2019 Forest River Salem Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Oct 10, 2025 · 5 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Salem years
Not enough data 7th of 31 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Forest River Salem. That ranks 7th out of 31 Salem model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is tires (3 complaints, 60%), typically at around 850 miles. There are 11 safety recalls covering this model year.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

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Most common 2019 Forest River Salem problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Tires3 · ~850 mi
Wheels2 · ~22,950 mi
Equipment1 · ~800 mi
Suspension1 · ~45,000 mi
Unknown or Other1
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Tires360%850——
Wheels240%22,950——
Equipment120%800——
Suspension120%45,000——
Unknown or Other120%———

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2020, with 2 complaints
2020: 2202022021: 1202112022: 1202212023: 120231

n = 5 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2019 Forest River Salem recalls (11)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Electrical system:wiringOct 10, 2025 · NHTSA campaign 25V682000 · 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/trailerAug 9, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V621000 · 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; trailer hitchesSep 18, 2020 · NHTSA campaign 20V563000 · 4,397 vehicles

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.

EquipmentAug 14, 2020 · NHTSA campaign 20V482000 · 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:wiringDec 27, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V933000 · 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.

Exterior lightingDec 3, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V856000 · 5 vehicles

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, “Lamps, 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.

Suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assemblySep 13, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V624000 · 935 vehicles

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 batteryAug 21, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V550000 · 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/trailerJun 27, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V436000 · 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:wiringJun 25, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V428000 · 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.

Suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assemblyJun 8, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V386000 · 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.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

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

Tires · received Apr 29, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11519607

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 wasn’t until taking off the vent duct to get a look inside, we saw the bottom was open and completely exposed to the plywood that…

Unknown or Other · received Nov 14, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11493464

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…

Tires · received Jan 5, 2021 · NHTSA complaint 11386623

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…

Wheels · received Dec 1, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11377379

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…

Suspension · received Jul 20, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11340398

Other Forest River Salem years

← 2018 Salem · 2020 Salem →

See all Forest River Salem problems by year, every Forest River model, or the VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2019 Forest River Salem?

Owners most often report tires, wheels, equipment problems. The top one, tires, accounts for 3 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2019 Forest River Salem?

Yes, 11 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2019 Forest River Salem a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Salem model years, the 2019 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.