2005 FOREST RIVER TRAVEL TRAILER — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

AT ABOUT 3:00 PM ON THE 29TH OF JULY, 2009 MY WIFE MYSELF AND TWO GRANDCHILDREN DEPARTED OUR HOME IN BEL AIRE, KS DESTINED FOR TAYLOR PARK, CO. WE WERE DRIVING OUR 2002 FORD E-350 VAN WITH V-10, TOWING A WORK AND PLAY TRAILER MADE BY FOREST RIVER (FRAME BY LIPERT COMPONENTS). THIS TRAILER CONTAINED A HONDA RINCON 4-WHEELER LOADED DIRECTLY OVER THE TANDEM AXLES AND 5000 WATT HONDA GENERATOR LOADED JUST BEHIND IT. IN THE VERY REAR WAS A HIGH CHAIR, GARDEN HOSE AND SEVERAL LAWN CHAIRS. NEAR THE FRONT OF THE TRAILER IN THE CLOSET THERE WERE SHIRTS AND COATS. ON THE FLOOR NEAR THE FRONT THERE WERE A FEW GROCERIES (WE ALWAYS SHOP FOR THE BULK OF OUR GROCERIES IN BUENA VISTA, CO BEFORE CROSSING THE COTTONWOOD PASS INTO TAYLOR PARK) THE FRESH WATER TANK WAS LESS THAN ONE THIRD FULL. ON HIGHWAY I-135 NORTH OF NEWTON, KS, MY WIFE HEARD A LOUD SCRAPING NOISE WHICH LASTED ABOUT 10 TO 20 SECONDS AND CEASED. WE AGREED THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE A LOOK AT WHAT MIGHT HAVE GONE WRONG BUT IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY CONTINUED A FEW MILES TO THE "MOUNDRIDGE" EXIT. AFTER STOPPING SAFELY ON THE EXIT RAMP, I DISCOVERED THAT THE TONGUE OF THE TRAILER HAD COLLAPSED JUST IN FRONT OF THE TRAILER BOX AND ALLOWED THE TRAILER TO HIT THE PAVEMENT. THE ONLY REASON THE TRAILER DID NOT COMPLETELY DRAG THE GROUND WAS THE ALUMINUM BOX ON THE TRAILER TONGUE WAS IN "COMPRESSION" AS IF IT WERE AN AIR BAG. THIS FORCE WAS GREAT ENOUGH TO TEAR THE ALUMINUM MATERIAL AT THE CORNERS BUT FORTUNATELY DID NOT FAIL COMPLETELY. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN A FATAL ACCIDENT. THE PROPANE VALVES WERE IN THE OPEN POSITION AND THE GAS PIPE FEEDING THE REFRIDGERATOR DRUG THE GROUND. OUR GRANDCHILDREN WERE STRAPPED INTO THEIR CAR SEATS AND LIKELY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN EXTRICATED IN TIME HAD THE TRAILER CAUGHT FIRE AND TANKS EXPLODED. THIS WAS DIRECTLY A RESULT OF POOR DESIGN. WALL THICKNESS OF THE TONGUE WAS .100" TO .110" ON MY 2005 24' MODEL. THE THICKNESS OF A 2008 18' MODEL HAD A WALL THICKNESS OF .180 TO .200". *DT

WHILE PERFORMING A SAFETY RECALL ON THE REFRIGERATOR IN MY RV, THE TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED THAT THE BURNER TUBE WAS CRACKED AND LEAKING AMMONIA. THE RECALL WAS TO POSSIBLY PREVENT A FIRE "IN THE EVENT THIS DID HAPPEN ". THE COMPANY, KEYSTON RV/DOMETIC REFRIGERATORS ARE AWARE OF THIS SITUATION. IT IS MY CONTENTION, THAT SINCE THIS IS A RELATED PROBLEM, IT SHOULD BE COVERED AND REPLACED AT NO COST TO THE OWNER.AS OF THIS DATE, THEY REFUSE TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR ACTION. *TR

TONGUE ON THESE TRAILERS ARE MADE OF A MATERIAL TOO THIN TO SUPPORT THEIR WEIGHT. MY TONGUE FOLDED UP WHILE ENROUTE FROM A CAMPING TRIP. IT WAS LESS THAN 3 INCHES FROM THE GROUND BY THE TIME I GOT HOME. I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE THIS OCCURRED. ANY BUMP IN THE ROAD COULD HAVE GRABBED THE TRAILER AND RIPPED US APART. THE MANUFACTURE HAS TOLD ME THEY HAVE HAD TO INCREASE THE THICKNESS OF THE METAL SUBSEQUENT TO THEIR OWN DISCOVERY OF THIS ISSUE - BUT NO RECALL. ALSO, THEY SENT ME A NEW TONGUE OF THE SAME GAUGE METAL AS THE ONE I HAVE THAT FAILED TO SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE TRAILER. THEY REFUSED TO PROVIDE A STRONGER TONGUE. I HAD TO HIRE A WELDER TO BUILD ONE FROM SCRATCH AT MY COST. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS INVESTIGATE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE PRODUCED THESE TRAILERS THAT ARE AT RISK OF COLLAPSING ON THE ROADWAYS WHILE STILL BEING PULLED BY PASSENGER VEHICLES. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND SO CAN OTHERS WHO HAVE THESE LIGHT WEIGHT TONGUES ON #12,000 LB TRAILERS. I STILL HAVE THE TONGUE FOR YOUR INSPECTION. I ALSO HAVE PLENTY OF PICTURES EVEN THOSE WHILE STILL ATTACHED TO MY VEHICLE AFTER THE CAMPING TRIP. I WOULD HAVE FAILED TO CLEAR A SPEED BUMP. *TR

I PURCHASED A TRAVEL TRAILER MANUFACTURED BY FOREST RIVER ON 11/10/07. THIS TRAILER SPECIFIES THAT THE UNLADEN VEHICLE WEIGHT IS 3640 POUNDS. MY TOW VEHICLE STRUGGLES TO PULL THIS TRAILER. I HAD IT THE VEHICLE WEIGHED ON A CERTIFIED PUBLIC SCALE. THE ACTUAL UNLADEN VEHICLE WEIGHT OF THIS TRAILER IS 5036 POUNDS. IT IS APPARENT TO ME THAT THE VEHICLE IS LABELED IN ERROR. AS A RESULT OF THE DISCREPANCY I HAVE NOT USED THE VEHICLE BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL SAFE TOWING IT WITH MY TOW VEHICLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FOREST RIVER ALL AMERICAN SPORT FIFTH WHEEL (NA) WITH CARLISLE WHEELS. THE WHEELS ARE CRACKING AT THE POINT WHERE THE CENTER OF THE WHEEL IS WELDED TO THE OUTER RIM. PREVIOUSLY, ANOTHER WHEEL EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE AND WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. THE CONTACT WOULD LIKE THE DEALER TO REPLACE ALL WHEELS. NO OTHER VEHICLE INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE. UPDATED 04/16/08 *BF UPDATED 04/16/08 *TR