37-1170 – Forest River Recall 20V-297 Safety Chain Replacement – 2020-2021 Forest River Surveyor Travel Trailers

May 22, 2020 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V297000

Safety Chains Rated for Incorrect GVW May Break

If the vehicle trailer becomes detached from the tow-vehicle, the safety chains may break, leading to complete detachment and potential property damage, personal injury or a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V297

Manufacturer Forest River, Inc.

Components TRAILER HITCHES, EQUIPMENT

Potential Number of Units Affected 88

 

Summary

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Surveyor Travel Trailers, model SVT296QBLE. The safety chains are insufficient for the trailer’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and may break in the event of the trailer coming unhitched.

 

Remedy

Forest River will notify owners, and a dealer or service center will replace the safety chains, free of charge. The recall began June 8, 2020. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-642-3112. Forest River’s number for this recall is 37-1170.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

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IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

FOLLOW-UP NOTICE OF SAFETY DEFECT

Our records indicate your vehicle has not been remedied; for your Safety and the Safety of others, please have your vehicles’ recall remedied as soon as possible.

NHTSA RECALL: 20V297
CANADA RECALL: 2020-223
FR ID: 37-1170

<<VIN>>
<<OWNER NAME/DEALERNAME>>
<<ADDRESS>>
<<CITY>>, <<ST>> <<ZIP-XXX>>

04/5/2021

This Notice applies to your vehicle VIN listed above.

 

Dear Forest River Customer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This notice is also sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Forest River – Office of Corporate Compliance (“OCC”) has decided that a defect, which relates to the motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 20202021 Surveyor SVT296QBLE travel trailer recreational vehicles. This is to inform you that your vehicle may contain a defect that could affect the safety of a person.

 

WHAT IS THE DEFECT/NONCOMPLIANCE? 

The safety chains do not meet the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and could potentially break.

 

EVALUATION OF THE RISK TO THE VEHICLE AND OPERATOR(S) RELATED TO THE RECALL.

If the recreational vehicle trailer becomes detached from the tow-vehicle, the safety chains would not meet the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and break. This condition could lead to complete detachment or cause property damage, personal injury or a crash

 

WHAT IS FOREST RIVER AND OUR DEALERSHIPS GOING TO DO?

Forest River is notifying dealerships of the recall. You may have the recall corrected at any Forest River dealership. However, it is preferable if you have your selling dealership perform the remedy. Forest River completely covers your cost for the remedy; you will not receive any bill of sale for anything covered under the above recall number.

 

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Please contact your dealer immediately and request a service appointment to schedule the free remedy. The vehicle Owner is responsible for arranging to have the work completed.  Please state you have been notified by Forest River of having a recall in process for your vehicle and provide the recall number for the dealership.  It is also helpful to the dealership to have a copy of this letter when you take your vehicle in for the recall remedy. You may also visit www.forestriverinc.com for dealer locations.

 

HOW LONG WILL THE REMEDY PROCESS TAKE?

The estimated time of repair is .5 hours.  However, the dealership may need to keep your vehicle or schedule an appointment with you for a later date to fit into their regular service schedule.

 

WHAT IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY PAID FOR REPAIRS TO YOUR VEHICLE FOR THIS PARTICULAR CONDITION?

If you have already paid for a repair that is within the scope of this defect under recall, you still need to have this recall inspected and/or performed to ensure the correct parts and procedures were utilized. Additionally, you may be eligible for a refund of previously paid repairs. Refunds will only be provided for within the scope of this defect under recall.  Please send the service invoice to the following address: Surveyor

Surveyor
Forest River, Inc.
Attn: WARRANTY MANAGER
2405 Century Dr.
Goshen, IN 46528

 

WHAT IF I HAVE ALEADY HAD THIS RECALL PERFORMED?

Please provide a copy of the work order, or invoice showing the recall was performed. Please ensure the VIN is visible on the paperwork and send it to:

Email: [email protected]
Mail: Forest River Office of Corporate Compliance
423 N Main St. Middlebury, IN 46540

 

What if you no longer own this vehicle?

If you no longer own this vehicle and have the address for the current owner, please forward this letter to the new owner within 10 working days after the day in which the notice is received. You have received this letter because government regulations require that a notification is sent to the last known owner of record. Our records indicate that you are the current owner.

PLEASE NOTE: FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES THAT ANY VEHICLE LESSOR RECEIVING THIS RECALL NOTICE MUST FORWARD A COPY OF THIS NOTICE TO THE LESSEE WITHIN TEN DAYS.

 

MAY FOREST RIVER ASSIST YOU FURTHER?

If you have difficulties getting your vehicle repaired, please contact your Forest River Representative listed below:

CONTACT	PHONE
Customer Service	(574) 642-3119

 

If you are still having difficulty getting your vehicle/towable repaired in a reasonable amount of time or without change, you may write to the following address:

For US Owners Please Contact:	For Canadian Owners Please Contact:
Administrator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590 Or you may call the toll free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or (TTY: 1-800-424-9153). Or visit www.safercar.gov and search; Recall ID: 20V297	Head of Recalls Motor Vehicle Safety Investigations Laboratory Transport Canada 80 Noël street, Gatineau, Quebec, J8Z 0A1 Telephone (800) 333-0510 Facsimile (819) 420-4292 Recall ID: 2020-223

 

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FOREST RIVER RECALL 20V-297
SAFETY CHAIN REPLACEMENT

Preparation

THIS REPLACEMENT SHOULD ONLY BE COMPLETED BY AN AUTHORIZED SERVICE TECHNICIAN.

 

WARNING

Remove all flammable material from the area to be welded. Any remaining flammable material that cannot be removed must be protected. Proper fire protection and control measures should be kept on hand.

 

WARNING

Lift travel trailer by the frame and never the axle or suspension. Do not go under the travel trailer unless it is properly supported by jack stands. Unsupported travel trailers can fall and may result in death, serious injury or property damage.

NOTE: In this document, dashed red lines indicate using a die grinder to remove components and solid red lines indicate using a welder to add components per instructions and image references.

 

Tools Required

• Die grinder and cut wheel attachments
• Welder
• Welding PPE (helmet, gloves, sleeves, )
• Jack stands
• Black spray paint (If necessary)

 

Hardware Required

• Safety chains
• Chain elbow

NOTE: Refer to the cover page of these remedy instructions for specific part numbers.

 

Procedure

1. Use the die grinder with the cutting wheel  attachment to remove the existing chain elbow from the underside of the A-frame coupler (Fig. 1).
2. The existing safety chains can be set aside with the chain elbow.

 

3. Use the die grinder and grinding wheel attachment to grind the cut areas smooth (Fig. 2).
4. Feed the last link of each of the new safety chains onto the new chain elbow (Fig. 3).
5. Center the chain elbow and safety chain assembly under the A-frame coupler so that the ends of the chain elbow are touching the ends of the two A-frame The elbow should be pointing away from the travel trailer.

NOTE: Ensure that the new safety chains are not pinched between the chain elbow and the coupler. The safety chains MUST be able to move freely.

6. Weld each end of the chain elbow to the A-frame tubes completely (Figs. 4 and 5).
7. Test the movement ability of the safety chains to make sure they are able to move freely.
8. Spray paint any visible areas of the repair with black spray paint.

 

As a supplier of components to the RV industry, safety, education and customer satisfaction are our primary concerns. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (574) 537-8900 or by email at [email protected]. Self-help tips, technical documents, product videos and a training class schedule are available at lci1.com or by downloading the MyLCI app.

Rev: 05.29.20

CCD-0003874

 

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IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

NHTSA RECALL: 20V297
CANADA RECALL: 2020-223
FR ID: 37-1170

 

<<VIN>>
<<OWNER NAME/DEALERNAME>>
<<ADDRESS>>
<<CITY>>, <<ST>>  <<ZIP-XXX>>

 

05/28/2020

This Notice applies to your vehicle VIN listed above.

 

Dear Forest River Customer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This notice is also sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Forest River – Office of Corporate Compliance (“OCC”) has decided that a defect, which relates to the motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 20202021 Surveyor SVT296QBLE travel trailer recreational vehicles. This is to inform you that your vehicle may contain a defect that could affect the safety of a person.

 

WHAT IS THE DEFECT/NONCOMPLIANCE? 

The safety chains do not meet the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and could potentially break.

 

EVALUATION OF THE RISK TO THE VEHICLE AND OPERATOR(S) RELATED TO THE RECALL.

If the recreational vehicle trailer becomes detached from the tow-vehicle, the safety chains would not meet the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and break. This condition could lead to complete detachment or cause property damage, personal injury or a crash

 

WHAT IS FOREST RIVER AND OUR DEALERSHIPS GOING TO DO?

Forest River is notifying dealerships of the recall. You may have the recall corrected at any Forest River dealership. However, it is preferable if you have your selling dealership perform the remedy. Forest River completely covers your cost for the remedy; you will not receive any bill of sale for anything covered under the above recall number.

 

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Please contact your dealer without delay and request a service appointment to schedule the free remedy to replace the safety chains.  The vehicle Owner is responsible for making arrangements to have the work completed.  Please state you have been notified by Forest River of having a recall in process for your vehicle and provide the recall number for the dealership.  It is also helpful to the dealership to have a copy of this letter when you take your vehicle in for the recall remedy.

You may also visit www.forestriverinc.com for dealer locations.

 

HOW LONG WILL THE REMEDY PROCESS TAKE?

The estimated time of repair is .5 hours.  However, the dealership may need to keep your vehicle or schedule an appointment with you for a later date to fit into their regular service schedule.

 

WHAT IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY PAID FOR REPAIRS TO YOUR VEHICLE FOR THIS PARTICULAR CONDITION?

If you have already paid for a repair that is within the scope of this defect under recall, you still need to have this recall inspected and/or performed to ensure the correct parts and procedures were utilized.

Additionally, you may be eligible for a refund of previously paid repairs. Refunds will only be provided for within the scope of this defect under recall.

Please send the service invoice to the following address:

Surveyor
Forest River, Inc.
Attn: WARRANTY MANAGER
2405 Century Dr.
Goshen, IN 46528

 

What if you no longer own this vehicle?

If you no longer own this vehicle and have the address for the current owner, please forward this letter to the new owner within 10 working days after the day in which the notice is received. You have received this letter because government regulations require that a notification is sent to the last known owner of record. Our records indicate that you are the current owner.

PLEASE NOTE: FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES THAT ANY VEHICLE LESSOR RECEIVING THIS RECALL NOTICE MUST FORWARD A COPY OF THIS NOTICE TO THE LESSEE WITHIN TEN DAYS.

 

MAY FOREST RIVER ASSIST YOU FURTHER?

If you have difficulties getting your vehicle repaired, please contact your Forest River Representative listed below:

CONTACT	PHONE
Customer Service	(574) 642-3119

 

If you are still having difficulty getting your vehicle/towable repaired in a reasonable amount of time or without change, you may write to the following address:

For US Owners Please Contact: Administrator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590 Or you may call the toll free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or (TTY: 1-800-424-9153). Or visit www.safercar.gov and search; Recall ID: 20V297

For Canadian Owners Please Contact: Head of Recalls Motor Vehicle Safety Investigations Laboratory Transport Canada 80 Noël street, Gatineau, Quebec, J8Z 0A1 Telephone (800) 333-0510 Facsimile (819) 420-4292 Recall ID: 37-1170

 

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2 Affected Products

Vehicle

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
FOREST RIVER	SURVEYOR	2020-2021

 

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9 Associated Documents

Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-20V297-9754.pdf 619.936KB

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Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-20V297-2070.pdf 209.892KB

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-20V297-2226.pdf 291.093KB

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Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-20V297-3111.PDF 213.512KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2020-2

RCLQRT-20V297-5891.PDF 211.139KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2020-3

RCLQRT-20V297-1250.PDF 211.238KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2020-4

RCLQRT-20V297-6870.PDF 211.325KB

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ISSUED Renotification Notice

RCRN-20V297-3700.pdf 213.809KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #4, 2021-1

RCLQRT-20V297-2074.PDF 211.429KB

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Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=20V297&docType=RCL

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Last update on 2026-05-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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