Forest River is a USA carmaker founded in 1996, now part of Berkshire Hathaway. The cars themselves are another matter: across 4 VIN prefixes on record they came off lines in 1 country — the United States 100%. 30 models are tracked here (1997–2026). Reliable? yes, and comfortably so — 4.3 out of 5 across 30 rated models, though the spread between model years is far wider than the badge suggests (every model ranked →).
Who makes Forest River
Forest River, Inc. is an American manufacturer of recreational vehicles, cargo trailers, buses, pontoon boats and commercial vehicles headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana. Founded in 1996 by Pete Liegl, Forest River was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 2005 for an undisclosed sum that Warren Buffett described as one of his favorite acquisitions. The company is the largest RV manufacturer in the world by units, ahead of Thor Industries when measured by combined unit volume across all RV categories. Forest River operates 100+ manufacturing facilities and produces over 50 RV brand sub-divisions including Cherokee, Wildwood, Salem, Cardinal, Forester, Sunseeker, Sandpiper, Wildcat, Coachmen (separate division), Berkshire, Charleston, Georgetown, FR3, and dozens more. The Cherokee, Wildwood, Salem and Sandpiper towable lines compete in the mid-market segment, and the Forester and Sunseeker lead Forest River's Class C motorhome offerings. Forest River's parent Berkshire Hathaway trades on the NYSE under BRK.A and BRK.B. Recall data for every Forest River-built VIN sold in the US is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org decodes any Forest River VIN (across all sub-brands) to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original delivery price.
Pete Liegl founded Forest River in 1996 after selling his prior company Cobra Industries to Coachmen. Liegl built Forest River into the largest RV manufacturer in the United States within a decade through aggressive acquisitions and lean manufacturing practices. Berkshire Hathaway acquired Forest River in 2005 in a private transaction; Warren Buffett kept Liegl on as CEO and praised the deal in his 2005 annual letter to shareholders. Liegl remained CEO until his retirement in 2022; Doug Gaeddert succeeded him.
| Forest River | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founded by | Pete Liegl |
| Headquarters | Elkhart, USA |
| Owned by | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Listed as | BRK.A |
| Slogan | «Built with You in Mind» |
| Assembled in | 1 countries |
Technology it is known for: Lippert chassis components, Furrion appliances, Solar-prep wiring (most models), Forest River Connect telematics (select), Reduced-aero towable construction.
This page covers Forest River, Inc. (the Berkshire Hathaway RV conglomerate) — not Forest River Inc. as a corporate name (the same entity) or any unrelated forest-river trademark uses.
Where Forest River cars are actually built
A badge says where a company is registered, not where its cars were bolted together. The first three characters of any VIN — the world manufacturer identifier — say the second thing, and that is what we counted: 609 vehicles on record, 4 distinct manufacturer codes.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| the United States | 4X4, 5ZT, 1FD, 5NH | 1998–2026 |
Read your own: the first character is the region, the first three together identify the plant's manufacturer. A Forest River beginning 4X4 was assembled in the United States.
All Forest River models 30
Every Forest River model we track, grouped by body type. Click any model for its VIN decoder, recalls, MPG, safety and ForCar Reliability Score — broken down by year.
Forest River RVs & campers 30
| Model | Years | Recalls | Complaints | Best MPG | ForCar score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest River R Pod | 2005–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Wildwood | 1997–2026 | 124 | 112 | — | 4.0/5 |
| Forest River Wolf Pup | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River No Boundaries | 2017–2022 | 6 | 1 | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Salem | 1997–2026 | 129 | 97 | — | 4.0/5 |
| Forest River Grey Wolf | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Sunseeker | 2000–2012 | 13 | 16 | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Rockwood | 1997–2026 | 54 | 117 | — | 3.5/5 |
| Forest River Cedar Creek | 1997–2026 | 75 | 47 | — | 4.0/5 |
| Forest River Campsite Reserve | 2023–2026 | 3 | 3 | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Vibe | 2005–2026 | 24 | 20 | — | 4.0/5 |
| Forest River Puma | 2005–2026 | 50 | 34 | — | 4.0/5 |
| Forest River Aurora | 2009–2026 | 23 | 2 | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Cherokee | 1997–2026 | 81 | 159 | — | 4.0/5 |
| Forest River Santa Fe | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Arctic Wolf | 2026–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Flagstaff | 1997–2026 | 53 | 68 | — | 4.0/5 |
| Forest River Timberwolf | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Alpha Wolf | 2026–2026 | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River IBEX | 2019–2026 | 12 | 3 | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Grand Lodge | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Impression | 2016–2026 | 17 | 6 | — | 4.0/5 |
| Forest River Heritage Glen | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Forester | 2005–2011 | 4 | 2 | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Geo Pro | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Wolf Pack | — | 4 | 7 | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Xlr Boost | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Xlr Nitro | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Rogue Armored | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
| Forest River Cruise Lite | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
Forest River by the numbers
What the federal records say about the marque. Each line links to the full breakdown by model and year.
| Topic | Forest River | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 672 campaigns | Most recalled: Equipment:recreational Vehicle/trailer |
| Owner complaints | 677+ filed | Most reported: Cherokee |
Compare model years like a dealer does.
- Full research report on any model year
- Market chart: how this model holds value
- Exact values with mileage adjustment
- Price-drop alerts on the trims you're watching
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Get a Forest River window sticker by VIN
Recreate any Forest River's original Monroney label — MSRP, factory options, EPA MPG and safety — free from the VIN.
Forest River window stickers →How to read a Forest River VIN
Every Forest River built since 1981 carries a unique 17-character VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). It encodes where and when the vehicle was made, its engine and body — here's what each part means:
- WMI (1–3) — country & manufacturer. Tells you it's a Forest River and the country it was built in (real Forest River codes below).
- VDS (4–8) — model, body style, engine, trim & restraints. The 8th digit is the engine code.
- Check digit (9) — a math check that proves the VIN is genuine.
- Model year (10) — the year it was built (e.g. R = 2024, S = 2025).
- Plant (11) — which factory assembled it.
- Serial (12–17) — the unique sequential production number.
- —4X4 · 5NH · 5ZT · 7L5
The remaining digits — engine (8th), model-year letter (10th) and plant — follow the universal SAE standard. Run it through our free VIN lookup to turn those digits into a model year, an assembly plant and a country of origin.
Who owns Forest River, and what you get
Forest River belongs to Berkshire Hathaway. Forest River competes across nearly every RV segment — travel trailers, fifth wheels, Class A, Class B, Class C, toy haulers, park models, pop-ups — with sub-brand variations targeting different price points and feature sets. The Cherokee, Wildwood and Salem brands target the mid-market entry segment, while Cardinal and Wildcat compete in mid-tier fifth wheels. Forest River and Thor Industries (with Jayco, Keystone, Heartland, Airstream and Newmar) collectively manufacture approximately 70-80% of all US RV unit sales.
| Forest River | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | USA |
| Ownership | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Stock ticker | BRK.A |
| Basic warranty | 3 years / 36,000 miles |
| Powertrain warranty | 5 years / 60,000 miles |
| Assembly countries | United States |
⚠ Worth knowing before you rely on it: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, while basic cover here runs 3 years / 36,000 miles. See when Forest River models actually start to break →
Forest River — frequently asked
Is Forest River usa?
Forest River is a USA company, headquartered in Elkhart and founded in 1996. The cars are a separate question: 100% of the Forest River vehicles in our records were assembled in the United States.
Where are Forest River cars made?
Across 4 manufacturer codes on record, assembly splits as: the United States (100%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the manufacturer and plant country — that is where these shares come from.
Who owns Forest River?
Forest River is part of Berkshire Hathaway.
How many Forest River models are there?
We track 30 Forest River models spanning 1997–2026. The full list is above, ordered by how often each is searched.
What is the Forest River warranty?
New vehicles come with 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Terms vary by model year and market — confirm with a dealer.
Is Forest River reliable?
It depends far more on the model and year than on the badge. Every Forest River model is ranked by complaint rate here, along with the age at which each starts to fail.
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