Forest River review: Salem 28vbxl - a complete nightmare

Our Experience with the 2024 Salem Cruise-Lite 28VBXL – A Complete Nightmare

We purchased a 2024 Forest River Salem Cruise-Lite 28VBXL with the hope of creating lasting family memories. Unfortunately, what should have been a source of joy has turned into a year-long nightmare. From the very beginning, this camper has been plagued with serious defects that have made it unsafe, unreliable, and essentially unusable.

The slide-out has malfunctioned repeatedly, leaving us stranded and unable to use the camper as intended. The bed collapsed early on, and soft spots began appearing in the flooring not long after. Even more concerning, we’ve dealt with microbial contamination issues that raise serious health and safety concerns for our family. Despite multiple service visits, these problems have never been resolved.

In just over a year of ownership, our camper has spent six extended stays in repair shops, leaving us with less than 15 days of actual use. Each time, we’ve been told the issues were fixed, only to discover the same failures again. Forest River and its warranty representatives have been dismissive, and in some cases, have misrepresented the work that was supposedly completed. The result is that we are still left with a defective unit and no meaningful resolution.

What makes this even more frustrating is the lack of accountability. We’ve escalated through the BBB, Attorney General offices, and even contacted Forest River executives, but the company continues to deny responsibility. Instead of standing behind their product, they’ve left us with a camper that is unsafe, unsanitary, and essentially worthless.

At this point, there are no positives left to highlight. The 28VBXL has been a complete failure for our family, both mechanically and structurally, and the customer service experience has been equally disappointing.

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