NHTSA Complaint #11424792 — 2020 FOREST RIVER ROCKWOOD

The Rockwood 2608BS I was towing with my 3/4 ton pickup began to sway and I was unable to recover from the sway. In a matter of 4-5 seconds, the trailer lay on its side and i was at a complete stop on the highway. No one was hurt, and there were no other vehicles involved in this incident. Earlier in the day I filled the 60 gallon fresh water tank on this trailer, which is the first time I have filled this tank prior to a road trip. The tank is located at the rear of the trailer and the weight of the full tank along with a side gust of wind we experienced, in my opinion, were major contributors to the sway, I want to emphasize that the location of the fresh water tank poses a weight distribution problem when the tank is full. I purchased this RV in September 2019 and this trailer has always been prone to sway. I've had the proper safety equipment on it such as a weight distribution hitch and anti-sway bar. I submitted an on-line report to the NHTSA in early 2020 citing the problem with sway and reported I felt the axles were a bit too far forward on this unit. After our accident, I searched online and began reading the "Rockwood 2608BS Forum," searched for "Sway" and learned others who have towed this make and model of RV have experienced problems with sway and submitted their review to the forum. Sway and loss of control of this make and model of RV due to design is a safety hazard to the operator and passengers of the tow vehicle, and to occupants of nearby traffic.