Buying or thinking of aForest River Sierra sport 40spts?? Please read

[Bug Out]

Anyone remotely considering buying the new Forest river Sierra Sport 40 SPTS needs to know how the unit was built and what problems it has. .





Most of these you will not see when looking at it, but discover AFTER you buy it.



If you would like to know more, I'll tell you first hand.



e-mail -- email address removed --



I have owned one now for approx 8 weeks and 4 of those weeks it has been in the shop. It is now in the shop for MORE repairs.





Thanks. Ed

 

[Foil Freak 1211]

Sorry to hear about your problems. Unfortunately, RV quailty in general SUCKS. Hope you get things worked out.

 

[Bug Out]

Owned one before

The last one(Forest River product) I owned had a few minor problems that got worked out, as with any RV.





This one seems to be the "cream of the crop" when it comes to problems. .



Forest River is more then happy to fix all the problems, but when all is said and done, it will a a whole bunch of patch jobs and fixes rather then a new RV.

 

[Todd T]

maybe you should move out of town before buying a new RV. then there will be no more Surprise RV's LOL Sorry, couldnt resist.



I have a Forrest River toy hauler and couldnt be happier. it has the usual stuff but no real problems that required Dealer intervention.

 

[SSage]

Forest River is not known for quality, I looked at the All American Sports and the build quality was bad on the few I looked at. My Dad is having major problems with his Cedar Creek Day Dreamer. I went with KZ and the punch list is short so far after one month of use.

 

[jray]

I have a Forrest River 29 bunk house and it's been in the shop more than in the camp grounds. The second day of ownership on my way back from the out-of-state dealer where I purchased it, I retracted the dining room slide-out only to shred the carpeting and edge molding. A local dealer fixed it, waited 2 months to get into the shop. After this came the circuit breakers for the slide resetting about every 10 seconds. RV shop claimed the circuit breakers were too small. Next the slide again shreds the carpet and destroys the molding. This time I fixed it.



Now the slide-out has a high pitched squeal when retracting the slide. This happens especially if the trailer has been sitting with the slide out for more than a week. It's almost as if the pump is trying to prime itself.



I'm done with Forrest River. They might build decent stuff but I feel like my trailer was a second.

 

[Blue Coyote]

We bought a Forest River Work-N-Play 38SB. It has some issues - circuit breakers, water pipe leaks, wall bows. However most of the issues are minor compared to a lot of the other stuff I see from other manufactures. Towing it to a dealer is not an option, so I just have them supply the parts and I fix the stuff. For the most part RV quality control is non existant. For the $$ it was a good deal. If I had big $ then I would go with a Pace.

 

[TURBOs4LIFE]

Yea Forest River is one of the better brands just don't buy anything from Fleetwood. I work at a RV dealer and every camper we have gotten in the last 2 years has had MAJOR problems and as of this past September we are no longer a Fleetwood dealer.

 

[polarbull]

I posted some pics of frame rail cracks that my sandpiper 5th (made by forest river) had back in april & that they refused to warranty as it was over one year (just barely) these were very bad cracks & could of been a safety issue had I not noticed them. I am surprised that the feds has not made them recall them for safety reasons or at least notify owners to inspect them as a lot of manufacturers use the same frame rails & there has been a number similiar cracks found. I will NEVER buy another forest river product & maybe not any other rv until they quit making such junk for exorbitant prices

 

[Bug Out]

Never again

Todd T... LOL Surprise, Az has been nothing but SURPRISES!!! I own a home I can't get rid of. I'm begining to think of letting it forclose to get out of it!! LOL



I read today realestate in going to drop another 20% before its get better. . Country wide Loans is going to love that!



And I was thinking the Sierra could double as a second home in a pinch!!! Boy was I kidding myself!!!



I have to make the best of it now. . Hopefully, when it gets out of the shop in 3 weeks,(then the tally will be, 7 weeks in the shop, 4 weeks to me!) that will be the last of the major issues.



SSAGE, I really wanted a KZ. . Beautiful rigs... I wanted the 41KGX2 New Vision but could not afford the extra 10-12K. Believe me, I regret not waiting EVERYDAY!!!!!

 

[Prairie Dog]

I've been happy with my FR with the exception of the welding. Check it out closely!



Scotty

 

[JRBurn]

I posted some pics of frame rail cracks that my sandpiper 5th (made by forest river) had back in april & that they refused to warranty as it was over one year (just barely)

Check with them again, the frame which is manufactured by Lippert Components carries a 2 year warranty from the date it went into service (Actual purchase date). Call their customer service number 1-866- 524-7821

 

[SHobbs]

Two and a half years fultime with my Forest River Cardinal and have been pleased. Only been in the twice shop, both times were minor repairs. All in all it has been a great coach.

 

[Grizzly]

So, if Forest River is a badly made camper and Fleetwood is even worse. then who does make a decent 24' to 27' 5th wheel in a medium price range?

 

[JRMora]

I have a FR product (2005 Cedar Creek), and it has had it's fair share of problems. That being said, ALL of the problems were with components that were supplied by OEM's that are used in many brands of trailers (not just FR). Everything has been fixed by my dealer under warranty (including items that were a couple of months outside the factory warranty period). With RV's, your choice of dealer will make or break your experience. The problem with my dealer is that they are small and have limited service space. They just can't get unit's moved quick enough to service them "same day". I plan for a week for the easy stuff - longer for the harder stuff. I'm sure other dealers are better set up to handle things.

 

[Bug Out]

Good dealer helps

What JRMora said is true. Thats was 80% of the problem with the new FR TH I bought.



Vans RV in Surprise, Az basically told me with regards to a poorly installed kitchen cabinet from the factory,



"Thats the way it came from the factory, thats the way it is", even though another identical unit was in the PDI bay that did not have the same problem.



I had never experienced that with a selling Rv dealer. I guess I was spoiled up to that point...



I know they make at least $5,000-$10,000 a unit, if not more.



Theres where the saga began, and continues as I type with my NEW 2007 Sierra Sport in the shop.



The going tally now is, Owned for 12 weeks, been in the shop 8 weeks...



Ed





PS: I can really only blame myself for all this. I should have taken my time and bought a KZ toy hauler that I really wanted. . I would of had to wait another year.

 

[SHobbs]

My dealer has been great to deal with. I bought my 5er in Cleburne at Fun Time RV and I have actually been allowed back into the service area. One time I worked with the tech to solve a leaking slideout problem. Oh and about the many companies that supply RV manufacturers, Flexsteel being one of them. I wish Flexsteel would get out of the business, I have had both sets of recliners fail in the two 5er's I have had. Do yourself a favor and trash them and get quality recliners.

 

[JStrasser]

So, if Forest is a bad camper and Fleetwood is even worse. then who does make a decent 24' to 27' 5th wheel in a medium price range?

One brand to look at is Arctic Fox &/or Nash, both made by Northwood. Good quality, good factory support (I'm sure someone will chime in here with a horror story- can't imagine ANY company that doesn't have some). I'm not saying that AFNash is the company to buy from, but they would be a good place to start. Here is their "Owners Association" website:



http://www.afnash.com/forum/



Good luck,

John

 

[Troubleshooter]

A good friend owns an Arctic Fox TT and loves it. Very well built and insulated (a 4-season trailer). Only thing (and I noticed this on their 5th wheels too) is not as much storage space as some other manufacturers. Not a big deal if you're a weekend camper. Might be a big deal if you take extended trips or live in it full-time (which is what I do).



I'd also suggest that you may want to look at the Crossroads Cruiser www.crossroadsrv.com and the Heartland Sundance http://www.heartlandrvs.com The Cruiser and the Sundance are their mid-level entries. Both make toy haulers of various configurations too.

 

[klenger]

Another recomendation for Arctic Fox.