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.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Forest River Rainier | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Forest River Salem | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Forest River Vibe | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Forest River Wildcat | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Forest River Wildwood | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest River Rainier | 2014 | 0 | 1 |
| Forest River Rainier | 2015 | 0 | 1 |
| Forest River Rainier | 2016 | 0 | 2 |
| Forest River Rainier | 2017 | 1 | 2 |
| Forest River Rainier | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
| Forest River Rainier | 2019 | 0 | 1 |
| Forest River Salem | 2014 | 1 | 4 |
| Forest River Salem | 2015 | 8 | 5 |
| Forest River Salem | 2016 | 9 | 8 |
| Forest River Salem | 2017 | 5 | 9 |
| Forest River Salem | 2018 | 6 | 9 |
| Forest River Salem | 2019 | 5 | 11 |
| Forest River Vibe | 2014 | 0 | 1 |
| Forest River Vibe | 2015 | 2 | 2 |
| Forest River Vibe | 2016 | 5 | 4 |
| Forest River Vibe | 2017 | 2 | 4 |
| Forest River Vibe | 2018 | 2 | 2 |
| Forest River Vibe | 2019 | 5 | 2 |
| Forest River Wildcat | 2014 | 1 | 4 |
| Forest River Wildcat | 2015 | 4 | 3 |
| Forest River Wildcat | 2016 | 1 | 3 |
| Forest River Wildcat | 2017 | 2 | 3 |
| Forest River Wildcat | 2018 | 2 | 3 |
| Forest River Wildcat | 2019 | 0 | 2 |
| Forest River Wildwood | 2014 | 8 | 4 |
| Forest River Wildwood | 2015 | 4 | 6 |
| Forest River Wildwood | 2016 | 5 | 7 |
| Forest River Wildwood | 2017 | 5 | 9 |
| Forest River Wildwood | 2018 | 11 | 8 |
| Forest River Wildwood | 2019 | 5 | 11 |
Other electrical system recalls in 2018
105 of the 912 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2018 concerned the electrical system; Forest River, Inc. filed 592 campaigns in all.
| 18V946000 31 Dec 2018 | Arcimoto Inc |
| 18V933000 27 Dec 2018 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 18V930000 21 Dec 2018 | Daimler Trucks North America LLC |
| 18V929000 21 Dec 2018 | Daimler Trucks North America LLC |
| 18V917000 20 Dec 2018 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| 18V921000 20 Dec 2018 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) |
| 18V895000 19 Dec 2018 | Dennis Eagle Inc. |
| 18V909000 19 Dec 2018 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2018