2021 Forest River Vengeance 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 2021 Forest River Vengeance, 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
- Tires & wheels333.3%
- Body & structure222.2%
- Other / unspecified222.2%
- Electrical111.1%
- Suspension111.1%
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
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2022 Forest River Vengeance equipped with Castle Rock tires, Tire Line: Radial ST226 Dueler, Tire Size: 235/80/R16, DOT Number: JUMR2MT0521. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side front and rear tires and the passenger’s side tire experienced blowouts with tread ply separation on two separate occasions. The contact’s son was able to pull over and replace the tires with spares. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Traveling at 65 miles per hour the tire blew out.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
Well after i tried to see if there was any warranty on my fifth-wheel. I contacted BAL industries. They where very helpful. After purchasing a new landing leg with motor along with a new brain for the auto leveling system. I then calibrated all legs and tried to auto level the trailer. It actually worked. Fast forward a week later big camping trip for four days. well got to where we are camping and once again only one landing gear leg worked. the other one just make a popping noise. Mind you it was still on my truck. tried turning on and off multiple time and even rechecked each leg. They all worked but the right front. So that was a fun four days in a not so level $115,000.00 trailer. Well got home and manually got the trailer off. I worked with BAL as no one would help at the local forest river dealer. I got another brain and installed it again. Recuperated all legs. working as it should even could use the auto level feature. Third time sense I bought the trailer. Now another four day trip. Went to pull trailer off the truck it came off no issues, Then auto level feature would not work. it only would drop the rear jacks and bring up the front left very unsafe. This is how it fell on my head the last time. Now got it level enjoyed the couple days there. Then i go to leave dropped the trailer on to the truck. Right leg will not move electrically or manually. Well after four hours and three jacks later I was able to put it back on my truck and head home. I have contacted my local dealer but they are two months out and they said no recall or warranty for this trailer at this time. so i have to pay out of pocket. Well if i am paying the monthly payment i do not want it to sit for months on end. This is disappointing as I spent a lot of money for this fifth wheel trailer and it has been nothing but a pain. No support other then the BAL industries. I couldn't even get my local Forrest River dealer to take my money for a extended warranty that they said they had.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 FOREST RIVER VENGEANCE TRAILER. THE CONTACT HAD DETACHED THE TRAVEL TRAILER FROM HIS TRUCK AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO LEVEL THE TRAVEL TRAILER WHEN THE TRAILER COLLAPSED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TWO FRONT PULL PINS WERE FAULTY. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE FAULTY PARTS HIMSELF. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.*DT*DT*DT
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
Well after i tried to see if there was any warranty on my fifth-wheel. I contacted BAL industries. They where very helpful. After purchasing a new landing leg with motor along with a new brain for the auto leveling system. I then calibrated all legs and tried to auto level the trailer. It actually worked. Fast forward a week later big camping trip for four days. well got to where we are camping and once again only one landing gear leg worked. the other one just make a popping noise. Mind you it was still on my truck. tried turning on and off multiple time and even rechecked each leg. They all worked but the right front. So that was a fun four days in a not so level $115,000.00 trailer. Well got home and manually got the trailer off. I worked with BAL as no one would help at the local forest river dealer. I got another brain and installed it again. Recuperated all legs. working as it should even could use the auto level feature. Third time sense I bought the trailer. Now another four day trip. Went to pull trailer off the truck it came off no issues, Then auto level feature would not work. it only would drop the rear jacks and bring up the front left very unsafe. This is how it fell on my head the last time. Now got it level enjoyed the couple days there. Then i go to leave dropped the trailer on to the truck. Right leg will not move electrically or manually. Well after four hours and three jacks later I was able to put it back on my truck and head home. I have contacted my local dealer but they are two months out and they said no recall or warranty for this trailer at this time. so i have to pay out of pocket. Well if i am paying the monthly payment i do not want it to sit for months on end. This is disappointing as I spent a lot of money for this fifth wheel trailer and it has been nothing but a pain. No support other then the BAL industries. I couldn't even get my local Forrest River dealer to take my money for a extended warranty that they said they had.
The contact owns a 2021 Forest River Vengeance. The contact stated while attempting to attach the trailer to his vehicle, the right landing gear leg extended and started to lift up, however, the left landing gear leg went inward and fractured. The vehicle then fell on the left side. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the left landing gear leg was significantly smaller than needed, causing the failure while attempting to lift the trailer. The independent mechanic replaced the left side landing gear leg however, the right landing gear leg became inoperable. The independent mechanic diagnosed that both landing gear legs were not adequate to lift the trailer. Additionally, the independent mechanic diagnosed that the landing gear controller was no longer operative as there was a significant amount of current going through the wiring system, causing the right output of the controller to fail. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
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 contact owns a 2021 Forest River Vengeance. The contact stated while attempting to attach the trailer to his vehicle, the right landing gear leg extended and started to lift up, however, the left landing gear leg went inward and fractured. The vehicle then fell on the left side. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the left landing gear leg was significantly smaller than needed, causing the failure while attempting to lift the trailer. The independent mechanic replaced the left side landing gear leg however, the right landing gear leg became inoperable. The independent mechanic diagnosed that both landing gear legs were not adequate to lift the trailer. Additionally, the independent mechanic diagnosed that the landing gear controller was no longer operative as there was a significant amount of current going through the wiring system, causing the right output of the controller to fail. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
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
Ground control 2.0 system will not lift my 17,500lbs fifth wheel toy-hauler. As this system will only lift 15,500lbs. I purchased a new landing gear leg as Forest River and Western Skies Rv would not replace as it was out of warranty which was a week prior.This is issue and needs to be taken care of. If these fifth wheel trailers are no equip with the proper lifting landing gear how are you suspost to use this 110,000.00 dollar RV?
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 .