← New search

2020 Forest River Cherokee

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all Cherokee years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 6 of 14 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Structure. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Tires. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

2 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Jul 9, 2025
Electrical SystemFire

The contact owned a 2020 Forest River Cherokee. The contact stated that while inside the vehicle, while it was parked in the driveway, an abnormal chemical odor was emitting from the interior and exterior of the vehicle. In addition, afterward, a fuel-burning odor was emitted from the interior and exterior of the vehicle. The co…

Read full complaint

The contact owned a 2020 Forest River Cherokee. The contact stated that while inside the vehicle, while it was parked in the driveway, an abnormal chemical odor was emitting from the interior and exterior of the vehicle. In addition, afterward, a fuel-burning odor was emitted from the interior and exterior of the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed black smoke emitting from the battery area. No warning lights were illuminated. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The fire department informed the contact that the fire may have started due to a failure of the solar connection. The front end of the vehicle was consumed by the fire. The insurance company was notified. However, no claim has been filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V654000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM).

NHTSA ODI #11672371

Mileage unknown · Feb 3, 2021
Electrical System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 FOREST RIVER CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STARING AND TURNING THE IGNITION SWITCH, IT FRACTURED AND CONTINUED TO ROTATE. THE CONTACT CALLED OUTLET RECREATION (2088 202ND ST E CLEARWATER, MN 55320; (320) 373-9139) WHERE INFORMED TO UPGRADE TO HYDRAULIC HANDLES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR RE…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 FOREST RIVER CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STARING AND TURNING THE IGNITION SWITCH, IT FRACTURED AND CONTINUED TO ROTATE. THE CONTACT CALLED OUTLET RECREATION (2088 202ND ST E CLEARWATER, MN 55320; (320) 373-9139) WHERE INFORMED TO UPGRADE TO HYDRAULIC HANDLES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI #11394523

Official recalls

7

24V003000 · Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer; Structure:frame And Members

Jan 5, 2024

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Cherokee travel trailers. The draw bar locking mechanism may break, which can cause the front end of the trailer to contact the road.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A trailer that contacts the road during transit increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the Ice Hose swing arm draw bars, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 5, 2024. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-4995. Forest River's number for this recall is 95-1705.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Cherokee travel trailers. The draw bar locking mechanism may break, which can cause the front end of the trailer to contact the road.

Consequence: A trailer that contacts the road during transit increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the Ice Hose swing arm draw bars, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 5, 2024. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-4995. Forest River's number for this recall is 95-1705.

Structure:frame And Members

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Cherokee travel trailers. The draw bar locking mechanism may break, which can cause the front end of the trailer to contact the road.

Consequence: A trailer that contacts the road during transit increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the Ice Hose swing arm draw bars, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 5, 2024. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-4995. Forest River's number for this recall is 95-1705.

20V654000 · Electrical System

Oct 26, 2020

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Cherokee recreational trailers. The shore cord inlet wiring insulation may not have been sufficiently stripped back, causing a poor connection with the set screw.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A poor electrical connection can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will remove the inlet, and rewire or replace the inlet completely if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 23, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-499-2100. Forest River's number for this recall is 17D-1201.

20V075000 · Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer; Tires:temporary/emergency Spare Tire

Feb 12, 2020

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Surveyor, NO BO, Cherokee, R. POD, Clipper, Viking, Independence, Puma and East to West trailers. The spare tire carrier U-bolts may fail allowing the spare tire carrier and spare tire detach from the vehicle.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the spare tire carrier and spare tire detach from the vehicle while in motion, it can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace U-bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 20, 2020. Owners may contact Surveyor, NO BO, R. and POD customer service at 1-574-642-3119, Independence, Viking, and Clipper customer service at 1-269-467-4600, Puma customer service at -574-642-0606, East and West customer service at 1-574-264-6664 or Cherokee customer service at 1-877-426-5337. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1133.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Surveyor, NO BO, Cherokee, R. POD, Clipper, Viking, Independence, Puma and East to West trailers. The spare tire carrier U-bolts may fail allowing the spare tire carrier and spare tire detach from the vehicle.

Consequence: If the spare tire carrier and spare tire detach from the vehicle while in motion, it can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace U-bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 20, 2020. Owners may contact Surveyor, NO BO, R. and POD customer service at 1-574-642-3119, Independence, Viking, and Clipper customer service at 1-269-467-4600, Puma customer service at -574-642-0606, East and West customer service at 1-574-264-6664 or Cherokee customer service at 1-877-426-5337. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1133.

Tires:temporary/emergency Spare Tire

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Surveyor, NO BO, Cherokee, R. POD, Clipper, Viking, Independence, Puma and East to West trailers. The spare tire carrier U-bolts may fail allowing the spare tire carrier and spare tire detach from the vehicle.

Consequence: If the spare tire carrier and spare tire detach from the vehicle while in motion, it can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace U-bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 20, 2020. Owners may contact Surveyor, NO BO, R. and POD customer service at 1-574-642-3119, Independence, Viking, and Clipper customer service at 1-269-467-4600, Puma customer service at -574-642-0606, East and West customer service at 1-574-264-6664 or Cherokee customer service at 1-877-426-5337. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1133.

19V844000 · Trailer Hitches

Nov 25, 2019

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Cascade and Cherokee travel trailers. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of the vehicle exceeds the GVWR of the trailer hitch coupler, potentially resulting in the coupler failing and the trailer detaching.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A trailer that detaches from the tow vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners and dealers will replace the coupler, free of charge. The recall began February 17, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-499-2100 or 1-541-995-3447. Forest River's number for this recall is 64-1114.

19V785000 · Equipment:electrical; Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer

Nov 1, 2019

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Cherokee Alpha Wolf Travel Trailers. The wire supplying the 12V power for the refrigerator may have been connected incorrectly to the circuit breaker.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The incorrectly connected wire may not have overcurrent protection, allowing the wire to melt, increasing the risk of fire.

Remedy: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will correct the wiring, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-499-2100. Forest River's number for this recall is 76-1109.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Equipment:electrical

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Cherokee Alpha Wolf Travel Trailers. The wire supplying the 12V power for the refrigerator may have been connected incorrectly to the circuit breaker.

Consequence: The incorrectly connected wire may not have overcurrent protection, allowing the wire to melt, increasing the risk of fire.

Remedy: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will correct the wiring, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-499-2100. Forest River's number for this recall is 76-1109.

Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Cherokee Alpha Wolf Travel Trailers. The wire supplying the 12V power for the refrigerator may have been connected incorrectly to the circuit breaker.

Consequence: The incorrectly connected wire may not have overcurrent protection, allowing the wire to melt, increasing the risk of fire.

Remedy: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will correct the wiring, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-499-2100. Forest River's number for this recall is 76-1109.

19V668000 · Electrical System:wiring

Sep 20, 2019

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020 Cherokee trailers, models CKT16BF-D, CKT16BFH-D, CKT16GR-D and CKT16GRH-D. The protective paneling may not have been installed around the distribution panel, allowing the distribution panel wiring to be exposed in a storage compartment, which can lead to damage to the panel and wiring.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Damaged distribution panel wiring can increase the risk of electrical shock or fire.

Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a divider in the storage compartment to ensure the distribution panel wiring is protected, free of charge. The recall began October 9, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-260-499-2100. Forest River's number for this recall is 17D-1089.

19V453000 · Equipment:other:labels

Jun 14, 2019

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Cherokee trailers, model CKT294BH. The Federal Placard states incorrect Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC) and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) information, which may result in the trailer being overloaded.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An operator may rely on the incorrect Placard information and overload the trailer causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Forest River has notified owners, providing replacement placards that contain accurate Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Cargo Carrying Capacity information, free of charge. The recall began June 24, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-541-995-3447. Forest River's number for this recall is 64-1033.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.