Forest River 2401W Class C reviews

DO NOT purchase a Forrest River product! We have a 2016 Forest River Forester 2401W motorhome which we purchased because of it's Mercedes chassis. We regrettably chose to disregard the numerous negative reviews of Forrest River products which have proven prophetic. Our MH has 6,465 miles and I found the Hellwig sway bar that F.R. so highly touts literally hanging from the rear axle housing by one bracket! Upon inspection and contacting Hellwig, I was informed that it was dangerously (per Hellwig) installed not even close to Hellway's specifications by F.R. The Hellway technician told me to NOT attempt replacing this sway bar send him pictures of all aspects and the remove it! I have actually found this exact type of build quality in almost every area of this M.H. which I would never expect in a unit in this price range. I would be glad to expound further on all of the issues requiring repair we have found which are far too numerous to include in this review. Our best, Phil and Kaisha Sulkosky Show less

I owned this new 2019 Forester for a total of 5 months or 14000 miles. I bought it in February when it became apparent that my husband could no longer fly to Arizona for his monthly treatments. This small Class C on a Mercedes Sprinter Chassis seemed just right, sleek looking, not much larger than a truck, fast and economic to drive, spacious floor plan for the night. I might have gotten a lemon, but this unit was poorly made, using cheap plastics for locks and latches that constantly broke; Outside compartments kept opening up in mid-drive and could not be reliably locked; The glue used was sub-standard, the floor discolored, the rubber cover on the stair cover came off, sending me flying to the floor, the bathroom mirror came loose, the wood looking paper veneer peeled off; The hub cap came off almost immediately; Something was wrong with the electronics, when it rained, the LED park lights stayed on for a few days; The touch-screen monitor was temperamental and didn't work reliably all the time; the waste tank handles didn't close the valves properly, showering me with gunk every time I opened the sewer cap. I suffered through the first few repairs in good humor, being able to schedule them between my trips to the hospital, BUT when the slide-out malfunctioned on the 5th trip, leaving me stranded until Road Service jammed the slide back in, breaking the trim, gaskets, rails inside, leaving openings for wind, dust, insects, hot air and yes, vermin to come inside, when I was not able to schedule warranty repairs before the summer was over with any of the Forest River dealers in Montana or Arizona (when Co-Vid hit in earnest and America discovered camping, repair appointments were months out) Forest River Customer service initially proposed that I drive it broken with 4 x 4's holding in the slide, which I tried for 1500 miles, but gave up when the A/C gave out because of the excessive heat coming in. I did receive a very nice letter from the CEO, Peter Liegl, assuring me that Forest River is very interested, and that somebody would be in touch. I could not wait any longer and traded the lemon in at great financial loss to me. I gave the floor plan 3 stars, because when the slide works, it is spacious and quite wonderful. In fact, my new unit has the same floor plan, albeit quality and workmanship are far superior. Show less

Well the MB part of this Lemon is doing just fine. Only complaint was that RV Wholesalers did a poor job of acquainting me with the emergency brake dual positions because of the rotating front seats. It cost me $175 at a Sprinter center in San Diego to get “educated” The quality of this a Forest River product is terrible. Many circuit breakers routeenly pop. Many electronic components have failed; central control unit failed, microwave has failed, main TV has failed, coach radio failed, contact paper finish on cabinets has pealed, drawers have broken, etc. etc. This product is a piece of junk. Getting product support while traveling is impossible. Forest River dealers refuse to do warranty work if you didn’t buy it from them. Warren Buffet is getting rich and his customers are royally screwed. Do not buy a Forest River product, unless you can stand operating a lemon! There is just no excuse for such poor quality and reliability and a warranty plan that is useless. Shame on Warren Buffet. I want a refund for this LEMON! Show less

This 2016 has been a dream. No problems! Bought it used with 7200 miles. Gets great gas mileage and is very reliable. The mbs diesel gets approximately 16 miles to a gallon. Great for long RV trips. No issues to date. Stored in a garage. Has 20K miles. Everything works great! Show less

I have spent more money on repairs than I have camping! Bought this rig brand new as I wanted something dependable. Water dripped on my mothers head on the way home and I thought the passenger door leaked because the seals appeared loose. Turns out the window in bunk area leaked, improper installation, ruined bed,repaired. Radio kept cutting out on the way home, and the GPS is way too small to read. Satellite radio antenna should be mounted on top of rig but it's not and cuts out continually. Weather stripping popped out on front seams of MH, replaced. Electric stairs quit working, repaired and now quit again. Multiple slide issues. New seal installed and shop recommended a repair they claim was a manufacturing defect. FR would not authorize replacement until broken...guess what, in the shop again for slide issues. Nothing like being multiple states away from home and having your slide malfunction with 3 seniors needing to sleep. I'm posting this from memory as my book of repairs is in the RV at the shop. Show less

Bought ours new in November 2017 at Motorhomes 2 Go in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Paid to have shower handles raised. Changed out bath door handle (which failed) and cupboard handles for a softer open. Got the Big Foot levelers. A few small issues: shower drain installed crooked - now dealing with it cracked. LED reading lights above bed burned out. Have to reset power switch to get stereo to Bluetooth. Wished we’d been given the upgrade options for the hands free steering wheel & radio/screen. Show less

Purchased new, wanted something dependable! 1st trip out, moldings were loose inside and outside unit, black and grey water handles were reversed, window in bunk area improperly installed and leaked in upper bunk unit, had to replace mattress. The GPS screen is too small, the Satellite radio antenna improperly installed s/b mounted on top of roof. Other trips my electric steps went out, replaced motor now out again! Slideout malfunctioned. My service people said there's a mfg defect with the Schwintek in-wall. Forest River would only authorize replacement of parts failed! Last trip out slide failed again and a roller fell off! My RV guy could not repair it, the whole slide will have to be removed. The frameless crank out windows do not provide adequate ventilation. The unit is easy to drive and setup as long as everything is working. Not fun driving in windy conditions. I just wish the engine shifted down to lower gears when braking downhill. Show less

We just picked up our new 2018 Forester 2401W from RV Wholesalers in Lakeview, Ohio. I sure hope they take care of our numerous problems quickly. Here they are: 1) Slide and awning do not extend after just one day. 2) Coach stereo died the 1st day. 3) Main TV does not accept any commands from remotes. 4) Sprinter maintenance display says we are 34 days overdue to maintenance A. A $950 expense. We can't use the RV because the slide needs to extend to use the bed. Other than that, the Mercedes Sprinter part is great to drive. Got 13MPG over the 1st 2000 mile drive to AZ. I'm told that will greatly improve after the engine is broken in at about 7500 miles. Show less

Purchased new in 2016 Forester but has been a horrible experience . This class C has been nothing but a money pit . New this and that in past several years . Resealed roof in June 2019 and experienced water inside the RV and believe roof defective and water runs down awning and slide out into the RV . This RV definitely not worth the price and high cost to maintain MB engine . Has any other Forester owner experienced similar water leakage into Forester RV ? Only have 8000 miles which was mileage from manufacturer to CA to now FL. Nothing but $$$$$ spent on the RV. Poor design and construction Show less

Overall my experience with the Forester 2401W has been a positive one. In the course of two longer road trips systems worked as they should with one exception. The cable for the black tank dump valve seized and had to be replaced. The very comfortable seats in the cockpit makes long tips effortless. The driving and handling experience has been good since I had a Roadmaster anti sway stabilizer installed on the front. The ease of maneuvering in gas stations and other tight areas has been one of the best features of the unit. The power of the Mercedes diesel is surprising never loosing any speed when using cruise control on any incline. Depending on wind and road conditions the average MPG ranged from 13.5 to 16 at 60 to 65 MPH. Show less