WE TOOK DELIVERY OF A NEW CARRIAGE 5TH WHEEL 4/1/07. ON 6/18/09 WE NOTICED A BULGE IN (1) OF 4 TIRES WE HAVE ON OUR 5TH WHEEL DURING A TIRE CHECK. UNDER GOOD FAITH WE PURCHASED AN IDENTICAL REPLACEMENT TIRE. THEY WERE ALSO ROTATED. WE CHECKED ALL TIRES AGAIN BEFORE DEPARTING ON AN EAST COAST TRIP TO MYRTLE BEACH SC. UPON DAY ONE 7/18/09 MID-AFTERNOON OUR RIGHT FENDER OF THE TRAILER WAS TORN AWAY. UPON FINDING A SAFE STOPPING POINT-WE FOUND THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS BLOWN. WE WAITED ALONG THE FREEWAY 2.5 HRS FOR A TOW REPAIR. WE DUCK TAPED OUR FENDER. WE PROCEEDED TO THE NEXT EXIT (2 MILES)TO VERIFY TIRE PRESSURE IN THE SPARE. WE FOUND ANOTHER TIRE WITH ONLY 25 LBS AND SEVERELY BULGING. WE HAD ANOTHER HOUR TO LIMP TO OUR DESTINATION. WE ARRIVED SATURDAY NIGHT AT 7:30PM. THE NEXT DAY TIRE WAS EXTREMELY LOW. WE COULD NOT TRAVEL HOME. NOTHING COULD BE DONE TILL MONDAY-7/20/09. WE MADE NUMEROUS CALLS TO OUR TRAILER COMPANY, TIRE COMPANY AND LOCAL TIRE DEALERS. THE TIRE COMPANY, GPX-TOWMAX CUSTOMER SERVICE REP AGREED TO REIMBURSEMENT OF ONLY $120 FOR ONLY THREE TIRES. WE WOULD NEED TO FIGHT FOR THE PREVIOUS PURCHASE OF $153.50. UPON REPLACING THE TIRES THEY FOUND THE 4TH TIRE (UPON REMOVING FROM RIM) WAS SEPARATING AS WELL. WE HAD TO PURCHASE FOUR NEW TIRES TO RETURN HOME ON. WE HAVE ALSO INCURRED $146.58 IN EXPENSES TO REPAIR THE FENDER. WE ADVISED TO DESTROY THE TIRES AND LEAVE THEM IN TN. ONLY THE BLOWN TIRE WOULD NEED TO BE EXAMINED. THEY WOULD ARRANGE A CALL TAG. WE EVEN STOPPE
2007 Rv - Fifth Wheels Designer
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the structure. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filings2007 FOREST RIVER WILDCAT 29 FOOT 2- SLIDES. LAST APRIL 6 CRACKS WERE FOUND IN THE FRAME RAILS WHILE SHACKLES WERE TEARING OUT FROM THE AXLE HANGER, TIRES WERE BALDING. THE AXLE HANGER SHACKLES FAILED WHILE IN OPERATION NEARLY CAUSING INJURY. LIPPERT WELDED PLATES ON THE FRAME, TIRES REPLACED AND NEW UPGRADED HANGERS INSTALLED. FOUR MONTHS HAVE PASSED, TIRES ARE BALD OR BALDING. FOREST RIVER TOOK TRAILER FOR 10 DAYS FOR REMEDY AND FOUND NOTHING. FOREST RIVER HAS REQUESTED TRAILER FOR ADDITIONAL DAYS (WEEKS) BEYOND WHAT THEY REQUESTED AND I DENIED. FOREST RIVER HAS HAD THE TRAILER, TWO OCCASIONS WITHOUT REMEDY. LIPPERT MADE NO REPORTS ON THIS FAILURE. CONSUMERS AND DEALERS WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF FRAME FAILURE. LIPPERT AND FOREST RIVER PLAYS THE CYA GAME. *TR
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.