Also: Johnston RV Broke Their Promise
The dealer who sold us this defective RV promised to fix it if Forest River wouldn't. Then they ghosted us for 4 months. Read the full story: JohnstonRVExperience.com →
Overview
Tennessee Valley Pastoral Counseling is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 46-4227922) that has operated since January, 2014, providing free and low-cost counseling services to individuals, couples, and families as well as complimentary training on-site for church leaders. We have never generated a profit and exist solely to serve God, His church, families, and communities.
In September 2025, we purchased a brand new 2026 Forest River Arctic Wolf Cherokee 3650 Suite from Johnston RV for our charitable ministry purposes: traveling to churches to provide pastoral counseling training, equipping congregations, and conducting a free marriage seminar for each community while on-site. We were told by Johnston RV that "Forest River takes care of everything" during the first year and that a lifetime warranty would apply thereafter.
The Problem
Upon delivery, this brand new RV had multiple manufacturer defects. Forest River has denied warranty coverage claiming that registration in a nonprofit organization's name constitutes "commercial use" under their warranty policy, despite our exclusively charitable mission and use.
We have been completely stranded for 4 months, unable to travel or fulfill our ministry mission. The RV has been non-functional since delivery. During this time, ongoing water damage continues to destroy the RV's value daily while Forest River refuses to honor warranty obligations.
The Manufacturer Defects
Defects Present at Delivery on Brand New Unit:
- Defective Plumbing: No hot water to shower despite hot water functioning in sinks. Water from the shower leaks through the wall into the bedroom, creating water damage and potential mold/health hazards.
- Additional Water Leak in Closet: Daily water intrusion into closet area, source unknown. Damage worsening while repairs are delayed.
- Electrical Safety Hazard: Short in mirror wiring creating potential fire hazard.
- Tank Monitoring System Failure: Tank monitoring system on electrical panel non-functional from delivery.
- Fit and Finish Issues: Multiple nicks, scrapes, and damage throughout the unit.
Photographic Documentation
Click below to view complete photo documentation of all defects:
Photos include: plumbing defects, water damage, electrical hazards, fit and finish issues, and new closet leak.
Photo Documentation
Signature of Quality Control Inspector. Was told by a Johnston RV staff member they are known for just pre-signing a stack of them without inspection.
Photo showing water on the floor in bedroom. It is leaking from underneath the closet where the W/D unit would go. None are installed, yet it leaks daily.
Photo of wood valance in bedroom. This was damage noticed during walk through and was assured it would be replaced by delivery. Tech slapped scotch tape on it and called it good.
Damage to the door frame going into the office/bunk room.
Damage to other side of door frame entering office/bunk room.
Close-up of bump under the vinyl flooring in the bedroom.
Stain on the bench seat of the dining booth.
Blind in bedroom is not only uneven, but includes what looks like a cut in it.
Discolored splotches on the walls very difficult to see in photo. This one is the wall in the bedroom where water leaks from the bathroom.
Top bathroom cupboard door damaged from pull out drawers and present at purchase. Was assured it would be taken care of as it was "just a minor fix and finish issue."
And here's the bottom bathroom cupboard door damaged from pull out drawers and present on purchase. As with all other damage, was assured by Johnston RV that Forest River would fix or replace.
Damage to inside of bathroom sink. Was told I could "maybe place some 'White-Out' on it."
Damage to back of bathroom door.
Mirror in bathroom supposed to light up around outer edge. Ours does not. Upon feeling the back for a switch, Lance was shocked by a short in the wiring. Fire hazard.
Damage to top of pantry door in Kitchen.
Damage to inside of pantry door.
Damage to upper right corner of entertainment center.
Office blinds. Looks normal, but will not stay up. Just another item they came over and took a picture of saying they would replace.
Water leak from shower in bathroom into bedroom. Shower was only used this once because, more good news, not only does it leak, but there's no hot water, so we travel elsewhere to shower to avoid more damage.
Tank monitoring system always shows black tank as full, except when newly emptied, when it drops to 2/3 (shown here) until someone uses it again and it returns to full. This feature was one of our purchase reasons to track and save on tank treatments and it doesn't function correctly.
Damage to wood in main room. This board was laying on the ground when we took a tour and was told a kid tore it down during a tour. Was told by our salesperson it would be replaced. Not only did they use the same piece, they put a ton more holes in it, and tacked it up both crooked and bowing in the center.
Handle of sink that won't stay on, which goes nicely with the nick in our countertop and our broken light dimmer. But I suppose these are just a few of many inconveniences.
Tear in wood covering in main area.
Yet another damaged wooden valance. This one above the dresser in bedroom.
Yet another damaged valance (there are more than shown here.) This one is in the livingroom.
Some type of damage on ceiling in office. Appears to be holes.
Scrapes on metal appear throughout. This is from the loft.
Deep scratch on yet another wooden valance. This one is in the main living area.
This may sound nit-picky until you learn this occurs all throughout the RV. Some of the molding is flush, and many (like this) are not. Some ends are finished and others (like this) are just left. Just imperfections, but still speak to shoddy workmanship.
Complete Email Correspondence
Full documentation of all correspondence with Forest River, Inc. including warranty denial, "goodwill repair" offer requiring legal release, and corporate counsel's trademark threats.
📧 Download Email Correspondence 📄 Download Forest River WarrantyTimeline of Events
2025 - Purchase of RV
Tennessee Valley Pastoral Counseling purchased 2026 Forest River Arctic Wolf Cherokee 3650 Suite from Johnston RV in September 2025 for $60,000 cash. Explicitly told that Forest River covers everything in first year and lifetime warranty would apply thereafter.
September 2025 - Delivery and Discovery of Defects
Upon delivery, multiple manufacturer defects discovered including plumbing issues, water leaking into bedroom, electrical hazards, tank monitoring failure, and fit/finish problems. RV non-functional from day one.
2025 - Warranty Claim Submitted
Submitted warranty claim for manufacturer defects to Johnston RV for forwarding to Forest River.
2025 - Warranty Denial
Forest River denied all warranty coverage claiming registration in nonprofit name constitutes "commercial use." Told by Johnston RV to go after them myself and if they still didn't approve warranty, they would fix all repairs.
October 2025 - First Formal Complaint
Submitted detailed written complaint to Forest River explaining nonprofit status, charitable mission, and requesting warranty coverage for manufacturer defects.
October 2025 - Forest River Response
Forest River responded maintaining denial of warranty coverage based on business entity registration.
October 2025 - Second Formal Complaint
Submitted second detailed complaint challenging Forest River's blanket policy exclusion as improperly applied to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
October 20, 2025 - "Goodwill Repair" Offer
Forest River offered "goodwill repairs" contingent upon repairs at their sole discretion and execution of a legal release waiving all rights. Offer rejected.
October 20, 2025 - Corporate Counsel Threatens Legal Action
Forest River's corporate counsel sent trademark infringement threats regarding this documentation website.
December 12, 2025 - Documentation Updated
Full documentation maintained to inform consumers and nonprofit organizations about Forest River's warranty practices. Four months stranded with non-functional RV. Situation continues with no resolution while damage worsens daily. We are seeking full financial compensation for loss of use during terminal illness, ongoing diminished value, and Forest River's refusal to honor warranty obligations.
Excerpt from Initial Email to Forest River, Inc.
"I have spent my career serving others in their most vulnerable moments. I am now facing significant personal health challenges, including stage 4 liver failure. My wife and I have invested everything we have, literally everything, into this ministry and this vehicle. We have never owned anything brand new in our lives. To be met with manufacturer defects and corporate denial of responsibility on what should have been a reliable ministry tool is beyond disappointing: it is unconscionable."
Our Position
We are a federally recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization. We do not operate for profit. We have never generated profit since our founding in 2014. We provide free and low-cost services to those in need.
Forest River's warranty covers RVs used for "short term recreational camping." We travel to churches, stay temporarily while providing free training and seminars, then move to the next location. This is precisely the use case their warranty describes.
The defects existed at delivery on a brand new unit. These are not maintenance issues or damage from use. These are Forest River's quality control failures that should be covered under their warranty. We have been stranded for 4 months, completely unable to use the RV or travel to serve churches during my terminal illness. We are seeking full financial compensation beyond repairs.
Our Legal Rights to Publish This Documentation
Consumer speech about products and services is constitutionally protected. Our documentation of Forest River's warranty practices is protected speech under the First Amendment.
We use "Forest River" to identify the company we're discussing - there is no other way to discuss our warranty experience without using their name. We are not claiming to be Forest River or affiliated with them. Clear disclaimers of non-affiliation appear throughout this site.
This website clearly states it is NOT affiliated with Forest River, Inc. We use no Forest River logos, no trade dress, and make it obvious this is consumer documentation and criticism. Established case law supports consumer gripe sites including Bosley Medical Institute v. Kremer, 403 F.3d 672 (9th Cir. 2005), which held that consumers can use company names in domain names to criticize those companies, and TMI, Inc. v. Maxwell, 368 F.3d 433 (5th Cir. 2004), which affirmed that gripe sites are protected speech even when they use trademarked names.
Consumers have the right to share their experiences with manufacturers. Nonprofits have the right to warn others about warranty practices that may affect them. Free speech rights outweigh corporate reputation concerns when the speech is truthful and serves the public interest.
About Tennessee Valley Pastoral Counseling
Tennessee Valley Pastoral Counseling sounds like a big organization, but it's not. It's just us - Lance and Deanna Flood. We started this ministry in 2014 because we felt called to provide free and low-cost counseling to people who couldn't afford it, and to train church leaders in pastoral care.
Yes, we're a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit (EIN: 46-4227922). But we've never generated a profit - not once in over a decade. We've never paid ourselves. We have no donors, no fundraising campaigns, no grant money. This ministry has been funded entirely by our personal savings for 11 years. Most years, we've had to work other jobs just to keep it going while we serve churches and families for free.
We saved for years. Combined what little the ministry had with our personal savings - $60,000 total. Everything. We've never owned anything brand new in our entire lives. This RV was supposed to let us travel to churches across the region, stay on-site while we provided free marriage seminars and pastoral training, then move to the next church.
Lance is facing stage 4 liver failure. We don't know how much time we have left to serve. We invested everything into this one tool that would allow us to continue the work - and Forest River is denying warranty coverage for manufacturer defects because we're a nonprofit charity.
We're not wealthy. We're not a big business. We're two people who gave their lives to serving others, and we're being treated like a commercial entity by Forest River despite our exclusively charitable mission. This isn't about profit or business - this is about being able to continue serving churches and families in need.
Ministry Information
Tennessee Valley Pastoral Counseling provides free and low-cost counseling services to individuals, couples, and families. We travel to churches across the region to train congregations in pastoral counseling techniques and conduct free marriage enrichment seminars.
January 2014
501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Nonprofit Organization
EIN: 46-4227922
Has never generated a profit in over 11 years of operation. Founders Lance and Deanna Flood have never received a salary. Ministry operates entirely through the founders' personal savings and resources - we have no donors, no fundraising campaigns, no grant money. Just two people pouring everything they have into serving others.
Common Questions About Forest River Warranties and Reviews
Does Forest River honor their warranty?
Based on our experience with our Forest River Arctic Wolf, Forest River denied warranty coverage on our brand new RV with manufacturer defects because it was registered to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Despite our charitable mission matching their warranty's recreational use definition, Forest River claimed nonprofit registration equals commercial use.
What are common Forest River defects and problems?
In our brand new 2026 Forest River Arctic Wolf Cherokee 3650 Suite, we experienced multiple defects on delivery: defective plumbing (no hot water), water leaks into living spaces, electrical shorts creating fire hazards, non-functioning tank monitoring system, and numerous fit and finish issues. These Forest River problems existed from day one.
Does Forest River warranty cover nonprofits?
According to Forest River's warranty policy as applied to us, registration in ANY business entity name (including 501c3 nonprofits and charities) is considered "conclusive evidence of commercial use" and voids warranty coverage. This Forest River warranty denial policy may affect churches, nonprofits, and charitable organizations.
Should I buy a Forest River RV? Forest River reviews from real owners
We encourage potential buyers to review all documentation on this site about Forest River quality issues and Forest River warranty practices. Consider Forest River reviews from multiple sources and make an informed decision about Forest River's quality control and whether their warranty will actually protect you if problems arise.
Forest River lawsuit and legal issues
We are pursuing legal options regarding Forest River's warranty denial under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Forest River's policy of denying warranty to nonprofits may violate federal consumer protection laws. Consult with a consumer protection attorney if you've experienced similar Forest River warranty problems.
Forest River Warranty Problems - What You Need to Know
Forest River Warranty Denial Reasons
Forest River denied our warranty claim on a brand new 2026 Arctic Wolf Cherokee 3650 Suite. Their reason? The RV is registered to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. According to Forest River's warranty policy, ANY business entity registration - including tax-exempt charities - is considered "conclusive evidence of commercial use" and voids all warranty coverage. This means churches, nonprofits, and charitable organizations purchasing Forest River RVs may have NO warranty protection.
Forest River Arctic Wolf Defects
Our brand new Forest River Arctic Wolf had multiple defects at delivery: no hot water to shower, daily water leaks into bedroom and closet, electrical shorts creating fire hazards, and numerous quality control failures. These manufacturer defects should be covered under Forest River's one-year warranty, but Forest River corporate counsel denied all claims and threatened legal action when we documented our experience.
Forest River Customer Service Problems
After months of correspondence, Forest River offered "goodwill repairs" only if we: transport the RV at our expense, accept repairs "at Forest River's sole discretion" with no commitment to fix all defects, and sign a legal release waiving all rights. Forest River's corporate counsel then threatened trademark infringement lawsuits for operating this consumer information website.
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This Matter Can Still Be Resolved
If Forest River chooses to honor their warranty obligations and repair the manufacturer defects on this unit, this documentation will be updated accordingly.
Forest River: Contact Dr. Lance Flood immediately to resolve this matter.