Forest River 415AMP 5th Wheel reviews

1. Was in Kansas for fathers funeral and needed a part for the camper I had purchased in Florida. My sons were with me. 2. I went to MidWest RV for the part and purchased a 2018 Forest River XLR Thunderbolt 382AMP 5th Wheel Toy Hauler, which I planned to live in full time and travel with my sons. This camper came with a 1 year manufacturers warranty, and I purchased an extended warranty. 3. After the funeral, I transport the 5th wheel back to Florida where I live. 4. About 2 weeks after being back in Florida, I noticed water was dripping from under the camper. I called Forest River and was advised by a representative that Dixie RV, 328 Green Acres Dr, Defuniak Springs, FL, 32435, (850) 397-3618, dixierv.com, would be the closest authorized repair shop. 5. I made contact with Dixie RV and made an appointment which was October 2019. 6. RV was dropped off to Dixie RV for repairs. After the repairs, the water leak was fixed, but had done damage to the sub-flooring in the "basement" compartment, the kitchen floor/linoleum, and the main slide floor. Dixie RV stated the tank-less water heater had not been tightened fully at the manufacturer. 7. I moved the camper to another location, which is my current address, and noticed water was leaking again from underneath. Also with in about a months time the following items were not operable, see attached list of items from Dixie RV. 8. The camper was dropped off at Dixie RV where it remained for 32 days. Forest River was contacted about the length of stay I had to endure in a hotel due to the fact the camper was in the repair shop for warranty repairs. Forest River stated they do not cover costs of hotel stays even though it was a warranty work being done, they simply do not and will not pay for those costs. See attached receipts for hotel stay. 9. After the repairs were completed, I met with an RV repair technician who indicated the water leak was from the tank less water heater again which ruined the floor the 1st time. The "blackwater", solid waste tank had been drilled into at the manufacturer and was the cause of leaking fumes into the camper, and leaking out onto the ground. The "gray tank" shower/sink water tank had holes in it as and was leaking. The technician also showed me structural issue under the main slide which was causing the main slide to not close like the manufacturer intended. Pictures of this structural issue are attached. 10. I contacted Angie Smiley at Forest River Warranty department in which she stated the only item she saw in her system was for the linoleum that had to be replaced. Not enough linoleum was sent to replace all the linoleum in the camper, so now there is mixed patterns. Mrs. Smiley indicated she wasnt aware of anything else that needed to be repaired. 11. I contacted Dixie RV and was advised they had submitted all repairs to Forest River, or how else would they have gotten replacements parts for what was able to be repaired. 12. I was contacted by Brent Stevens who stated he was the General Manager for Forest River. I advised Mr. Steven of the repaired issues, the issues that still needed to be addressed, and the new structural issues. I stated I was going to file complaints with the Attorney General Offices of Kansas, where the camper was purchased, and in Indiana where the camper was manufactured. Mr. Stevens said, "Oh you dont need to do that. We'll make everything right for you." I told Mr. Stevens I hope they do. Mr. Stevens sent an email to Mrs. Smiley about the issues I was having. Mrs. Smiley being the same representative I spoke to before who told me there was nothing in her warranty system for my camper. To this date, November 4, 2020, I have not received any emails, phone calls, or text messages from any representative from Forest River. I'm a permanent and total disabled veteran after serving eight (8) years in the Army, and being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I wanted to have a camper that I could live in, and travel with my sons around the United States. This dream has been destroyed now and my sons let down because of poor and dangerous workmanship from Forest River. I have bouts of PTSD, debilitating migraines from service connected injuries, and I cant even stay inside my home because of the smell from the solid waste tank leaking. With as many issues this particular 5th wheel has had, there is no other explanation except it was poorly manufactured and should be deemed as uninhabitable, and Forest River be forced to take back this camper and take care of the loan for said camper. I should be refunded my money for the stay I had to endure while my home was being repaired. Show less

I worked XLR warranty parts return four year's up until last March. What I saw was every unit going out the door with problems. Most of the larger amp units by the front slide out the wall cracks. This is because they are not built strong enough .. Then lets state sealing issues leaks when your underbelly fill's with water ok they would pull the cover dry out replaced. WELL THERE is THAT AREA OF THE FLOOR THAT HAS INSIDE THE 1"DECKING ROLLED OUT INSULATION THEN THE FURNACE VENTS THEN THE PLASTIC COVER. This I had never paid to change no one looks at but when it gets wet it does knot dry The only way is to replace the complete floor mean's pulling the unit completely apart to repair I saw awnings falling off. Window that fell out in traffic.Axles falling off,I could go on and on !!! Show less

We have owned several RV\'s from class A to 5th wheels. We love our Thunderbolt XLR 415AMP. Its roomy, comfortable and meets all our needs. We chose this one because of its size and garage for our razor side by side. What We do Not love is Forest River\'s stand on Warranty Work and who should do it. We had several issues with our new unit. We purchased it from a well known dealer and took it there for warranty work. On our last attempt to have some warranty work done, the dealer was not going to be able to get to our unit for several weeks. We had an out of state wedding to attend and were taking the RV with us. Our leveling system was having issues. We took it to another reputable dealer and Forest River would NOT cover the cost of the repairs. We have tried to contact them on this several times and even emailed them a copy of the service order. Forest River has not attempted to contact us or reimburse us for the Warranted Repairs. We will surely look at other manufacturers when we buy our next RV. Show less