RoadVitals

2018 Forest River Surveyor

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.
4
Latest Jan 9, 2023
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.
5
Latest Mar 8, 2019
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 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2018 Forest River Surveyor, most frequently naming the tires & wheels, electrical and exterior lighting categories. 5 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%
  • Electrical125.0%
  • Exterior lighting125.0%

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

5 campaigns cover this model year

View all 5

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
19V191000

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Mar 8, 2019
53 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Forest River Surveyor recreational trailers, models SVT201RBLE, SVT201RBLE-47 and SVT201RBS-47. The Federal Placard indicates that the vehicles have 3,500 lb. capacity axles, whereas the vehicles actually have 2,500 lb. capacity axles.
The risk: The incorrect label may cause the trailer to be overloaded, possibly resulting in a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Forest River has notified owners and provided replacement placards that contain the accurate axle weight capacity information, free of charge. The recall began on March 18, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River's customer service at 1-574-642-3119. Forest River's numbers for this recall are 37-0979 and 47-0979.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 37-0979; 47-0979View on NHTSA.gov
18V296000

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

May 4, 2018
29 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Forest River Surveyor recreational trailers, model SVT241RBLE. The refrigerator in the slide room may not have an air cycling fan to cool the refrigerator parts, which can cause the refrigerator to overheat.
The risk: If the refrigerator overheats, the cooling tubes may fail, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will install a cooling fan assembly, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3119. Forest River's number for this recall is 37-0719.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 37-0719View on NHTSA.gov
18V222000

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS; TIRES

Apr 6, 2018
5 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Forest River Surveyor recreational trailers, model ORSVT247BHDS. The Federal Placard on these vehicles incorrectly indicate a tire size of ST225/75R15D needing 65 PSI and a rim designation of 15X6.0JJ, however, the vehicle is actually equipped with ST205/75R14C tires needing 50 PSI and a rim designation of 14X5.5JJ. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
The risk: If the operator goes by the incorrect information on the Federal Placard they can over inflate the tires and cause premature tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Forest River has notified owners and provided a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall began on April 11, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3119 extension 205. Forest River's number for this recall is 47-0698.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 47-0698View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Tires & wheels
Filed Jan 9, 2023

We purchased four new National brand Road Max E trailer tires (ST225/75 R1S) on 08/26/22. Since purchase, we have driven less than 750 miles. On 01/06/23, while driving on a county road at approximately 45 miles per hour, the front passenger side tire on the trailer blew out. The entire tread came off in one piece causing superficial damage to the side of our trailer but ruining the rim. Prior to leaving our home, my husband checked the tires’ pressure and visually inspected all four and found no issues. It does not appear we ran over anything. Luckily, we were travelling at a slower speed, otherwise, we could have been injured and/ or injured others on the road. A basically new tire with very little use should not blowout in that manner. Given we are unsure of the safety related to the remaining three tires, we are having all four replaced with a different brand. Further, we cannot find a wheel to match the other three tires, so we are likely having to replace all four wheels, costing an estimated $1,800.

NHTSA ID
11500878
Incident
Jan 6, 2023
Exterior lighting
Filed Jun 16, 2021

The contact owns a 2018 Forest River Surveyor. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID
11421142
Incident
Apr 1, 2021
Tires & wheels
Filed Jun 2, 2021

The contact owns a 2018 Forest River Surveyor RV equipped with Castle Rock tires, Tire Line: Radial ST22, Tires Size: 205/75/R14, DOT JUJTYMT2017. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph, the passenger’s side front tire had experienced a blowout. Less than two years later, the other three tires and the spare tire experienced the same failure. The contact indicated that the spare tire experienced the failure while being mounted onto the tire carrier and was not being used at the time of the failure. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The tire failure mileage was 4,500. The consumer provided of photo of the tire.

NHTSA ID
11419393
Incident
Jun 30, 2019
Mileage
4,500 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 3, 2019

VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY & HOOKED TO SHORE POWER WHEN DISCOVERED. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN MOTION MULTIPLE TIMES ON CITY STREETS & HIGHWAYS SINCE PURCHASE IN AUG. 2018. THE ELECTRICAL PANEL IN THE FRONT BEDROOM OF THE TRAILER HAS AN ISSUE WHERE THE WHITE WIRES FEEDING INTO THE NEUTRAL BUS BAR ARE LOOSE AT THE CONNECTION LEADING TO MELTED INSULATION AND POSSIBLE MELTED WIRES WITHOUT THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS TRIPPING CREATING A POSSIBLE HIGHLY DANGEROUS FIRE HAZARD.

NHTSA ID
11165707
Incident
Dec 23, 2018
Mileage
4,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

511086

EQUIPMENT

The P-Trap swivel fitting may crack during normal use, potentially allowing water to leak, which may lead to premature degradation of any non-water resistant components.

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.?

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 Surveyor by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027010—
2024000—
2023000—
2022020—
2021110—
2020440—
2019410—
2018Viewing450—
2017230—
2016060—
2015210—
2014110—
2013120—
2012120—
2011020—
2010010—
2006010—
2005010—
2004210—
2003020—
2002010—
2001010—
2000010—
1999010—
1998010—
1997010—

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.