What breaks most · 1999 to 2026 model years
Forest River Cherokee problems by year
Owners have filed 159 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Forest River Cherokee across model years 1999 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2021 for tires complaints, 2022 for equipment and infotainment complaints and 2018 for wheels complaints. The quietest years are 1999, 2003 and 2004.
- Years to check closely: 2021, 2022, 2018
- Fewest complaints: 1999, 2003, 2004
- Complaints on file
- 1591999 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 202149 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 213 fires · 1 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 2kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 68Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Equipment and infotainment (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 3 | Equipment and infotainment (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Equipment and infotainment (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Tires (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Suspension (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Suspension (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 3 | Suspension (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 3 | Tires (2) | |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 11 | 1 | 6 | Suspension (5) | |
| 14 | 0 | 8 | Wheels (6) | |
| 9 | 0 | 6 | Tires (3) | |
| 14 | 0 | 7 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 49 | 1 | 3 | Tires (21) | |
| 23 | 0 | 6 | Equipment and infotainment (7) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Equipment and infotainment (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Equipment and infotainment (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Body and structure (2) |
What fails on the 2021 Forest River Cherokee
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 43% |
21 | 0 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 20% |
10 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 16% |
8 | 1 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 12% |
6 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 6% |
3 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 4% |
2 | 0 | — |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 2% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 2% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Front entry door opens while driving down the road. I have started deadbolt locking it. Lucky the hand rail folded in has caught the door from swinging out. Still could be dangerous for other drivers if something inside falls out of the RV.
-
The Frame which connect the Main Beams of Frame to the Axle had the welds brake and frame twist not allowing the suspension to connect to the frame. Talked with manufacturer and in their words "You are not the only one dealing with this issue on this model"
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Forest River Cherokee years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2021, 2022, 2018 carry the most filings on the Forest River Cherokee. The 2021 alone has 49 complaints, led by tires.
What is the most common Forest River Cherokee problem?
On the 2021 model year, the most-reported component is tires with 21 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Forest River Cherokee problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Forest River Cherokee complaints that include mileage is about 2,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.