CSR

Forest River · NHTSA safety record

2018 Forest River Wildwood

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

11

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2018 Forest River Wildwood have filed 11 safety complaints with NHTSA between June 2017 and July 2023. The most complained-about system is the tires, named in 5 of them (45%). The typical failure was reported at 3,000 miles, the median across the 3 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 8 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (8)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

25V682000 · October 10, 2025

The defect
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.
The risk
Unprotected wiring can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
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.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 20,305 vehicles across all model years covered

TRAILER HITCHES

20V563000 · September 18, 2020

The defect
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.
The 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.
The remedy
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.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 4,397 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

18V550000 · August 21, 2018

The defect
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.
The risk
If the trailer brakes cannot engage if the trailer detaches from tow vehicle, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
The remedy
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.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 5,847 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

18V436000 · June 27, 2018

The defect
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.
The risk
The covered water heater exhaust panel could increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
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.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 326 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

17V790000 · December 8, 2017

The defect
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Salem and Wildwood recreational trailers. The Federal Placard on these vehicles incorrectly states that the trailers are equipped with ST215/75R15 Load Range D tires, however, the installed tires are size ST205/75R15 Load Range D. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims," and these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
The risk
If the incorrect label causes the operator to install tires of the wrong size, vehicle handling may be affected, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Forest River will notify owners and provide corrected Federal Placards, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-848-1335. Forest River's number for this recall is 05-0595.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 133 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT

17V756000 · November 22, 2017

The defect
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2003-2018 Forest River Berkshire, Charleston, Rockport, Cedar Creek, Cherokee, Riverstone, Salem, Sandpiper, Sierra, Vengeance, Wildcat, Wildwood, XLR Boost, Cargo Mate, Continental Cargo, motorhomes, recreational trailers, toyhaulers, cargo trailers and restroom trailers and 2009-2018 Coachmen Mirada, Pursuit, Concord, Leprechaun, Freelander, Orion and Prism motorhomes, 2009-2017 Coachmen Apex and Catalina recreational trailers, and 2013-2017 Shasta Oasis and Revere recreational trailers, equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or excessive force may be needed to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
The risk
In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Forest River will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began on December 27, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-348-7440, or Kidde customer service toll free at 1-855-262-3540, or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0544.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 365,885 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

17V484000 · August 2, 2017

The defect
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Salem and Wildwood recreational trailers. The Federal Placards on these vehicles may state an incorrect weight of the trailer. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
The risk
An incorrect weight on the label may affect how the operator loads the vehicle, impacting the handling and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected Federal Placard with correct weight and cargo carrying capacity, free of charge. The recall began August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-4058. Forest River's number for this recall is 63-07312017-0485.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 30 vehicles across all model years covered

TIRES

17V282000 · April 26, 2017

The defect
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Salem, Wildwood, XLR, Sanibel, Wildcat, Vengeance, Chaparral Lite and Columbus recreational trailers. The Federal Placard may inaccurately list the tire and rim combinations that are installed on the trailers. Additionally, the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) information may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims," and 49 CFR part 567, "Certification."
The risk
The incorrect information may cause the operator to install an incorrect replacement rim or tire, overinflate the tire, or overload the vehicle, all scenarios that may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Forest River will notify owners and will provide a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-348-7440. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-04242017-0393.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 71 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 11.

TIRES 5 45%
STRUCTURE 3 27%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 9%
WHEELS 1 9%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 5.

2017 2022 2023
2017 to 2023

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was towing our 2018 Forest River Wildwood 370BL down I 10 coming into Tucson AZ on our way back to Alabama from California when we were approx 20 miles away from our overnight stop in Tucson. I notice that the camper was moving up and down with the bumps and dips and even made contact with the top of my bed on the passenger side causing damage. After attempts to find a mobile RV repair facility that would look at it failed, I called the Lippert, the company listed on the fifth wheel pin box. After removing the exterior panels at their direction It was obvious that there was major damage to the welds themselves on the frame. Speaking to Lippert reps, they agreed over the phone that this

NHTSA complaint 11532069, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
ST225/75R15 4 of 4 tires experienced blow-outs. Tires pressures were normal and monitored by a tire pressure monitoring system. Tread depth was very near full tread depth. All tires blew within 1000 miles of each other. Trailer was bought used. Mileage on tires at failure is believed to be about 2000.0 miles. Photos of 3 of the tires is provided.

NHTSA complaint 11475542. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES:TREAD/BELT
ST205/75/R14 last year our spare blew out while attached to the bumper, the spare tire had never been used. Yesterday, while driving on the turnpike at 75 mph the driver side front tire on our tandem axl blew out. We were able to make it to a safe spot to change the tire with our replacement spare. The blow out tire was extremely hot compared to the other tires on the trailer.

NHTSA complaint 11471183. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
We have 4 original Castle Rock tires blown out. 1 while on the highway, 3 exploded in the middle of the night after being parked in a campground for 3 weeks. These tires have less than 500 original miles on them. The tires are Castle Rock, Radial ST 226 75R15. We have replaced all with exception of the spare. We will keep it for your inspection along with 1 of the ones that blew.

NHTSA complaint 11468150. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
Shortly after purchasing our RV, we noticed one of the trailer exterior doors would not stay closed. We inspected the rig and saw what looked like a small rubber seam separation. Called ins and filed a claim but they said keep moving and keep an eye on it as it was a small separation. The trailer was back on the road about 30 miles when my Husband noticed it sagging and almost resting on our truck bed. We pulled over to see if we were imagining such an issue and found that the rig had literally separated from the frame. The bottom almost out of the master, the master closet crumbled the steps up to the room became dislodged. It became completely un-towable & could have resulted in a

NHTSA complaint 11461137, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES:BEAD

3,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Forest River Wildwood RV equipped with Castlerock ST Tires, Tire Line: Radial ST 226, Tire Size: 225/75/R15, DOT Number: JULT-1MT2617. The contact stated while driving approximately 63 MPH, the rear driver's side tire deflated and became completely flat. The contact was able to pull over safely and replace the flat tire with the spare tire himself. The contact stated that the tire was original equipment. The approximate tire and vehicle failure mileage was 3,000. Additional information, right tire spontaneously blew out while parked in my driveway. Unlike the reported tire which was torn to shreds when the blowout occurred on the highway. VIN is invalid.

NHTSA complaint 11460182. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Forest River Wildwood

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2022 9 7
2021 10 10
2014 8 4

Other 2018 Forest River models

Every Forest River on this site — 30 vehicles, 428 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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Independent developer and analyst