01 What Forest River for the Work and Play publishes
Forest River, Inc., of Elkhart, Indiana, lists 6 Work and Play toy haulers for 2026. Forest River prints a dry weight for every one it profiles here, and each has a page of its own. It prints a GVWR for every one too. It prints a net carrying capacity for 6; on the 6 that carry both that and a GVWR, the dry weight plus the carrying capacity equals the GVWR exactly on 4. (How the data is verified.)
02 Forest River Work and Play models
Forest River Work and Play · 6 models
| Model | Dry weight | Cargo (CCC) | GVWR | Tongue | Length | Sleeps | On this site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work and Play 18LT | 5,270 lb | 3,982 lb | 9,192 lb | Not published by Forest River | 24' 6" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 21LT | 6,098 lb | 3,637 lb | 9,735 lb | Not published by Forest River | 27' 5" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 27LT | 6,790 lb | 3,710 lb | 10,500 lb | Not published by Forest River | 32' 11" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 27KB | 7,488 lb | 3,512 lb | 11,000 lb | Not published by Forest River | 32' 11" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 29SS | 8,642 lb | 3,858 lb | 12,500 lb | Not published by Forest River | 36' 4" | — | Profiled |
| Work and Play 30GS | 9,033 lb | 3,466 lb | 12,500 lb | Not published by Forest River | 37' 6" | — | Profiled |
Read from Forest River’s 2026 Work and Play brochure, 5 Nov 2026. “Not published” means the maker prints no figure; nothing is filled from another model, year or dealer.
03 Reading Forest River’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 14 recall campaigns affecting this line. The earliest was reported 7 Jul 2008 and the most recent 19 Jan 2026.
| Reported | Campaign | Component | What can go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jan 2026 | 26V020000 | Equipment | A ramp door that breaks during use increases the risk of injury. |
| 17 Nov 2023 | 23V773000 | Electrical system | Electrical outlet failure can increase the risk of a fire. |
| 3 Nov 2023 | 23V738000 | Exterior lighting | Non-reflective side marker lights can reduce the trailer's visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 29 Jul 2022 | 22V556000 | Equipment | An awning that drops or extends beyond normal operation can increase the risk of injury. |
| 13 Apr 2022 | 22V243000 | Equipment | A gas leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire. |
| 8 Mar 2022 | 22V135000 | Electrical system | Loose wires may contact each other and cause an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire. |
| 21 Jun 2019 | 19V482000 | Equipment | An electrical short can increase the risk of fire. |
| 13 Aug 2018 | 18V527000 | Equipment | If the awning deploys while moving, there would be an increased risk of a crash. |
| 21 Jun 2016 | 16V450000 | Equipment | If the indicator sight glass cracks, propane gas may leak out. In the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occure. |
| 19 Nov 2015 | 15V771000 | Equipment | The overheating of the water may result in the release of steam, possibly causing the operator is to scald themselves and increasing the risk of injury. |
| 17 May 2013 | 13V203000 | Equipment | If the motor assembly screws shear, it is possible that the awning can unfurl unexpectedly, either while the vehicle is at rest or while in transit, increasing the… |
| 20 Dec 2010 | 10V648000 | Wheels | There could be a potential wheel failure and wheel loss increasing the risk of a crash, or personal injury. |
| 14 Jul 2010 | 10V325000 | Equipment | In the event of an emergency, an egress window may be difficult to open and may delay or prevent an occupant's egress, increasing the risk of personal injury. |
| 7 Jul 2008 | 08V346000 | Equipment | If this solution is exposed to an ignition source under certain specific circumstances, it can result in a vehicle fire. |
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.
This count includes Work and Play campaigns Forest River filed under the Coachmen make.
06 Owner-reported problems
Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA about this line for model years 2005 on. The earliest was filed 18 Aug 2010 and the most recent 10 Jun 2022. The breakdown below is what those owners actually reported, grouped by the component NHTSA assigned.
What gets reported
| Component group | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 2 | 29% |
| Tires | 2 | 29% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 14% |
| Unknown or other | 1 | 14% |
| Wheels | 1 | 14% |
Most recent reports
The 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jun 2022 | Tires | — | The tire which was damaged was a rear passenger tire on a travel trailer, it was monitored by TPMS and was performing as expected showing no signs of air loss or temperature rise - it was a sudden explosion and the tread completely came off the tire causing damage to the trailer and of course the… |
| 6 May 2021 | Unknown or other | 1,000 | Tire blew out. Trailer was less than a year old. Check air pressure each trip and use it once a month, so not sitting too long. Trailer GVWR is what the 4 tires carried and the estimated tongue weight added together. Should have higher rated tires for safety margin. Been reading online about many… |
| 31 May 2016 | Suspension | 2,000 | While driving down a busy two lane mountain highway going 65 MPH, we were flagged to pull over from surrounding vehicles in regards to something dragging under the rear of the trailer. After pulling over on to the highway shoulder, I found a frame cross brace dragging on the ground. Further… |
| 13 Feb 2015 | Tires | 10,000 | Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Forest River Work and Play (na) camper equipped with four Goodyear marathon tires, size ST235/80R16 (na). While driving approximately 5 MPH, the rear passenger side tire suddenly blew out and shredded causing damage to the rear fender. The cause of the failure was not… |
| 13 Oct 2014 | Wheels | 5,000 | Tire failure. Tire separated from rim, (inner & outer). This wheel is on the driver side rear axle. Tire rubber remnants destroyed wires to electric brakes. These wires are located on the axle just inside the wheel. The tires on the camper are vail sport ST205/75D14. This is the second such… |
| 8 Aug 2014 | Latches/locks/linkages | — | Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Work and Play Forest River RV. The contact stated that front and rear locks failed to operate when accessing the key. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate… |
| 18 Aug 2010 | Suspension › Rear | 5,500 | Case #[xxx], submitted 8-17-2010. 2010 Forest River inc, Cherokee Grey Wolf model 19RR. U bolts came loose on both axles allowing axles to move off of their locating pin on leaf springs. The wheels shifted right allowing both right tires to rub on inner wheel well. The condition was discovered when… |
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.