RoadVitals

2016 Forest River Wildcat

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.
1
Latest May 16, 2022
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.
3
Latest Aug 21, 2018
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 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2016 Forest River Wildcat. 3 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Safety recalls

3 campaigns cover this model year

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
18V550000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

Aug 21, 2018
5,847 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Forest River Salem, Wildcat Maxx, Wildwood, Vibe, and Rainier recreational trailers. The break-away safety switch may not have been wired to a constant power source, and, as a result, the switch may be inadvertently disconnected from the trailer house battery causing the brakes to not engage if the trailer detaches from the tow vehicle.
The risk: If the trailer brakes cannot engage if the trailer detaches from tow vehicle, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
The remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a new wiring harness to reroute the wiring, free of charge. The recall began September 25, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-503-831-5410. Forest River's number for this recall is 22/30-0824.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 22/30-0824View on NHTSA.gov
17V756000

EQUIPMENT

Nov 22, 2017
365,885 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2003-2018 Forest River Berkshire, Charleston, Rockport, Cedar Creek, Cherokee, Riverstone, Salem, Sandpiper, Sierra, Vengeance, Wildcat, Wildwood, XLR Boost, Cargo Mate, Continental Cargo, motorhomes, recreational trailers, toyhaulers, cargo trailers and restroom trailers and 2009-2018 Coachmen Mirada, Pursuit, Concord, Leprechaun, Freelander, Orion and Prism motorhomes, 2009-2017 Coachmen Apex and Catalina recreational trailers, and 2013-2017 Shasta Oasis and Revere recreational trailers, equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or excessive force may be needed to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
The risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy: Forest River will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began on December 27, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-348-7440, or Kidde customer service toll free at 1-855-262-3540, or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0544.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 51-0544View on NHTSA.gov
16V059000

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Feb 3, 2016
52 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2016 Wildcat recreational trailers, models WCF28SGX, WCF29RKP, WCF29RLX, and WCF31SAX, manufactured from September 25, 2015, through January 20, 2016. The affected vehicles may have been produced with an incorrect Federal placard that has an improperly reduced Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) of 3500lbs. The correct GAWR is 5200lbs. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
The risk: Incorrect Federal Placard information such as the Gross Axle Weight Rating could lead to reduced handling of the vehicle, potentially leading to loss of control or a crash.
The remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will provide a corrected Federal placard, free of charge. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-862-2071. Forest River's number for this recall is 23-01262016-0131.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 23-01262016-0131View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Filed May 16, 2022

In the late part of 2020 the door frame to the room in the rear fell from the ceiling onto the ground, that was determined by the company(MagicTouch) I bought it from that the manufacturer(Forest River)had not properly secured the frame to the ceiling, the screws missed the truss rafters and were only screwed in the ceiling material which is only about 1/4" thick, Forest River did pay to have it repaired. Again something very similar occurred to one of the bunkbeds in that same room, I entered my trailer to prep it for our 2022 Easter vacation and noticed that one of the bunkbeds had collapsed from the wall and fall on top of the sofa bed that is located directly below it, if this would of happened when someone was sleeping on the bed it would of fell on top of the person and most likely would of had a head injury. This bed can be put in a up postion when not in use and down when in use, a hinge makes this possible, since we don't use this for sleeping, we use 3 small plastic containers to store our clothe, these containers can't weigh no more than 10 pounds each. After examining why this occured I found that the part of the bed that screws into the wall was not screwed into any studs, I found this out by getting a skewer and putting one of the screws that were used and marked the length of the threads, then I stuck the skewer straight into the screw holes on the wall, I knew if there screws had been screwed into a stud the skewer would stop where I put the mark at, the results were that the skewer went past the mark and hit the wall on the other side, I tried to attach a video showing me doing this but it wouldn't allow me to, but I have attached many photos, you will see that the hinge from the bed 5 of 7 screws missed the wood completely. After I saw how negligent they were while building is it showed they just don't care and if they built my trailer like this I'm sure there are others and what is going result of this is someone getting seriously injured.

NHTSA ID
11464824
Incident
Apr 28, 2022

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Forest River Wildcat by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2024010—
2023000—
2022030—
2021040—
2019020—
2018230—
2017230—
2016Viewing130—
2015430—
2014140—
2013120—
2012310—
2011120—
2010710—
2009010—
2008110—
20071010—
2006420—
2005320—
20041020—
2003130—
2002310—
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.