The Forest River class action lawsuit over defective RV wiring is a federal case in Montana alleging that Forest River built Palomino Puma fifth wheel recreational vehicles without a fuse or circuit breaker on the circuit that charges the RV’s 12-volt battery, leaving the wiring with no way to shut off if it shorted. Filed in 2022 by owner Jay Nelson, the case covers model years 2002 through 2022 and is now headed toward a jury after a judge refused in August 2025 to throw it out.1Law360. Berkshire Hathaway Unit Can’t End RV Wiring Defect Suit
What the Lawsuit Claims
The complaint centers on a single design choice. According to Nelson, Forest River ran the wire between the tow vehicle’s seven-way junction box and the RV’s battery without overcurrent protection. If that wire shorts, nothing cuts the current. The wire heats up until something ignites, and the complaint alleges a fire can engulf an entire RV in ten minutes or less.2ClassAction.org. Forest River Hit With Class Action Over Alleged RV Wiring System Problems
Nelson argues the design violates National Fire Protection Association standard 1192, the fire and life safety standard for recreational vehicles, which requires overcurrent protection on all conductors. He also alleges that dealership repairs made things worse: technicians replaced the wire but still without a breaker and still without adequate insulation.3Top Class Actions. Berkshire Hathaway Class Action Claims Faulty Wiring in Forest River RVs Causes Fires
The legal claims include violations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, unjust enrichment, and fraudulent concealment. Forest River and its parent, Berkshire Hathaway, are named as defendants. The case is Nelson v. Forest River Inc., et al., No. 4:22-cv-00049, filed May 23, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.3Top Class Actions. Berkshire Hathaway Class Action Claims Faulty Wiring in Forest River RVs Causes Fires
Who the Class Covers
On March 23, 2023, U.S. District Judge Brian Morris certified the class. It covers owners of Forest River Palomino Puma fifth wheel RVs from model years 2002 through 2022. The complaint noted that investigations were continuing into whether other Forest River brands, including Salem, Rockwood, Flagstaff, and Wildwood, share the same electrical defect, but those brands are not part of the certified class.4Montana Trials. Fire Risk in Major RV Brand Class Action Suit
The Fire That Started the Case
Jay Nelson bought a 2019 Forest River Puma fifth wheel. In May 2020, it burned. The complaint says the wire responsible for charging the battery shorted because it lacked both adequate insulation and any overcurrent device. Two years later, Nelson turned that fire into a putative nationwide class action.2ClassAction.org. Forest River Hit With Class Action Over Alleged RV Wiring System Problems
What Forest River’s Own Records Show
Discovery has produced material from inside Forest River that plaintiff’s counsel has used to strengthen the case. In November 2023, Forest River produced a spreadsheet listing 88 warranty claims involving fires in fifth-wheel RVs between January 2016 and September 2023.5GovInfo. Nelson v. Forest River Inc. – Court Order
A 2022 internal Forest River survey of seven-way wiring on the company’s towable RVs, produced to Nelson’s attorneys in early February 2025, identified wire placement issues and missing overcurrent protection across several product lines beyond fifth wheels: travel trailers, tent campers, and destination trailers. Nelson used the survey to amend his complaint and press claims of negligence and consumer fraud. Forest River produced updated fire logs in July 2025 covering all towable RVs from late 2021 through mid-2025.5GovInfo. Nelson v. Forest River Inc. – Court Order
Where the Case Stands Now
Forest River moved for summary judgment, asking the court to end the case without a trial. On August 12, 2025, Judge Morris denied that motion in substantial part, writing that “there are questions for a jury regarding whether that wiring was up to industry standards.” The court granted Forest River’s motion on some claims and denied Nelson’s own cross-motion for summary judgment, leaving the core defect question for jurors.1Law360. Berkshire Hathaway Unit Can’t End RV Wiring Defect Suit6PACER Monitor. Nelson v. Forest River, INC et al
As of late 2025, the case is active and heading to trial. No settlement has been announced, and a formal trial date has not appeared in the publicly available docket.1Law360. Berkshire Hathaway Unit Can’t End RV Wiring Defect Suit
Forest River’s Wiring Problems Beyond This Case
Nelson’s complaint points to Forest River’s regulatory history as evidence the company knew about wiring risks. Two pieces stand out.
In May 2025, NHTSA issued Recall No. 25V-287 covering 1,167 units of the 2025 Forest River Campsite Reserve travel trailer. The recall found the solar controller was wired to the wrong side of a breaker, leaving 12-volt wiring without overcurrent protection and creating a fire risk. That is the same category of defect the Nelson lawsuit describes, on a different product line, a decade after the model years at issue in the class action began.7NHTSA. NHTSA Recall Report 25V-287 – Forest River Inc. Incorrectly Wired Solar Controller
Earlier, in July 2015, Forest River entered a consent order with NHTSA carrying up to $35 million in civil penalties. Forest River paid $5 million immediately, with $30 million deferred against future violations. Among the admitted violations: issuing technical service bulletins instead of recalls for known safety defects, including loose wiring in heating elements on Rockwood and Flagstaff camper trailers that posed a fire risk. The consent order also required an independent monitor to audit Forest River’s safety practices.8NHTSA. Forest River Consent Order AQ14-0029The Detroit News. NHTSA Fines Two Heavy-Duty Truck Firms
What Owners Should Know
If you own a Palomino Puma fifth wheel from model year 2002 through 2022, your RV falls within the certified class in Nelson v. Forest River. The case has not settled, and no claims process has been announced. The jury will decide whether the wiring design met industry standards and whether Forest River owes anything to class members.
The Nelson case does not currently cover other Forest River brands or product lines, even though internal Forest River documents identified similar wiring issues in travel trailers, tent campers, and destination trailers. Owners of those other units are not part of this class action on the current record. If you experienced a fire or wiring failure in any Forest River RV, keep the repair records, warranty correspondence, and any dealership diagnoses; that documentation is what plaintiff’s attorneys used to expand the claims here, and it is what any future case would rest on.