This recent video from Liz Amazing covers the dreadful account of Darah, a 2025 Forest River RV owner. This brand-new RV put Darah and her son in the ER! Watch Darah’s story in this video, then read some helpful tips we can learn from it to avoid these issues.
Recently divorced, Darah and her 18-year-old son accepted a five-month work camping job in Wyoming. They hoped to spend quality time together. Their plans certainly did not include continual problems with their brand-new RV!
Before leaving the lot
Problems were noticed even before the family drove the RV off the lot at Zoomers RV of Indiana. Interior finishes were not completed. The entry door jammed, and at least one of the basement storage compartments would not lock.
The family’s tight schedule forced them to leave for Wyoming. After all, these seemed to be minor issues.
On the way
It wasn’t long before the RV’s CO detector went off. Darah called both Zoomers and the Forest River Company for advice. She was told her best bet was to go to a local Forest River dealer for assistance.
Darah followed the advice she was given, and still her problems were not fully addressed or fixed.
The ER
After several calls and trips to local dealers along their route, Darah and her son began to feel sick. They were advised to leave the RV immediately, take their pets with them, and go to the nearest ER.
What we can learn from Darah’s story
My heart goes out to Darah. RVing should bring joy. This RV owner experienced frustration, anger, and a dread of what other new RV owners could face. All while the industry continues with slipshod manufacturing, cover-ups, and never-ending runarounds!
Some takeaways
Darah’s experience has one good thing: the rest of us can learn from her story.
• Even brand-new RVs can ship with untested or poorly maintained systems.
• Symptoms like headache, nausea, and dizziness are classic warning signs of CO exposure. Know the signs and take action!
Protect yourself
• Have a full inspection performed by a certified RV inspector before taking ownership of any RV (used or new).
• Make your first trip a shake-down trip close to home (or close to where you purchased the RV). This will help you discover any problems.
• Before every trip thereafter, carefully check all hoses and connections and replace anything that looks or feels iffy.
• Don’t rely solely on the factory alarm. Pick up a small, battery-powered detector as a backup.
• Test all alarms monthly and swap batteries twice a year.
Document everything
• On delivery day, record video of all inspections—tanks, hoses, appliances, and detectors.
• Take photos of missing finishes or broken parts and only take possession when everything is addressed to your satisfaction.
• If a part breaks or an alarm fails, notify the dealer immediately. Send photos as proof.
Can you relate?
Darah’s experience was horrifying. However, she is not alone. Many RV owners have their own personal horror story. If you care to share your experience, use the comments below.
Stay safe, everyone!
RELATED
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RVT1210
I’ve met Zoomers at the RV show in Fort Wayne, several years ago. I was not impressed with them at all.. In fact, We went to a few shows, in subsequent seasons.. We still did not like Zoomers.. there is a few spots in Elkhart area we did like.
Glad they’ll be ok. Hopefully; they’ll sue the RV company. Can’t image the future problems with stuff going to be made in America. Profit over Safety. Pay a certified inspector to inspect an RV before buying.
“Profit over Safety”…and quality. Folks who know little about RV’s should not even think about buying any of them new without copious amounts of homework and asking plenty of questions.
Makes me happy I have my 2006 Salem LE. I’m the original owner. No big issues from the start and only minor ones in the past 19 years.
To get carbon monoxide poisoning from propane you need combustion; lots of it.
With the furnace and hot water heater reported as inoperable, they’re not making it.
Low voltage, Lysol, sawdust and even pet fur can trip a CO sensor but a chirping sensor doesn’t make carbon monoxide, combustion does.
The exhaust from her truck will produce more carbon monoxide than a flameless RV but that’s irrelevant to those that think she’s entitled to her request for a free replacement AND a refund when she’s done with it.
Journalists seek facts, tabloids seek stories.
Hi Vince: Even hairspray will set off an O2 detector. Or defective or outdated unit also. I wonder if the refrigerator was running on propane and not properly vented…… She certainly has had a time of it. Day is getting closer to federal intervention into this industry – good, bad or indifferent – that usually is the answer to “fixing” a mess by creating another one!
We bought a 2016 Forest River Gray Wolf 22rr. From day one we had problems. Some were minor but most were just poor workmanship and lack of dealer and Forest River cooperation.
The trailer was back at the dealer five times and every time I was told Forest River would not cover the repairs.
The biggest problem, since this was a toy hauler, is the rear ramp cracked when loading my motorcycle.
The dealer told me to contact Forest River. The person at Forest River basically told me that I over-loaded the ramp.
My bike weighs 800lbs and the ramp was rated at 1500lbs. Their response was that the ramp only allows 300lbs per wheel. Nothing in the documentation said this.
That’s crazy about the ramp! So you can only load the ramp to 1500 lbs if you have 5 evenly loaded tires!!! What lawyer thought that up to avoid liability?! 😆
That was Forest River’s answer!!
I also called the ramp manufacturer. They could not believe that anyone at Forest River or the dealer would deny warranty on the ramp.
The person I spoke with about the ramp wanted pictures of the damage.
After he saw the cracks, he said they would replace the ramp at no cost to me, and to contact the dealer to replace it.
I called the dealer where I bought the trailer, and Forest River, and neither one would cover the cost of replacement. The dealer wanted $600 to do the job.
I called another local dealer and they quoted $300. I had the ramp shipped to them.
six months later, I traded this piece of junk on another brand at another dealer.
FEMA Trailer sickness is real. Formaldehyde Off gassing is a thing. The trailers are designed to be used for a week or two at most at a time. They’re not designed to be lived in.
Carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air, so it will rise. Propane is heavier than air, so it will sink.
Alarms that claim to detect both should be illegal, because one position cannot detect both.
Here is a carbon monoxide alarm that has worked for me. It should be mounted about 5 ft above the floor. I have two of them.
https://a.co/d/6jeHiqE
From Darah’s video, it’s obvious Mike Weaver is a scammer and fraudster. IMO Darah should be contacting law enforcement who has jurisdiction where she bought the RV and provide her documentation getting him into court and seeking restitution.
If you watch the follow up video of this from Liz, Zoomers sent Darah a cease and desist order from making any false and misleading statements about them and their service including any comments on “alleged” defective 2025 FR Surveyor RV. So there you have it. It sounds like to me Zoomers only cares about their money, not their customers.
Most dealers of anything do.
Sad, sad story. IMO, Forest River, and some others in the RV industry, are nothing short of criminals. I can see why Zoomers is what it is…the owner himself sets the example for his employees to follow.
You get what you pay for.
No you don’t
If you’re lucky.
They don’t sound too bright a d the scum bag dealer and manufacturer needs to be sued until they bleed out. Hopefully it will be Lemons and camping world.
Thank you for calling attention to this video and summarizing it, Gail! Very sad story of still another Forest River problem. 🙁 Not a recall, but, in some ways, worse. The recalls rarely highlight a particular person’s experience with the reason for the recall. But this is heart-wrenching and alarming because it puts faces and names to the outcome of Forest River’s inadequate factory quality control. So sorry that this is their story and not a tale of some fabulous thing they saw or did while working in Wyoming. Safe travels!
Our experience purchasing a new camper. First they charged us a $1800 inspection fee. Told us we would have a complete check over and a complete instructional tour. We waited 4 weeks after purchasing no one called or followed up with us. We called and requested delivery of our camper because we had reservations to go camping.
First camping trip we discovered a laundry list of items that needed repaired. A/C didn’t work. Toilet was not mounted to the tank, cut flooring, strips missing. Kitchen sinks didn’t work the major items.
We returned the camper and again started the long wait. Contacted the BBB and finally got it fixed and returned to us.
I too bought a Forest River product under their Prime Time division and I won’t buy from them again. I bought it new off the lot a year after it was manufactured in 2017. We went to a local campground for our shake down run and found several issues. We took it back the next weekend for service on the brake system because it wasn’t working and they told me there was a 3 month wait for service. I said I wanted to talk to the manager and I picked up our 5er the next weekend. Later I broke one of the springs on the front axle and called the parts dept, gave them the model of the 5er and the response was we need a picture of the axle tag so I provided that to them and got no responce back.