The 2019 Forest River Salem has 11 safety recalls and 5 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is tires (4 complaints).
Recalls11safety recalls
Complaints5filed by owners
Crashes · fires0 · 0reported in complaints
Injuries · deaths0 · 0reported in complaints
Safety recalls
Electrical system › Wiring
NHTSA recall 25V682000 · Oct 10, 2025 · 20,305 vehicles
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Forest River Aurora, Coachmen Catalina, 2026 Coachmen Viking, Coachmen Clipper, 2016-2026 Wildwood, and Salem recreational trailers. The distribution panel wire may be connected to the battery without over current protection.
Risk: Unprotected wiring can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will relocate the distribution panel wire to the correct side of the breaker, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2025. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-4995. Forest River's number for this recall is 205-1987.
Equipment › Recreational vehicle/trailer
NHTSA recall 21V621000 · Aug 9, 2021 · 336 vehicles
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Salem, Wildwood and 2020-2021 Stealth EVO travel trailers. The fresh water tank may not be properly secured to the vehicle's frame.
Risk: A fresh water tank that detaches from the frame could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will properly secure the holding tank, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 23, 2021. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-503-831-5410. Forest River's number for this recall is 22-1400.
Electrical system › Integrated trailer brake control
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Wildwood, Salem, and 2020 Sonoma travel trailers. The break-away safety switch may not be wired to constant power, which can cause the trailer brakes to not activate in the event of a trailer separation from the tow vehicle.
Risk: If the brakes of the trailer do not engage, it can result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will rewire the breakaway switch, free of charge. The recall began October 13, 2020. Owners may contact Forest customer service at 1-909-873-3777. Forest River's number for this recall is 67A-1230.
Components: Electrical system › Integrated trailer brake control; Trailer hitches
Equipment
NHTSA recall 20V482000 · Aug 14, 2020 · 643 vehicles
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Salem and Wildwood motorhomes. The fresh water tank may not be properly secured to the vehicle's frame.
Risk: A fresh water tank that detaches from the frame could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will properly secure the holding tank, free of charge. This recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-503-831-5410. Forest River's number for this recall is 22-1219.
Electrical system › Wiring
NHTSA recall 18V933000 · Dec 27, 2018 · 151 vehicles
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Salem and Wildwood recreational trailers. The power cord hatch is located above the water heater exhaust, possibly resulting in the cord or the hatch melting.
Risk: A melted cord may result in bare wiring, increasing the risk of fire.
Fix: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will secure the power cord away from the water heater exhaust, free of charge. The recall began February 4, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 574-534-6127. Forest River's number for this recall is 44-0929.
Problem: Forest River, Inc (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Forest River Salem and Wildwood recreational trailers. The clearance lights on these vehicles may not work due to being incorrectly wired. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, ÂLamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Inoperative clearance lights can reduce the trailers visibility to others, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will correct the clearance light wiring, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-6127. Forest River's number for this recall is 63-0921.
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Coachmen Catalina and Apex travel trailers and Forest River Shasta, Wildwood, Salem, Vibe, Sierra, Sandpiper, XLR and Prime Time travel trailers. The axles may be missing inner bearing races on the hubs, which can cause the bearing to burnout or cause the hub to overheat.
Risk: The missing bearing race may cause premature hub bearing failure, possibly resulting in a separation of the hub from the axle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace the defective hubs with new hubs or replace the axles, free of charge. The recall began October 9, 2018. For customer service, Catalina owners may contact Coachmen at 1-574-825-8657, Apex owners should call 1-574-358-0401, Shasta owners: 1-574-825-8717, Wildwood and Salem owners: 1-574-534-3167, Vibe owners: 1-574-296-2084, Sierra and Sandpiper owners: 1-574-534-4574, XLR owners: 1-574-642-0432, Prime Time owners: 1-574-862-1025. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0851.
Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery
NHTSA recall 18V550000 · Aug 21, 2018 · 5,847 vehicles
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Forest River Salem, Wildcat Maxx, Wildwood, Vibe, and Rainier recreational trailers. The break-away safety switch may not have been wired to a constant power source, and, as a result, the switch may be inadvertently disconnected from the trailer house battery causing the brakes to not engage if the trailer detaches from the tow vehicle.
Risk: If the trailer brakes cannot engage if the trailer detaches from tow vehicle, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a new wiring harness to reroute the wiring, free of charge. The recall began September 25, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-503-831-5410. Forest River's number for this recall is 22/30-0824.
Equipment › Recreational vehicle/trailer
NHTSA recall 18V436000 · Jun 27, 2018 · 326 vehicles
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forest River Wildwood, and 2016-2019 Forest River Salem recreational trailers. The outside auxiliary shower faucet cover may cover the water heater exhaust panel when opened.
Risk: The covered water heater exhaust panel could increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will install a replacement outside shower, free of charge. The recall began on July 24, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-3167. Forest River's number for this recall is 44-0762.
Electrical system › Wiring
NHTSA recall 18V428000 · Jun 25, 2018 · 110 vehicles
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Forest River Wildwood and Salem recreational trailers. The break-away safety switch may have been improperly wired such that it is not connected to a constant power source, thereby possibly preventing the trailer brakes from automatically applying if the trailer were to separate from the tow vehicle.
Risk: If the trailer does not brake when it becomes detached from the tow vehicle, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a new wiring harness, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-4058. Forest River's number for this recall is 69-0764.
NHTSA recall 18V386000 · Jun 8, 2018 · 152 vehicles
Problem: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Forest River Salem and Wildwood recreational trailers. These vehicles are equipped with an axle equalizer that can allow the axle to contact the chassis.
Risk: If the axle contacts the chassis, it could result in axle failure, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will replace the axle equalizer kit with a taller equalizer kit, free of charge. The recall began on June 27, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-4058. Forest River's number for this recall is 72-0753.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
What owners report
Problem area
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Typical mileage*
Tires Tread/belt; Temporary/emergency spare tire
4
0
0
0
—
Wheels
2
0
0
0
—
Suspension
1
0
0
0
—
Equipment Recreational vehicle/trailer
1
0
0
0
—
Unknown or other
1
0
0
0
—
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
Oct 15, 2022Tires › Tread/belt St205/75r15 Tread separating on the spare tire. Out of 5, this is second tire to fail. Ist incident, Oct 15, 2022. Tread separated from rear passenger trailer tire. Put spare tire on and after 50 miles, tread is raised on 1/2 of the circumference of the tire on inside half
Nov 12, 2022Unknown or other 1. Furnace 2. Fire hazard 3. No 4. No 4. No warnings Our RV furnace was putting out a burnt wood smell every time it kicked on. After inspecting it multiple times it wasnât until taking off the vent duct to get a look inside, we saw the bottom was open and completely exposed to the plywood that the furnace sits on and not covered by metal. This caused the furnace to burn the plywood every time the heat kicked on. There were 2 pieces of plywood under the furnace and then the main floor covered in linoleum. The first board was completely charred from the out put of the heat. The second under the charred board was slightly burned and the main floor with the linoleum was burned. This was a…
Dec 6, 2020 · 800 milesTires I PURCHASED A 2019 FORREST RIVER SALEM CRUISE LITE FROM CAMPER WORLD THAT CAME WITH CASTLE ROCK ST 205 75R14 TIRES ON IT. I HAVE HAD ALL (4) TIRES EXPLODE GOING 60 MPH. I HAVE REPLACED ALL TIRES. THESE TIRE ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. I ALWAYS CARRY A SPARE NOW I CARRY TWO. CAMPER HAS VERY LOW MILES ON IT. IS THERE ANYTHING TO BE DONE TO GET THESE TIME BOMB TIRES OFF THE ROAD?
Nov 26, 2020 · 900 milesWheels WHILE PULLING OUR CAMPER ON I-10 IN FLORIDA AT 65 MPH, OUR TIRE BLEW OUT CAUSING US TO BE STRANDED.. IT ALSO DAMAGED THE RIM AND PART OF OUR CAMPER. AFTER PUTTING THE SPARE TIRE ON, WE NOTICED IT LOOKED WARPED AND DROVE SLOWLY TO OUR CAMPING LOCATION. AFTER SETTING UP FOR CAMP, WE NOTICED THE REMAINING TIRE LOOKED STRANGE TOO. WE HAD TO BUY A NEW TIRE AND RIM TO GET HOME. BOTTOM LINE IS, ALL THREE TIRES THAT CAME ON OUR NEW CAMPER WERE SUSPECT. WE BOUGHT THIS CAMPER NEW AND EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO USE IT MORE THAN 3 TIMES BEFORE NEEDING TO REPLACE TIRES. THE TIRES SEEM TO BE DEFECTIVE AND THEY WERE ON OUR FORREST RIVER SALEM CAMPER. CASTLE ROCK TIRES BY LIONSHEAD SPECIALTY TIRE & WHEEL
Jul 18, 2020 · 45,000 milesSuspension TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 FOREST RIVER SALEM TRAILER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RV WAS TILTED AND THAT ONE SIDE WAS LOWER THAN THE OTHER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THEY NOTICED THE LEAK SPRINGS HAD FAILED ON PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE TIRE TO HIT THE ROAD. THE CONTACT HAD NOT TAKEN THE TRAILER TO THE DEALER DUE TO THEM NOT PURCHASING THE TRAILER AT THAT PARTICULAR DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE, HOWEVER, THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE AS OF YET. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.