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.
The worst 2021 Forest River FR3 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Brakes1
- Steering1
- Suspension1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Brakes1
- Steering1
- Suspension1
Recalls 3
Equipment: recreational vehicle/trailer: lpg systems: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- A damaged LPG tank increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 24V103000 · Recall details
Equipment
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- Loose hardware can cause the solar panels to detach from the vehicle during transit, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 23V262000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the leveling jacks deploy while the vehicle is in motion, it can cause loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 20V361000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2021 Forest River FR3 4
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- According to Ford's Final Notice of Recall 22V731: "In some of the affected vehicles, the rear stabilizer...
- According to the notice from Ford 22S62: In some of the affected vehicles, the rear stabilizer bar...
- The rear axle may contain an inadequate volume of lubricating oil
- It was discovered that the manufacturing plant did not cut a stress relief line in the upper deck Driver...
What 2021 Forest River FR3 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
LP brackets are cracked at the welding
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)
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.
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.
Compare the 2021 Forest River FR3
Other model years
Questions about the 2021 Forest River FR3
Is the 2021 Forest River FR3 reliable?
Owners have filed 5 complaints about the 2021 Forest River FR3, 2.5 times a typical FR3 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Forest River FR3?
Acceleration and speed control, with 1 complaint. Next is body (1).
How many recalls does the 2021 Forest River FR3 have?
3 recalls, covering equipment and electrical system.
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