The frame has developed a crack (6-8 inches long) between the front axle and the door of the trailer. This has LED to the failure of the slide out and to the floor near the crack. After finding the crack I am concerned about the towability of this unit. This was discovered after a fairly long trip, however the slideout failure and floor damage was obviuos durint the last days of the trip.
The worst 2012 Forest River Flagstaff problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Tires4
- Body2
- Steering1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Tires4
- Body2
- Steering1
Recalls 1
Tires
- What is wrong
- Forest River is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Rockwood, Windjammer, Vlite and Flagstaff travel trailers manufactured February 3, 2012, through February 4, 2013. When an affected trailer hits a large bump or pot hole, the trailer tire may contact the bottom of the floor.
- Risk
- As a result, the tire may become damaged and possibly blow out which may cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will add a lift kit between the frame and the axle mounting brackets, free of charge. Owners may contact Forest River at 1‑574‑825‑7178.
Recall number 13V554000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2012 Forest River Flagstaff
Defect investigations
Trailer tire may contact floor
ODI opened RQ14-004 based on 3 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) which reported a condition similar to recall 13V‑554.This recall addressed insufficient clearance between the tire and trailer floor.The condition was due to a frame supplier change which resulted in reduced clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the wheel wellOf the three VOQs reported in the opening resume two were not included in recall 13V‑554 and one was.Both of the vehicles not included used a different frame than the recalled trailers.Upon thorough examination of the condition experienced by the owners it was found that neither unit exhibited insufficient tire clearance between the bottom of the floor and top of the tire.Forest River's initial Information Request Response (IRR) submission did not adequately address all the questions asked by ODI.Following a meetingwith Forest River personnel on March 20, 2015 an IRR was submitted on May 22, 2015, which satisfied ODI.This submission is included in the public repository.When asked how Forest River identified the recall population they used a production change to determine the start and end dates.On February 3, 2012 Forest River introduced a new frame.The engineering drawings used to launch this new frame failed to identify the frame rail height.Furthermore, Forest River failed to verify that the new frame rail height was the same as the one it replaced.This created a half inch reduction in clearance.This issue was not identified and remedied untilFebruary 4, 2013 which is the end of the recall population. A thorough review of the complaint and warranty informationreceived during this investigation was preformed.After removing claims that could be associated with recall 13V‑554 a defect trend was not identified on the remaining population.The only crash which also included an injurycould not be positively associated with the alleged defect. This investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the following complaint identification numbers: 10598458, 10598344, 10538519.
RQ14004
What 2012 Forest River Flagstaff owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 forest river flagstaff rv equipped with american pacific gladiator (na) tires, size: 225/75/r15 (na). While driving approximately 55 MPH, the front passenger side tire blew out. In addition, the contact observed that the rear driver side tire blew out. The tires were replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate vehicle failure mileage was 10,000 and the tire failure mileage was 6,000.
Two tires blew out approximately 100 miles apart. First tire damaged wiring and body of 5th wheel. Tires were class c. Sams and goodyear stated these tires were under rated for the weight of this vehicle. All four tires were replaced with e rated trailer tires.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 forest river flagstaff rv, equipped with goodyear marathon tires, size st235/80/r16. While examining the tire the contact noticed that the side wall had exploded. The tire was diagnosed by the dealer who confirmed the failure. The tires were replaced. The failure mileage of the vehicle and the tires were not available. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 forest river flagstaff. While driving approximately 55 MPH the contact noticed the rv began to sway from side to side while attached to another vehicle. The rv was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer suggested the contact inflate the tires to 15 psi maximum recommended inflation. The contact stated that does not remedy the failure but helps reduce the movement. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 500. Updated 12/06/11
We purchased the rv in middlebury, indiana and started home with it on aug 12, 2011. We stopped for the night in illinois. The morning of the 13th we drove approximately 50 miles and the passenger side rear tandom tire blew leaving just part of the sidewall attached to the wheel. After we made it home and checked the load limit of the tires we discovered that they were rated c with a load limit of 2150 lbs. Per the recreational vehicle trailer cargo carrying capacity decal on the trailer, the dry weight of the trailer is 7696 and the cargo weight should not exceed 1388 pounds. We did not have any personal items loaded into the trailer when the tire blew. I think this is a safety issue because the tires are not rated to carry over 9000 pounds. It is getting close to the max empty.
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Questions about the 2012 Forest River Flagstaff
Is the 2012 Forest River Flagstaff reliable?
Owners have filed 6 complaints about the 2012 Forest River Flagstaff, 1.5 times a typical Flagstaff model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Forest River Flagstaff?
Tires, with 4 complaints. Next is body (2).
How many recalls does the 2012 Forest River Flagstaff have?
1 recall, covering tires.
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