VehicleVerdict

2018 Forest River Berkshire problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

Limited data — recalls on file

NHTSA has just 2 complaints on file for the 2018 Forest River Berkshire — too few to judge reliability from owner reports alone — but 11 recall campaigns apply to this year, so any used example should have its VIN checked for completed recall work.

2

NHTSA complaints

11

Recalls

0

Investigations

0

Crash-involved

0

Fires reported

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

NCAP overall

How does 2018 compare to other Berkshire years?

See all Berkshire years to avoid →

What are the most common 2018 Forest River Berkshire problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Engine2100%

Does the 2018 Forest River Berkshire have recalls?

11 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

20V562000Tires & WheelsSeptember 17, 2020 · 1,000 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Coachmen Sportscoach and Forest River Legacy and 2018-2021 Berkshire motorhomes built on a Daimler Trucks (DTNA) chassis. The tire valve stem extension for the inner wheel may come in contact with the outer wheel rim opening and become damaged.

Consequence

Extensive damage to the valve stem extension may result in a loss of tire pressure of the inner wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Forest River will notify owners, and DTNA will inspect the inner wheel valve stem stabilizers, or replace as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 24, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-547-0712 or DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1228. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-861.

20V488000LightingAugust 18, 2020 · 1,547 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Charleston, 2017-2019 Legacy, 2017-2020 Berkshire, 2017 Coachmen Cross Country, and 2017-2020 Sportscoach motorhomes built on certain FCCC XB and XC chassis that received an inspection-only remedy for recall 18V-763. The rear mounted Power Distribution Module (PDM) may have been damaged during manufacturing, possibly resulting in the rear marker lights, brake lights, or turn signals not functioning.

Consequence

Non-functioning exterior marker lights can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Forest Rivers will notify owners, and Daimler Trucks dealers will replace the old Power Distribution Module (PDM) with a new PDM, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 . Forest's number for this recall is 51-1203.

19V454000EngineJune 17, 2019 · 2 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Berkshire Coach Ultra UL1912 and UL1913 motorhomes. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage.

Consequence

When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Forest River will notify owners, and Ford dealers will disable the vehicle's engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 27, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Forest River's number for this recall is 78-1032.

19V202000Visibility & WipersMarch 14, 2019 · 3,051 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Orion Class C, Freelander Class C, and Leprechaun Class C motorhomes, Rockport work trucks, and Berkshire Ultra Coach, and StarCraft shuttle buses, equipped with ASA Electronics back up mirror-monitors, model number VOM74MM. The affected displays may revert back to the factory default settings, causing the camera image to be reversed.

Consequence

If the monitor displays the image in reverse, the driver may unintentionally turn the opposite direction, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy

Forest River has notified owners, and dealers will install a harness/relay/capacitor module, free of charge. The recall began April 8, 2019. Orion, Freelander, and Leprechaun owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-8602. Rockport owners should call 1-574-522-7599 and Berkshire, and Starcraft owners should call 1-574-642-3112. ASA Customer service can be reached at 1-800-384-4400. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0980.

19V048000EngineJanuary 22, 2019 · 11 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2019 Glaval Entourage motorhomes and 2017-2018 Berkshire Coach Ultra motorhomes built on a Ford chassis and equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage to the connector, which can result in an electrical short.

Consequence

Prolonged corrosion of the connector may cause a resistive short, overheating or melting the wiring and increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Forest River has notified owners, and Ford dealers will inspect the block heater cable and replace it if damage is found. If no damage is found, the terminal connector will be packed with grease and reconnected. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on February 6, 2019. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-343-5111 or Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0940.

18V770000BrakesOctober 31, 2018 · 182 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Forest River Berkshire recreational vehicles and StarTrans PS2 transit buses and 2019 Glaval Legacy transit buses. The brake caliper mounting bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.

Consequence

Loose brake caliper mounting bolts can reduce brake effectiveness, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Forest River will notify owners, and Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) authorized service facilities will check and tighten the brake caliper mounting bolts, free of charge. The recall began November 21, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3112. Forest River's number for this recall is 35 and 5C-0897.

18V768000Visibility & WipersOctober 31, 2018 · 4,790 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Forest River Georgetown and FR3 motorhomes, 2018-2019 Berkshire motorhomes and 2018 Charleston motorhomes. The motorized windshield roller shade at the driver's seating position may unroll without warning while driving.

Consequence

If the windshield roller shade unrolls while driving, it could block the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will install a fastener to ensure the motor will not allow the shade to roll down during while driving. The recall began November 28, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7605. Forest River's number for the recall is 68-0822.

18V737000LightingOctober 19, 2018 · 1,017 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017 Coachmen Cross Country, 2017-2019 Coachmen Sportscoach and Forest River Berkshire and Legacy and 2017-2018 Forest River Charleston motorhomes built on Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) chassis. The rear mounted Power Distribution Module (PDM) may have been damaged during manufacturing, possibly resulting in the rear marker lights, brake lights, or turn signals not functioning.

Consequence

Nonfunctioning lights can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

The remedy for this recall is still under development. Owners will be notified and be sent to FCCC authorized service facilities for free repairs. Forest River issued owners an interim notification on November 16, 2018. A second notice will be mailed once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3112 or Coachmen customer service at 1-574-825-5821. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0893.

17V799000Electrical SystemDecember 13, 2017 · 108 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Berkshire XLT motorhomes. Incorrect circuit breakers were used that may not contact the electrical sub-panel correctly.

Consequence

If the breakers do not contact the sub-panel properly, the electrical resistance can cause excessive heat, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will replace the incorrect circuit breaker, free of charge. The recall began on January 11, 2018. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-522-1368. Forest River's number for this recall is 40-0594.

17V756000OtherNovember 22, 2017 · 365,885 units

Defect

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 2009-2018 Coachmen Mirada, Pursuit, Concord, Leprechaun, Freelander, Orion and Prism motorhomes, 2009-2017 Coachmen Apex and Catalina recreational trailers, and 2013-2017 Shasta Oasis and Revere recreational trailers, equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or excessive force may be needed to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf

Consequence

In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.

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 1-800-348-7440, or Kidde customer service toll free at 1-855-262-3540, or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-0544.

17V059000SteeringJanuary 26, 2017 · 67 units

Defect

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Berkshire and Charleston recreational vehicles built on Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) RV chassis. In these vehicles, the power steering hose may be improperly routed causing inadequate clearance between the hose and power stud. As a result, the hose can rub the power stud causing arcing and a power steering fluid leak.

Consequence

Arcing in the presence of power steering fluid leak under high pressure could increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Forest River will notify owners, and FCCC dealers will reroute the power steering hose for proper clearance, free of charge. The recall began on March 22, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-295-2117, or FCCC customer service at 1-800-547-0712. Forest River's number for this recall is 40-01182017-0311.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

RV with Cummins 450 engine with 20k miles new, goes into limp mode on major interstate. I limp into a Freightliner and they clear the code do a def burn for and hour but it doesn’t really do it ,charges me 500$. Had to deal w this all this stress afraid to go any further all summer long last year…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · July 15, 2025

2018 Forest River Berkshire — common questions

Is the 2018 Forest River Berkshire reliable?

The record is thin — 2 NHTSA complaints — so owner-report data can't strongly confirm reliability either way, though 11 recalls should be verified as completed.

Does the 2018 Forest River Berkshire have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns affecting the 2018 Forest River Berkshire. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.