2019 Forest River Vibe recalls & complaints
Source: NHTSA, updated daily. Last checked 2026-10-19. Recalls apply to specific VINs — run your VIN to confirm.
2 safety recalls, most serious first
1. Transmission / drivetrain
What's wrong, in plain English: The parts that send engine power to the wheels. Failure can mean a sudden loss of power or the car rolling away. 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.
What could happen: 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.
The 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, Wildw…
What to do
- Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2019 VIBE.
- Book a repair at any authorized Forest River dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 18V624000 (manufacturer code 51-0851).
- The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
- Manufacturer hotline: 1-574-825-8657.
- Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA
Component: SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY
Summary: 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
2. Electrical system
What's wrong, in plain English: Wiring, modules, batteries. Short circuits can cause stalls or fires. 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.
What could happen: If the trailer brakes cannot engage if the trailer detaches from tow vehicle, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
The 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.
What to do
- Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2019 VIBE.
- Book a repair at any authorized Forest River dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 18V550000 (manufacturer code 22/30-0824).
- The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
- Manufacturer hotline: 1-503-831-5410.
- Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
Summary: 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.
Consequence: If the trailer brakes cannot engage if the trailer detaches from tow vehicle, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
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.
Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Useful for owners
- OBD2 code reader — see what the car's computer is reporting
- Portable jump starter
- 2019 Forest River Vibe owner's manual
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Most complained-about parts: Body / structure (3), Suspension (2), Wheels / tires (1), Equipment (1).
Complaints are unverified reports from owners. A pattern (many complaints about the same part) matters more than any single one.
Read recent complaints (5)
10/01/2023 · Suspension
This travel trailer is dual axle. Each side has 3 couplings welded to the frame. The leaf springs bolt to these couplings. During a routine inspection on 9/30/2023, found cracks on the aft passenger side coupling. The aft welds are cracked all the way through and the front welds are cracked half way through. The coupling is pulled away from the frame.…
11/12/2022 · Suspension
On Friday, November 11, 2022 while traveling to North Carolina from Ohio, our travel trailer suffered a catastrophic incident. One of the axles broke while driving on I64E, resulting in the tire coming off, damaging the body of the camper, and leaving my husband stranded several hours from home. After waiting for hours, he was not even able to find anyone t…
01/25/2022 · Equipment
The propane stopped working, I had just installed new refilled tanks and was troubleshooting so I turned on the refrigerator propane and waited outside for it to light. When it tries to light there is a big whooshing noise coming from the burner. I have never heard that before when running my refrigerator off of my propane. I went to listen at the tanks…
09/13/2019 · Body / structure
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 FOREST RIVER VIBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RV WAS LEAKING WATER FROM THE CEILING ONTO THE WALLS. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE SHOWER, TOILET, AND EXHAUST PIPES WERE ALSO LEAKING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE RV TO CAMPING WORLD TAMPA (LOCATED AT 4811 MCINTOSH RD, DOVER, FL 33527, 1-888-851-2832) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WA…
03/08/2019 · Body / structure
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 FOREST RIVER VIBE. WHILE THE RV WAS PARKED WITH THE HEATER ACTIVATED, THE CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM SOUNDED. ON A SECOND OCCASION, WHILE THE CONTACT WAS SLEEPING, HE WAS AWAKENED BY THE NEIGHBOR ALERTING HIM THAT THE CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM WAS SOUNDING AGAIN. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE HOT WATER HEATER WAS NOT ATTACHED TO THE FRAME,…