE MAIN SUPPORT BEAMS IN PIN BOX CRACKED DUE TO MANUFACTURER DEFECT BECAUSE OF INCOMPLETE WELD IN THE FRONT PORTION OF THE PIN BOX FRAME. DETAILS-WHILE RETURNING FROM A 5 WEEK (6,200 MILE) VACATION IN AUGUST IN 2013 I NOTICED A SMALL CRACK IN THE FIBERGLASS SIDE PANEL ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE PIN BOX (BELOW SLIDE OUT TO LEFT). THE CRACK GREW LONGER OVER TIME AND A SECOND CRACKED BEGAN TO APPEAR (ABOVE SLIDE OUT TO RIGHT); THE SHEET METAL UNDER THE HITCH PIN ALSO BEGAN SAG AND THE TRIM WAS PULLING AWAY FROM THE TRAILER. I REMOVED THE PROPANE TANKS TO INSPECT UNDER THE AREA WHERE THE HITCH PIN AND THE FRAME CONNECT. I DISCOVERED ONE OF THE TWO MAIN SUPPORT BEAMS WAS CRACKED COMPLETELY THROUGH. I REMOVED THE SHEET METAL UNDER THE HITCH PIN AND DISCOVERED THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE CORNER OF THE HITCH PIN HAD SPLIT AT THE WELD; IT HAD ONLY BEEN SPOTTED WELDED IN ONE SPOT. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE CORNER OF THE HITCH PIN HAD A COMPLETE WELD AT THE CORNER. I WAS SURPRISED TO DISCOVER HOW THIN THE GAUGE OF THE METAL USED IN THE HITCH PIN AREA AND THAT THE INCOMPLETE WELD WAS NOT CAUGHT DURING QC. I FEEL THE LACK OF QA FROM THE FRAME BUILDER (LCI) AND THE RV MANUFACTURER (FOREST RIVER) CONTRIBUTED DIRECTLY TO THE FAILURE OF THE FRAME WELD SEPARATING AND THE FRAME CRACKING IN HALF. I HAVE HAD HEARD OF OTHER FRAME FAILURES WITH LCI AND FOREST RIVER AND BELIEVE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. I AM GRATEFUL WE DID NOT EXPERIENCE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WHILE TRAVELING THAT COULD HAVE COST US OURS LIVES AND/OR THE LIVES OF OTHERS. I HAVE MANY PICTURES AVAILABLE AS WELL. *TR

NHTSA ID 10693302 · filed Mar 10, 2015

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

Data on this page last refreshed .