Forest River · NHTSA safety record

2019 Forest River R-POD

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

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Owners of the 2019 Forest River R-POD have filed 9 safety complaints with NHTSA between August 2020 and April 2026. The most complained-about system is the body structure, named in 6 of them (67%). The typical failure was reported at 12,500 miles, the median across the 3 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (2)

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER:PLUMBING:SEWAGE/BLACK:PIPE/FITTINGS

20V763000 · December 10, 2020

The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2020 RPOD travel trailers. The sewer termination bracket may fail, causing the plumbing to drag on the ground or to detach completely.
The risk: If the plumbing were to detach, it can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a new securement bracket, free of charge. The recall began January 12, 2021. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3119, option 2. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1265.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 2,828 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

19V356000 · May 10, 2019

The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2020 R. Pod travel trailers. The wire for the refrigerator's spark igniter may have been connected to a breaker that permits a current higher than the wire can handle.
The risk: Without the proper circuit breaker protection, the wire can melt, increasing the risk of fire.
The remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will move the wire from the 30 AMP circuit to the designated 15 AMP circuit, free of charge. The recall began May 28, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3119. Forest River's number for this recall is 80-1011.

Forest River, Inc. · up to 1,346 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 9.

STRUCTURE 6 67%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 22%

TIRES 2 22%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 11%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2020 at 2.

2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed August 31, 2020

fire · 1,000 miles

THE CAMPER WAS NOT IN USE SITTING STORED WITH AC RUNNING BRAND NEW. CAUGHT FIRE. HAS NOT BEEN USED AS IT WAS PURCHASED RIGHT BEFORE COVID 19. AC WAS ON TO KEEP OUT MOLD. NOTHING ELSE WAS ON OR BEING USED UNIT WAS PLUGGED IN FOR 7 DAYS BEFORE IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. PLUGGED INTO THE HOUSE ELECTRIC USING THE FACTORY CABLE THAT CAME WITH IT. POSSIBLE SAFETY ISSUE AS LOOKING THROUGH PUBLIC GROUPS AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE 2019 R-POD 190. UNIT WAS BRAND NEW WE ARE VERY LUCKY THAT WE WERE NOT USING THE CAMPER I DO NOT WANT TO SEE ANYONE GET HURT WE DID RECEIVE A POLICE REPORT

NHTSA complaint 11352206. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE Filed April 15, 2026

35,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Forest River R-Pod Towable. The contact stated that while the trailer was being inspected, the contact was informed that there were fractures in the frame of the underbody of the trailer. The fractures were primarily towards the rear end of the trailer. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

NHTSA complaint 11731301. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES Filed October 3, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Forrest River R-Pod equipped with Castle Rock tires, Tire Line: Radial ST226, Tire Size: ST225/75/R15, DOT Number: JULT1MT. The contact stated that after replacing the driver’s side tire with the spare tire and driving less than 100 miles on the spare tire, the spare tire was placed back on the trailer hitch. The contact then became aware that the spare tire had experienced a blowout. The contact had not taken the spare tire to a tire shop. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage for the trailer was unknown. The failure mileage on the spare tire was approximately 60.

NHTSA complaint 11617814. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY Filed July 26, 2024

12,500 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Forest River R-Pod Towable. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the driver's side mirror and the fender was slightly tilted upward on the outer edge due to the wheel touching the fender. The contact pulled into the nearest parking lot and became aware that the side marker light self-tapping screws had been shredding the tires. The contact raised the fender and reattached it to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on the passenger’s side and temporarily repaired the RV. The contact researched and became aware that the floor was wider than the frame by approximately 6 to 7 inches, causing the wall to place the

NHTSA complaint 11604639, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES:BEAD Filed September 25, 2022

r-pod travel trailer tire, ST225/75R15, blew out. Fortunately, we were not on the road. Returned home to see the tire had exploded during our absence. Only read on an online forum about the problems others have had with this brand of tire installed by the manufacturer. The load rating of this tire "D" is not sufficient for this travel trailer even at the maximum pressure of 65 psi. Last used 6 weeks ago and there were no visible tire distortions indicating a rubber/belt defect or separation. This tire has always been maintained at 65 psi.

NHTSA complaint 11486299. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY Filed March 23, 2022

Serious wall sag issue under slide potentially causing fender to rub tire.

NHTSA complaint 11457929. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY Filed December 22, 2021

The floor of the camper trailer is cantilevered out past the frame by 7 inches on each side. The walls and camper slideout are supported by the cantilevered floor which begins to sag over time. The tire fenders are mounted to the walls which makes them lower down and begin to hit the tires. This begins to damage the tire and or rip the fendar off the trailer falling into traffic. The following years of trailers have six outright braces on each side welded and bolted to the frame to prevent this, showing that Forest River is aware of the design problem.

NHTSA complaint 11444697. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Forest River R-POD

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Deaths
2020	8	3	—
2018	10	1	—

Other 2019 Forest River models

Cherokee 9 Rockwood 8

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

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file , published August 20, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API , most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file , published 2026-08-19.

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.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst