2021 Forest River Cherokee

When I bought this camper I paid extra for an extensive warranty including the tires. On a recent trip I blew a tire on the trailer and contacted the warranty company. Was instructed to take the trailer and tire to an authorized service center. Upon doing so the service center notified me that the axles were bent because they were insufficient for the size of the trailer. The gentleman I spoke with said that regardless of what the tags read on the camper the axles were not sufficient for the load rating listed on the tag inside the camper. Thus they put excessive strain on the tires and one blew while I was traveling on the highway. He told me another one was ready to blow out. I reached out to the RV dealership where I bought the trailer and they referred me to the trailer manufacturer who denied any responsibility and claimed that the axles were sufficient for that trailer. This is a recurring issue with these travel trailers as I have friends who have the same models and one has already had to replace his axles because they bent and a tire blew out and damaged the side of his camper and the other one changed his tires and springs to help offset the weight issue. I even reached out to the axle manufacturer who supplied these components to the RV company and all they provided was this measurements I needed to order new axles. All I wanted from the RV manufacturer was even a pittance of an offer to help me with this issue but all they did was claim that all the parts were good and they weren't responsible. I have ordered new heavier duty axles and larger tires to accommodate the weight. As I stated the RV repair center that is working on my trailer said the axles were insufficient and the tires were actually too small for a trailer that size. Apparently the only way an RV company will do the right thing is if they are threatened with a lawsuit. Forest River has already been implicated in a lawsuit for other issues. So they are aware that they have issues!

No current incidents that I'm aware of. Landing gear on the 5th wheel isn't designed for this heavy trailer. There is a potential for someone to be seriously hurt, or killed if they have to resort to using bottle Jack's to lift trailer. Also the suspension is very weak, and i believe could break, and cause a major accident...

The contact owns a 2021 Forest River Cherokee RV. The contact stated that as the tires of the RV were frequently flat, the RV was taken to the dealer to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer diagnosed that one of the axles was bent due to the overloading of the RV. The contact stated that the dealer did not provide any further information on the axle that had failed. The contact stated that the load capacity of the two axles was 7,000 pounds, 3,500 pounds each. The contact stated that the load capacity of the RV was 7,934 pounds with a dry weight or unloaded weight of 5,960 pounds, which allowed him to load a maximum of 1,974 pounds per the manufacturer's instructions; however, the contact had never exceeded the maximum of 1,974 pounds when loading the RV even though the manufacturer’s sticker indicated not to overload the camper with more than 1,500 pounds. The contact had been trying to reach the manufacturer and was awaiting a callback. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,900.

The contact owns a 2021 Forest River Cherokee Travel trailer. The contact stated that while the travel trailer was parked at a park, the contact performed an inspection and noticed a metal bar had fractured and detached from the rear passenger's side shock. A park host informed the contact that she could not drive the travel trailer on the highway. The travel trailer was towed to the dealer and diagnosed that the shocks were too small to handle the weight of the travel trailer. The travel trailer was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the shocks were adequate for the weight of the travel trailer.

On my 2021 Forest River Cherokee Wolf Pup 16TS, I observed on the passenger side frame where the wheel is that at some point the axle/leaf spring components came in contact (perhaps many times) with the frame of the trailer. This had made a noticeable dent in the frame. The trailer was not heavily loaded and within GVAWR, GVWR, & CCC limits. From my observations, had I not already changed out the brake assembly's after discovering a failed component inside them, it is clear that the axle collision would have severed the electric brake cables resulting in the trailer brakes being unable to respond and/or failing altogether. My personal assessment of this is that the combination of the 3500lb rated axle as well as the capacity of the leaf springs on these trailers is not sufficient enough to account for allowed cargo weight, plus standard road conditions to avoid having the axle come in contact with the frame above it.