2021 Forest River FR3
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Service brakes is the leading concern among 5 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the highest complaint count among 7 FR3 model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 1 involved a fire.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Equipment, recreational vehicle/trailer, lpg systems, tank assemblyFeb 12, 2024
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Georgetown and FR3 Class A motorhomes. The liquid petroleum gas (LPG) tank mounting brackets may break, which can result in the LPG tank becoming dislodged and damaged.
A damaged LPG tank increases the risk of a fire.
Dealers will inspect and replace the brackets and welds as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 11, 2024. Owners may contact Forest River Customer Service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 68-1736.
Campaign 24V103000 on NHTSA.gov
EquipmentApr 13, 2023
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021 Forester 2401BSD, FR3 F3A32DSF, Georgetown GTA36K7, 2022-2023 East to West Entrada, 2023 East to West Alta, Coachmen Apex, Brookstone, Chaparral and Chaparral Lite, Forest River Crusader, Sanibel, Shasta Phoenix, Coachmen Spirit, and East to West Tandara vehicles. The solar panel mounting hardware may become loose and pull through the slot in the panel.
Loose hardware can cause the solar panels to detach from the vehicle during transit, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will install additional hardware to the existing panel and install a secondary holding bracket, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2023. Owners may contact East to West Alta, Entrada and Tandara customer service at 1-574-264-6664; Coachmen Apex and Spirit customer service at 1-574-825-8205; Coachmen Brookstone, Chaparral, Chaparral Lite, and Shasta Phoenix customer service at 1-574-825-7101; Crusader and Sanibel customer service at 1-574-862-1025; and Georgetown Forester and FR3 customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1607.
Campaign 23V262000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringJun 19, 2020
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2021 FR3 recreational vehicles built on a Ford chassis with a V8 engine. The wiring harness may have an incorrect wire connected to the parking brake, allowing the leveling jacks to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is in motion.
If the leveling jacks deploy while the vehicle is in motion, it can cause loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will correct the wiring harness, free of charge. This recall began June 26, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 68-1178.
Campaign 20V361000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
5 reports, newest first.
Structure, Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Forest River FR3 built on a 2020 Ford F-53 Chassis. The contact stated while driving and exceeding 45 MPH, the contact noticed that the dashboard was bouncing. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the bottom of the dashboard fractured and separated along with the parts attached to the dashboard. The RV was taken to the dealer, where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The dealer provided an estimate for the repair. The dealer notified the manufacturer of the failure, but the manufacturer informed the dealer that the repair could not be covered because the RV was not covered under warranty. The RV was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
Other or unspecified, Mar 12, 2024
LP brackets are cracked at the welding
Other or unspecified, Nov 2, 2023, fire
Due to faulty welding of the supports for the onboard propane tank, the tank fell out the bottom of the rig on I-70 outside Kansas City on June 6 2023. The tank bounced around, knocking out one one of the drive shafts before bursting into flames. There was no warning before this happened as there are no sensors for that. With the rig being a total loss, there is no way to reproduce the problem. My insurance company hired a fire investigator, but findings were inconclusive due to the extent of the fire damage. I have since found others that have had this issue, but mine is the first that led to a fire that I am aware of. [XXX] . Forest River has been contacted, but they deny a problem exists. All five passengers made it out safely. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Steering, Suspension, Nov 1, 2021
Our 2021 Forest River FR3 34DS is built on the 2020 Ford F53 V8 chassis. When bringing the RV in for other service, the Ford dealer noticed that one of the bolts was missing from the rear sway bar. Further inspection showed that the coupling used to attach the sway bar was seriously deformed. This had a negative impact on the steering/handling of the RV in windy weather and when being passed by semis, RVs, and local delivery box trucks. We had to wait about a month for the parts to come in and be installed. A quick google will show this is a wide-spread problem across multiple brands of RVs that are built on the F53 chassis. This seems like either a design issue or a need to torque those bolts to a specific value.
Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Nov 1, 2021
Our 2021 Forest River FR3 34DS is built on the 2020 Ford F53 Chassis with the V8 engine. Our unit was recalled for potentially insufficient axle lubricant. After Ford replaced the bearings, our anti-skid, ABS, and cruise-control stopped working with indicators showing that on the dash. The Ford dealer believes the problem is with the tone ring. It has been several months and the Ford dealer is unable to obtain a tone-ring. Meanwhile, the RV continues not to have these important safety features.