2018 Forest River Palomino

Defect. Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Rockwood and Flagstaff, and Coachmen Freedom Express recreational trailers and 2017-2018 Palomino and XLR ToyHauler and Coachmen Viking recreational trailers equipped with a Smart-Jack model power tongue jack. The laminated plastic touch pad on the jack may crack or separate allowing water to enter, potentially causing the jack to operate unintentionally.

Risk. If the tongue jack retracts or extends unexpectedly, there could be an increased risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy. Forest River will notify owners, and a Forest River or a Lippert dealer will replace the power tongue jack, free of charge. The recall began on February 20, 2018. Rockwood and Flagstaff Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-5164; XLR ToyHauler owners can call 1-574-642-0432; Viking owners can call 1-269-467-4600; Freedom Express owners can call 1-574-825-8205; Palomino owners can call 1-269-432-3246. Lippert Customer service can be reached at 1-574-538-4514 or by email at [email protected]. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0610.

Defect. Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Palomino recreational trailers, model PAT251RBSS. The Federal Placard does not list the correct tire size, tire pressure, and rim size information of ST205/75R14C tires requiring 50 PSI and a rim size of 14X5.5JJ. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Risk. The incorrect information may cause the operator to install an incorrect replacement rim or tire or overinflate the tire, all scenarios that may increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Forest River will notify owners and will provide a corrected Federal placard, free of charge. The recall began on May 31, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-269-432-3271. Forest River's number for this recall is 400-05102017-0407.

I PURCHASED A NEW 2018 304RKDS GT3 CAMPER AND ON MAY 18, 2020 I HAD THREE TIRES BLOW OUT ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CAMPER ON DIFFERENT AXLES. TIRES HAD AROUND 3890 MILES ON THEM AND WERE PROPERLY INFLATED AND WERE KEPT UNDER A COVERED SHELTER WHEN NOT IN USE. THE FIRST ONE HAPPENED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AXLE AROUND 11:00 A.M. AT AROUND 40 MPH AFTER AROUND 20 MINS OF TRAVEL. WHEN TIRE BLEW IT CAUSED INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DAMAGE TO THE CAMPER. REPLACED IT WITH THE SPARE TIRE AND TRIED TO PROCEED TO DELIVER THE UNIT TO THE DEALERSHIP. AROUND 2:45 P.M. A SECOND TIRE BLEW ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE ON THE REAR AXLE WHILE TRAVELING AROUND 60 MPH. CONDITIONS WERE DRY, CLEAR AND IN THE 70S. PRIOR TO THIS ON OCTOBER 7, 2019. I DISCOVERED THE SPARE TIRE WHICH WAS MOUNTED ON THE BACK, COVERED AND STORED UNDER AS SHELTER HAD BLOWN APART WITH NO USE. I NOTIFIED THE DEALERSHIP WITH PICTURES AND WARRANTY INFORMATION. NO RESPONSE. FOLLOWED UP NOV. 4TH. NO REPLY. NOVEMBER 14, 2019 I RECEIVED AN EMAIL STATING ?THAT SHE SAID SHE HASN'T HAD MANY CASES OF THE SPARE TIRE EXPLODING, SHE ONLY MENTIONED THAT MAYBE IT WAS THE WEATHER OR JUST A BAD RUN OF TIRES. THEY DO COVER TIRES AND SHE SAID I COULD FILE A CLAIM BUT IT'S GOING TO BE THE EXACT TIRE THAT'S ON IT, I DO HEAR THAT MOST CUSTOMERS AREN'T HAPPY WITH THAT BRAND OF TIRE.? I REPLIED ON THE SAME DAY THAT I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS WEATHER RELATED AND THAT I HOPE THAT THE 4 THAT ARE ON THE CAMPER AND ARE IN USE ARE NOT FROM THE SAME RUN

I WAS PERFORMING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ON MY TRAILER WHEN I NOTICED TWO BROKEN WELDS ON THE DEXTER TORFLEX AXLE. I CONTACTED DEXTER AXLE AND THEY SAID THE COMBINATION 3" AXLE BRACKET & LIFT KIT ON MY TRAILER ARE NOT COMPATIBLE AS IT CAN RESULT IN BROKEN WELDS, AND IF UNTREATED, AXLE FAILURE. THIS IS THE NOTICE ON THEIR WEBSITE: "NOTE: LIFT KITS CANNOT BE USED WITH TORFLEX AXLES PRODUCED WITH 3" HIGH PROFILE BRACKETS." I CONTACTED PALOMINO ABOUT DEXTER'S RESPONSE AND THEY CONFIRMED FOR ME VIA EMAIL THAT DEXTER AXLE SHIPS THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY IN ONE PIECE AND PALOMINO ONLY INSTALLS IT. PALOMINO ALSO CONFIRMED FOR ME THAT MY TRAILER WAS MANUFACTURED THIS WAY AND THIS BROKEN WELD IS CONSIDERED A "MANUFACTURING DEFECT". THOUGH MY TRAILER IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY ARE REPLACING MY AXLE WITH A DIFFERENT ONE WITH A MORE ROBUST MOUNTING BRACKET AS "GOODWILL". UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME, THIS WILL RESULT IN A DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT TRAILER DUE TO THE RIDE HEIGHT BEING LOWED BY A FEW INCHES. I NEVER WOULD HAVE PURCHASED THIS TRAILER IF THIS WAS THE CASE AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED FOR OFF ROAD USE. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS INCOMPATIBLE HIGH PROFILE AXLE BRACKET AND FACTORY INSTALLED LIFT KIT ARE ON EVERY SINGLE "4X4" PALOMINO TRAILER. I WENT TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND FOUND THAT THEY ARE STILL MANUFACTURING TRAILERS WITH THIS INCOMPATIBLE AXLE/LIFT KIT COMBINATION. ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL SOMEONE EXPERIENCES AXLE FAILURE ON THE FREEWAY. I HAVE ATTACHED PICTURES OF THE BROKEN WELDS FOR YOUR RE