01 What Coachmen publishes for the Clipper
Coachmen Clipper, a division of Forest River, Inc. lists 15 Clipper travel trailers in its 2023 Clipper brochure. Coachmen prints a dry weight for every one profiled here, and each has a page of its own. It prints a GVWR for every one too. It prints a net carrying capacity for 13; on the 13 that carry both that and a GVWR, the dry weight plus the carrying capacity equals the GVWR exactly on 12. (How the data is verified.)
02 Coachmen Clipper models
Coachmen Clipper 3K · 5 models
| Model | Dry weight | Cargo (CCC) | GVWR | Tongue | Length | Sleeps | On this site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clipper 3K 14CR | 2,450 lb | 1,300 lb | 3,750 lb | 250 lb | 16' 6" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 3K 15CBH | 2,540 lb | 1,290 lb | 3,830 lb | 330 lb | 17' 10" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 3K 16CFB | 2,710 lb | 1,140 lb | 3,850 lb | 350 lb | 18' 6" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 3K 17CBH | 2,896 lb | 1,047 lb | 3,943 lb | 300 lb | 20' 5" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 3K 17CFQ | 2,910 lb | 940 lb | 3,850 lb | 330 lb | 20' 5" | — | Profiled |
Coachmen Clipper 4K · 6 models
| Model | Dry weight | Cargo (CCC) | GVWR | Tongue | Length | Sleeps | On this site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clipper 4K 162RBU | 3,250 lb | 630 lb | 3,880 lb | 360 lb | 19' 9" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 4K 18FQ | 3,390 lb | 700 lb | 4,090 lb | 400 lb | 20' 5" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 4K 18BH | 3,420 lb | 705 lb | 4,125 lb | 400 lb | 20' 5" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 4K 17MBS | 3,550 lb | 493 lb | 4,043 lb | 400 lb | 20' 5" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 4K 18BHS | 3,790 lb | 735 lb | 4,525 lb | 425 lb | 21' 6" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 4K 182DBU | 3,840 lb | 593 lb | 4,433 lb | 425 lb | 22' 3" | — | Profiled |
Coachmen Clipper 6K · 2 models
| Model | Dry weight | Cargo (CCC) | GVWR | Tongue | Length | Sleeps | On this site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clipper 6K 272RLS | 5,928 lb | 2,018 lb | 7,946 lb | 946 lb | 31' 10" | — | Profiled |
| Clipper 6K 262BHS | 6,226 lb | 1,495 lb | 7,720 lb | 720 lb | 32' | — | Profiled |
Coachmen Clipper 5K · 2 models
| Model | Dry weight | Cargo (CCC) | GVWR | Tongue | Length | Sleeps | On this site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clipper 5K 251RBS | Not published by Coachmen | Not published by Coachmen | Not published by Coachmen | Not published by Coachmen | 27' 1" | — | Catalogued · Coachmen prints its weights as TBD |
| Clipper 5K 252DBUS | Not published by Coachmen | Not published by Coachmen | Not published by Coachmen | Not published by Coachmen | 25' 6" | — | Catalogued · Coachmen prints its weights as TBD |
Read from Coachmen’s 2023 Clipper brochure, 5 Nov 2026. “Not published” means the maker prints no figure; nothing is filled from another model, year or dealer.
03 Reading Coachmen’s figures
A maker’s published weight is for a base trailer; options and dealer-installed equipment add weight to any particular unit. The federal weight label inside the trailer carries its own unloaded weight, cargo carrying capacity and GVWR (49 CFR 567 and 571.120): read it on the unit itself before any towing decision.
05 Recalls
NHTSA lists 12 recall campaigns affecting this line. The earliest was reported 21 May 2018 and the most recent 10 Oct 2025.
| Reported | Campaign | Component | What can go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct 2025 | 25V682000 | Electrical system | Unprotected wiring can increase the risk of a fire. |
| 6 Dec 2024 | 24V912000 | Equipment | A detached propane tank may become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash. |
| 22 Nov 2024 | 24V884000 | Equipment | A broken bracket can cause the tank to detach, increases the risk of a crash. |
| 27 Sep 2024 | 24V722000 | Exterior lighting | Insufficiently reflective side marker lights can reduce the trailer's visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 27 Sep 2024 | 24V721000 | Equipment | A detached roof rack can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 15 May 2024 | 24V339000 | Equipment | A detached tank can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 26 Jan 2024 | 24V045000 | Exterior lighting | A missing tail light bezel may reduce visibility of the trailer, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 1 Aug 2022 | 22V559000 | Equipment | A pull-out bunk that fails during use can increase the risk of injury. |
| 29 Jul 2022 | 22V556000 | Equipment | An awning that drops or extends beyond normal operation can increase the risk of injury. |
| 12 Mar 2021 | 21V172000 | Equipment | An inverted flame can increase the risk of a fire. |
| 12 Feb 2020 | 20V075000 | Equipment | If the spare tire carrier and spare tire detach from the vehicle while in motion, it can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash. |
| 21 May 2018 | 18V334000 | Equipment | The incorrect Placard could cause the operator to underinflate the tires, possibly causing tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash. |
Coverage is not complete: this list is a starting point, not a clearance (how it is built), so check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy and again before you tow.
NHTSA files the Clipper under the Coachmen make, as the Forest River “Clipper Camping Trailer”, and by floorplan code under “Clipper Towable”; all are counted. The 2004–2006 Clipper camping trailers filed by Viking RV, and Kompact Kamp and Rexhall Clippers, are not counted here.
06 Owner-reported problems
Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA about this line for model years 2005 on. 1 more, for earlier or unrecorded model years, is not counted. The earliest was filed 30 May 2017 and the most recent 14 Jul 2025. The breakdown below is what those owners actually reported, grouped by the component NHTSA assigned.
Safety outcomes in this set: 1 report describing a crash, 2 reports describing a fire and 1 reported injury. These are the owner’s own account of what happened and have not been verified by NHTSA.
What gets reported
| Component group | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 4 | 44% |
| Structure | 2 | 22% |
| Service brakes | 1 | 11% |
| Suspension | 1 | 11% |
| Trailer hitches | 1 | 11% |
Most recent reports
The 9 owner reports filed on this line, newest first. Wording is NHTSA’s summary of what the owner described.
| Filed | Component | Miles | What the owner reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 2025 | Unknown or other | — | I purchased a 2022 Forest River Clipper Model #272RLS on 10-28-2023. We put it in storage for the winter and took it out for the first time on May 19-2024. Driving down the freeway at 70 miles an hour the water tank fell out and was dragging on the road. We took it to the dealer the next day. We… |
| 24 Jun 2025 | Unknown or other | — | The trailer was bought in April of 2021 brand new. By August there was rust or dark spots inside at the front of the trailer. September 8th 2021 the trailer was dropped of at General RV to be looked at. It did have a leak in the front wall. General RV finally took it in April 10th finally put it in… |
| 14 May 2025 | Suspension | — | Driver side leaf string of trailer broke causing tire to rub on frame. This "friction" resulted in a fire that destroyed the trailer. State Farm Insurance paid the claim and suggested this be reported to NHTSA. |
| 6 Oct 2021 | Trailer hitches | — | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia hauling a 2021 Coachman Clipper travel trailer. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the contact hit a bump in the road and the travel trailer detached from the vehicle. The contact depressed on the brake pedal after hearing a loud noise and the travel… |
| 16 May 2019 | Structure › Body | 20,000 | Driving down pacific coast highway, we heard a loud noise. When we pulled over at a rest area, we noticed the camper sitting lopsided. It had been sitting level when we started our trip that morning. The frame was bent on the passenger side. We have had multiple tire blow outs on the passenger side… |
| 30 Apr 2019 | Service brakes | 500 | All the brake wiring on my travel trailer burned up. Reason unknown. |
| 4 Aug 2017 | Structure › Body | 5 | 18 April 2017, after an approximately 5-MILE delivery trip to our home in ayr, ontario with a new camper trailer, the front right corner of the camper body was found to be coming loose from its chassis. Three wood screw fasteners had worked their way out and several across the front of the chassis… |
| 25 Jul 2017 | Unknown or other | — | This unit has a fire hazard. Refrigerator is installed incorrectly. Counter above refrigerator gets so hot you can not touch. Refrigerator is not insulated on the sides and the flame from the gas makes the wood in the cabinet smell like its burning.*dt *tr |
| 30 May 2017 | Unknown or other | 0 | We were on the forward bed that sits over the propane tank and battery. MY 15 month old son rolled over to the "driver side" of the bed and fell through the side onto a concrete pad. It was approximately a 4 foot fall. The velcro that holds the canvas to the bed did not hold and allowed him to fall… |
How this count is drawn. A report is counted here only when NHTSA’s own model field names this line. What the owner typed in the description is never used to attribute a report: our line names are ordinary English words, and an owner writing “imagine my surprise when the axle went” or naming the state of Montana is not reporting a Grand Design Imagine or a Keystone Montana.
Read these as reports, not as findings. Complaints are submitted by owners and NHTSA does not verify them; no complaint here has been confirmed as a defect, and none of them is a recall. The sample is also self-selected — only owners motivated to file appear in it — so a high count tracks how many units a line sold at least as much as how well it was built. Use the pattern, not the total: a component that keeps recurring is worth inspecting on any used unit. File or search complaints at NHTSA.