An erroneous wiring job has led to a Forest River solar panel fire danger. The improperly wired systems could melt, risking a fire.
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Riverstone Fifth Wheel trailers. The solar panels may have been incorrectly connected in parallel instead of in series, causing the wiring to overheat and melt. Melted wires increase the risk of a fire. The company says 16 units may be affected.
Forest River solar panel fire danger remedy
Dealers will inspect the wiring and replace the cable entry plate and solar controller as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 27, 2024. Owners may call Forest River Customer Service at (260) 593-2425.
Forest River’s number for this recall is 70-1853.
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 nhtsa.gov.
Non-charging solar system leads to bad wiring discovery
The Forest River solar panel fire danger was uncovered this way. On September 29, 2024, the manufacturing plant received a dealer claim indicating the solar panels were not working.
During further dealer review, the team found that the solar panels had been connected in “parallel” and not in “series,” which led to the melting of the wiring and subsequent solar functions to fail.
The manufacturing plant then began reviewing internal processes of installation. On October 11, 2024, the manufacturing plant contacted Forest River’s Office of Corporate Compliance (“OCC”), OCC opened a research item. On October 18, 2024, Forest Rivers Corporate Committee voted to recall.
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if they had an inspector or inspection process in place this could have been avoided, safety and quality checks in the build process, may be asking a lot from the rv industry though
Thank you for another early alert (relative to the mailing of letters), Russ and Tina! Have a great week and safe travels!