2020 Forest River Surveyor Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2020 Forest River Surveyor, 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 & structure266.7%
- Suspension133.3%
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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 FOREST RIVER SURVEYOR TOWED BY A 2019 RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED AND GOING OVER A BUMP IN THE ROADWAY, THE TIRES RUBBED UNDERNEATH THE TRAILER. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE RV AND DETERMINED THAT THE UNDER BODY OF THE RV WAS LOW. THE CONTACT REACHED OUT TO JOHNS RV SALES AND SERVICE / AIRSTREAM SOUTH CAROLINA ( 165 BUSINESS PARK RD, LEXINGTON, SC 29072, 800-779-2957) AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE RV SAT LOW. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SPRINGS AND U-BOLTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE RV WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE WAS 5,000. THE TRAILER FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 499.*DT *AS*DT THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD THE SPRINGS AND BOLTS CHANGED, BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE.*AS*DT *TR*DT*TR*DT*TR*DT THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER HAS REPLACED ORIGINAL SPRINGS AND AXLES WITH A HIGHER 4400LB UNITS. *TR
THIS WAS THE FIRST ROAD TRIP WITH OUR NEW 2020 FOREST RIVER LEGACY TRAILER, 19RBLE. WE WERE TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT, APPROXIMATELY 68 MPH. CLEAR DAY, WITH APPROX. 35-40 MPH WINDS. NO TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF US. WHILE DRIVING, THE SLIDE PROTRUDED ABOUT A FOOT FROM THE TRAILER WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THE FRONT WINDOW OF THE TRAILER HAD BLOWN OUT AND THE PRESSURE FROM THE WIND INTO THE TRAILER FORCED THE SLIDE TO PUSH OUT, MAKING FOR A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHILE DRIVING. THERE WAS NO ROAD DEBRIS OR FOREIGN OBJECTS THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE WINDOW TO SHATTER. WE DID NOT IMMEDIATELY REALIZE WHY THE SLIDE HAD PUSHED OUT WHILE DRIVING. WE FORCED THE SLIDE BACK IN, AND ATTEMPTED TO GO DOWN THE ROAD AGAIN. SLIDE PUSHED OUT AGAIN. WE REALIZED THE PRESSURE OF THE WIND FROM THE BROKEN WINDOW WAS FORCING THE SLIDE TO PUSH OUT. WE STOPPED, OPENED THE WINDOWS IN THE TRAILER TO ALLOW THE AIR TO FLOW THROUGH THE TRAILER WHICH THEN PREVENTED THE SLIDE FROM PUSHING OUT UNTIL WE COULD STOP SOMEWHERE SAFELY AND SECURE A COVER FOR THE FRONT WINDOW. THE 2020 TRAILER IS THE FIRST YEAR TO HAVE THE FRONT WINDOW. THE WINDOW SHOULD NOT HAVE SHATTERED. IN ADDITION, THE SLIDE CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PUSH OUT FROM THE FORCE OF THE WIND. WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE NO ONE WAS HURT. THE SLIDE IS COMPLETELY DAMAGED. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO FOREST RIVER, BUT THEY HAVE NOT GIVEN US AN EXPLANATION OR AGREED TO REPAIR ALL THE DAMAGE TO THE TRAILER. THIS IS A DESIGN OR INSTALLATION DEFECT BY THE MANUFACTURER BOTH FOR THE WINDOW AND THE SLIDE. THE WINDOW SHOULD NOT SHATTER LIKE IT DID AND THERE SHOULD BE SAFEGUARDS TO ENSURE THAT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES THE SLIDE SHOULD EXTEND WHILE DRIVING! FRONT WINDOWS IN TRAILERS SHOULD BE EQUIPPED WITH SOME SORT OF ATTACHABLE COVER TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING.*DT*JB*DT*JB
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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 FOREST RIVER SURVEYOR TOWED BY A 2019 RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED AND GOING OVER A BUMP IN THE ROADWAY, THE TIRES RUBBED UNDERNEATH THE TRAILER. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE RV AND DETERMINED THAT THE UNDER BODY OF THE RV WAS LOW. THE CONTACT REACHED OUT TO JOHNS RV SALES AND SERVICE / AIRSTREAM SOUTH CAROLINA ( 165 BUSINESS PARK RD, LEXINGTON, SC 29072, 800-779-2957) AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE RV SAT LOW. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SPRINGS AND U-BOLTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE RV WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE WAS 5,000. THE TRAILER FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 499.*DT *AS*DT THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD THE SPRINGS AND BOLTS CHANGED, BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE.*AS*DT *TR*DT*TR*DT*TR*DT THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER HAS REPLACED ORIGINAL SPRINGS AND AXLES WITH A HIGHER 4400LB UNITS. *TR
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 .