- Vehicles
- 1,104
- Built between
- Oct 2012 – Nov 2016
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 3 January 2017
- Repaired
- 33%
- Unrepaired
- 710
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between October 2012 and November 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2015-2017 Forest River FR3Built September 2014 to May 2016
- 2015-2016 Forest River XLRBuilt May 2014 to November 2016
- 2013-2016 Palomino ColumbusBuilt October 2012 to December 2015
- 2015-2017 Prime Time SpartanBuilt June 2014 to May 2016
Repair progress
710 of 1,104 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2021.
33% repaired — 359 of 1,104 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 35
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 FR3 motorhomes manufactured September 24, 2014, to May 12, 2016; 2015-2017 Prime Time Spartan toyhaulers manufactured June 10, 2014, to May 31, 2016; 2013-2016 Palomino Columbus toyhaulers manufactured October 4, 2012, to December 4, 2015; and 2015-2016 XLR Thunderbolt and Nitro toyhaulers manufactured May 23, 2014, to November 23, 2016. These vehicles were equipped with certain aluminum, black, ladders manufactured by Christianson Industries. The affected ladders have retractable hinges, each with a welded 'top hat' that can separate from the hinge.
What could happen
If the hinges separate from the ladder while in use, the ladder may fall from the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
What gets fixed
Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a remedy kit to correct the issue, free of charge. The recall began on January 3, 2017.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtOctober 2012 to November 2016
- Recall reported to NHTSA15 November 2016
- Owners notified3 January 2017
- Latest repair reportQ4 2021 — 33% repaired
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 15 November 2016.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-11102016-0271.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 51-11102016-0271
- Recalling manufacturer
- Forest River, Inc.
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional 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.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.