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2018 Forest River Salem Recalls, Complaints & Specs

9 safety recalls list the 2018 Forest River Salem, and owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

9
safety recalls
6
owner complaints to NHTSA
0 / 1
complaints citing a crash / fire

9 safety recalls for the 2018 Forest River Salem

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Electrical system: wiring

    NHTSA 25V682000 Reported 20,305 vehicles potentially affected Forest River, Inc.

    Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Forest River Aurora, Coachmen Catalina, 2026 Coachmen Viking, Coachmen Clipper, 2016-2026 Wildwood, and Salem recreational trailers. The distribution panel wire may be connected to the battery without over current protection.

    Remedy: Dealers will relocate the distribution panel wire to the correct side of the breaker, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2025. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at…

  2. Trailer hitches and integrated trailer brake control (electrical system)

    NHTSA 20V563000 Reported 4,397 vehicles potentially affected Forest River, Inc.

    Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Wildwood, Salem, and 2020 Sonoma travel trailers. The break-away safety switch may not be wired to constant power, which can cause the trailer brakes to not activate in the event of a trailer separation from the tow vehicle.

    Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will rewire the breakaway switch, free of charge. The recall began October 13, 2020. Owners may contact Forest customer service at 1-909-873-3777. Forest River's number for…

  3. 12v/24v/48v battery (electrical system)

    NHTSA 18V550000 Reported 5,847 vehicles potentially affected Forest River, Inc.

    Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Forest River Salem, Wildcat Maxx, Wildwood, Vibe, and Rainier recreational trailers. The break-away safety switch may not have been wired to a constant power source, and, as a result, the switch may be inadvertently disconnected from the trailer house battery causing the…

    Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a new wiring harness to reroute the wiring, free of charge. The recall began September 25, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at…

  4. Recreational vehicle/trailer (equipment)

    NHTSA 18V436000 Reported 326 vehicles potentially affected Forest River, Inc.

    Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forest River Wildwood, and 2016-2019 Forest River Salem recreational trailers. The outside auxiliary shower faucet cover may cover the water heater exhaust panel when opened.

    Remedy: Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will install a replacement outside shower, free of charge. The recall began on July 24, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-534-3167. Forest…

  5. Labels (equipment) and tires

    NHTSA 18V232000 Reported 24 vehicles potentially affected Forest River, Inc.

    Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Forest River Salem recreational trailers, model SMT282QBXL-OR. The Federal Placards on these vehicles may incorrectly state the tire pressure as 54 PSI, however, the correct tire pressure is 65 PSI. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor…

    Remedy: Forest River has notified owners and provided a tire placard with the correct tire pressure information, free of charge. The recall began April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at…

  6. Labels (equipment)

    NHTSA 17V790000 Reported 133 vehicles potentially affected Forest River, Inc.

    Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Salem and Wildwood recreational trailers. The Federal Placard on these vehicles incorrectly states that the trailers are equipped with ST215/75R15 Load Range D tires, however, the installed tires are size ST205/75R15 Load Range D. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the…

    Remedy: Forest River will notify owners and provide corrected Federal Placards, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-848-1335. Forest River's number…

  7. Equipment

    NHTSA 17V756000 Reported 365,885 vehicles potentially affected Forest River, Inc.

    Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2003-2018 Forest River Berkshire, Charleston, Rockport, Cedar Creek, Cherokee, Riverstone, Salem, Sandpiper, Sierra, Vengeance, Wildcat, Wildwood, XLR Boost, Cargo Mate, Continental Cargo, motorhomes, recreational trailers, toyhaulers, cargo trailers and restroom trailers and…

    Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began on December 27, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at…

  8. Labels (equipment)

    NHTSA 17V484000 Reported 30 vehicles potentially affected Forest River, Inc.

    Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018 Salem and Wildwood recreational trailers. The Federal Placards on these vehicles may state an incorrect weight of the trailer. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

    Remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected Federal Placard with correct weight and cargo carrying capacity, free of charge. The recall began August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River…

  9. Tires

    NHTSA 17V282000 Reported 71 vehicles potentially affected Forest River, Inc.

    Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Salem, Wildwood, XLR, Sanibel, Wildcat, Vengeance, Chaparral Lite and Columbus recreational trailers. The Federal Placard may inaccurately list the tire and rim combinations that are installed on the trailers. Additionally, the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) and the Gross…

    Remedy: Forest River will notify owners and will provide a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-348-7440. Forest River's number…

6 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2018 Forest River Salem have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA; 1 describe a fire. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 783 miles. Complaints peaked in 2019 with 2 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“Traveling on florida turnpike, 9:00 a.m., port saint lucie area. A loud bang and the blown tire. Passenger side front tire. We made it safely to the breakdown lane where we awaited fhp for assistance.”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, March 7, 2021 · Tires

“Traveling from newton to panama city fl, 5 miles across state line right rear tire blew apart. Split from one bead to the other. Tread layer cake off and damaged travel trailer. Tires were st225/75r15”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 9, 2020 · Wheels

Compare Forest River Salem model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Forest River Salem model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1997 Forest River Salem10
1998 Forest River Salem10
1999 Forest River Salem10
2000 Forest River Salem10
2001 Forest River Salem12
2002 Forest River Salem11
2003 Forest River Salem38
2004 Forest River Salem33
2005 Forest River Salem20
2006 Forest River Salem20
2007 Forest River Salem20
2008 Forest River Salem33
2009 Forest River Salem10
2010 Forest River Salem21
2011 Forest River Salem32
2012 Forest River Salem13
2013 Forest River Salem22
2014 Forest River Salem41
2015 Forest River Salem58
2016 Forest River Salem89
2017 Forest River Salem95
2018 Forest River Salem96
2019 Forest River Salem115
2020 Forest River Salem712
2021 Forest River Salem104
2022 Forest River Salem713
2023 Forest River Salem52
2024 Forest River Salem104
2025 Forest River Salem84
2026 Forest River Salem60
2027 Forest River Salem20

Checking a specific 2018 Forest River Salem

How do I know if my 2018 Forest River Salem has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 9 campaigns currently list the 2018 Forest River Salem; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Forest River dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 17V282000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Forest River models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.