01 What Zinger is
The Zinger is CrossRoads' full-size value travel trailer — a bumper-pull tandem-axle line running from about 32 to 43 feet, and the volume seller in the CrossRoads towable catalogue. CrossRoads RV, based in Goshen, Indiana and a division of Thor Industries, positions Zinger against the price-leaders: Forest River's Salem / Wildwood and Aurora, Prime Time's Avenger, Keystone's Springdale, Coachmen's Catalina and Palomino's Puma.
Before you compare a Zinger against anything, know which Zinger you are looking at. Zinger, Zinger Lite and Zinger Lite Mini are three separate rosters, not three trims of one line — they share no floorplan codes at all, they carry three separate model records at the industry spec databases, and they have three different model-year histories: the Zinger has been in production since 2009, the Zinger Lite since 2018, and the Zinger Lite Mini is new for 2026. A dealer listing that says “Zinger 18BH” and one that says “Zinger Lite Mini 18BH” may or may not be the same trailer depending on the year, because the 18-series moved rosters for 2026 and was re-specified on the way. This page covers the Zinger roster only; the lighter tandem-axle Zinger Lite and the single-axle Zinger Lite Mini have their own.
Unusually for the value bracket, every figure that matters here is published. CrossRoads gives an MSRP, a travel length, a dry weight and a maximum sleeping capacity for all nine plans on its roster card, and an exterior height, a dry tongue weight, a cargo carrying capacity, an axle count, all three tank capacities and an awning length for each on its floorplan pages. The independent RVUSA records agree with the factory exactly on dry weight, price, length, tongue weight, cargo capacity, fresh and grey capacity and axle count across the whole roster, and supply the GVWR the factory omits — and on all nine plans the dry weight plus the cargo capacity equals that GVWR to the pound. That is a clean published-GVWR line, so every weight on this hub is shown with no derivation and no asterisk.
Two things are not published, and this site does not invent them. CrossRoads gives no exterior width and no axle rating for the line. And while the spec databases print an interior height, they print the same interior height for all 21 plans across all three Zinger rosters — including the 16-foot Mini — while the factory brochure prints a different figure again, so it is not a per-plan measurement and no interior height is shown anywhere on these pages. Standards and options quoted here are the 2025 published lists, the most recent literature CrossRoads publishes for the line, and are labelled 2025 throughout rather than asserted as 2026 equipment.
02 Floorplans profiled in depth
All nine 2026 Zinger floorplans are profiled in full — the complete factory roster, not a selection. They run from the 32-foot 280RB, the cheapest and the one with the biggest cargo margin, to the 43-foot 390DB flagship, and take in three plans rated to sleep twelve. Every layout description below is taken from the CrossRoads factory floorplan record; five plans (280RB, 320FB, 328SB, 340BH and 340LR) publish no layout description anywhere on the factory site, so their rows show the published slide and berth counts instead and their pages make no layout claim.
| Floorplan | Dry wt | Length | Sleeps | Layout | GVWR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 280RB | 6,822 lbs | 32' 8" | 6 | One slide, sleeps 6 - layout not published by source | 9,500 lbs | $41,696 |
| 290KB | 7,062 lbs | 33' 8" | 11 | Two bunks and a queen bedroom | 9,600 lbs | $43,354 |
| 292RE | 7,550 lbs | 33' 8" | 6 | Queen bed, recliners and a fireplace | 9,600 lbs | $48,147 |
| 320FB | 7,695 lbs | 36' 1" | 10 | Two slides, sleeps 10 - layout not published by source | 9,800 lbs | $48,436 |
| 328SB | 8,110 lbs | 36' 8" | 12 | Two slides, sleeps 12 - layout not published by source | 9,740 lbs | $49,888 |
| 331BH | 8,195 lbs | 37' 6" | 12 | Queen bed and a bunkhouse with a flip-up bunk | 9,735 lbs | $55,077 |
| 340BH | 9,252 lbs | 38' 2" | 12 | Three slides, sleeps 12 - layout not published by source | 11,450 lbs | $55,267 |
| 340LR | 8,673 lbs | 38' 2" | 6 | Two slides, sleeps 6 - layout not published by source | 11,200 lbs | $53,196 |
| 390DB | 10,517 lbs | 43' 1" | 8 | King bed, queen bed and a 50-inch TV centre | 13,200 lbs | $61,974 |
Body specifications (lengths, exterior heights, tanks, entries and awnings) and every weight are verified two ways: against the CrossRoads factory floorplan records for the 2026 roster and against the independent RVUSA structured records. Across the whole 21-plan Zinger family the two sources agree exactly on dry weight, MSRP, travel length, dry tongue weight, cargo capacity, fresh and grey capacity and axle count — the only disagreements anywhere are one black tank, one exterior height and four sleeping capacities, all resolved in the factory's favour and stated on the plan pages. Dry weight (UVW), GVWR, cargo capacity (CCC) and dry tongue weight are published per plan and dry plus cargo equals GVWR exactly on every profiled plan, so all weight figures are shown unflagged with no derivation. MSRP is the factory roster card figure; street pricing is dealer-dependent. Real loaded tongue weights run higher — weigh the loaded trailer and confirm against your vehicle's tow rating and payload. No exterior width, axle rating or reliable per-plan interior height is published for the line, so none is shown. Standards and options quoted on the plan pages are the 2025 published lists and are labelled as such.
04 How to choose
The Zinger roster sorts on two questions: how many berths, and how much cargo margin you are willing to give up to get them. For the lightest and loosest way in, the 280RB is the cheapest plan, the shortest, the only single-slide plan, and carries 2,678 pounds of cargo capacity on the roster's lightest tongue — but it is dealer-stock only, so availability depends on the lot.
For families, three plans are rated for twelve. They are not equivalent. The 328SB is the cheapest of the three but leaves only 1,630 pounds of cargo; the 331BH is tighter still at 1,540, though it buys the roster's only 54-gallon fresh tank and 60-gallon grey and black tanks; and the 340BH steps up to an 11,450-pound GVWR, which buys back 658 pounds of cargo over the 331BH at the cost of the roster's heaviest tongue at 1,296 pounds. Below them the 290KB is the cheapest way to eleven berths in the line, with the caveat that it also carries the roster's smallest grey and black tanks. The 320FB sits in the middle at ten berths.
For couples, the 292RE puts recliners and a fireplace in a 34-foot body, the 340LR spends 38 feet on a lounge and returns the roster's second-largest cargo margin at 2,527 pounds, and the 390DB is the 43-foot flagship with a king bed, a queen bed and the only 84-gallon black tank in the line. Note the awnings do not track length: the 292RE gets 10 feet and the 340LR 11, while the 320FB, 331BH and 340BH all get 20. If a patio matters, check that column before the floorplan.
05 What to weigh before buying
Three rosters, one badge — check which Zinger the listing means
Zinger, Zinger Lite and Zinger Lite Mini share no floorplan codes and are three separate rosters with three separate model-year histories. The trap is the 18-series: 18BH, 18QB and 18RB were single-axle Zinger Lite plans through 2025 and are Zinger Lite Mini plans for 2026 — and they were re-specified on the move, so a 2025 18BH and a 2026 18BH publish different dry weights and different hitch weights. A used listing that just says “Zinger 18BH” does not tell you which trailer it is. Check the model year and the full line name, not the code.
Standards quoted here are the 2025 lists
The most recent factory literature CrossRoads publishes for the line is the February 2025 brochure; there is no 2026 brochure. The standards and options on these pages are that document's lists and are labelled 2025 throughout. They are useful — the 2026 roster is a close carryover and the independent spec records corroborate the air conditioner and refrigerator — but they are a year old, so confirm equipment on the unit. One specific: the 2025 standards list electric stabilizer jacks across the line but mark the 390DB as manual. That is the only such exception on the 2026 roster.
Solar: the factory lists prep and a panel, and does not reconcile them
The 2025 exterior standards list carries both a “Solar Prep” bullet and a “100 Watt Solar Panel” bullet, as two separate entries. This site renders both as published and does not resolve them into a single claim, because CrossRoads does not. If solar matters to your buying decision, ask the dealer to show you what is actually on the roof.
Berth counts and cargo capacity are different questions
Occupants count against cargo carrying capacity, and on this family the two figures pull hard against each other. The Zinger Lite 260BH is rated for ten on 1,456 pounds of cargo; the Zinger 331BH is rated for twelve on 1,540; the Zinger 328SB is rated for twelve on 1,630. Twelve adults is roughly 1,800 pounds before a single bag goes in. Meanwhile the Zinger 280RB and 340LR and the Zinger Lite 190RB all carry 2,500 pounds or more. Read the cargo column next to the sleeps column, and load to the weight sticker rather than to the berth count.
Match the tow vehicle honestly — and do not assume longer tows heavier
The Zinger roster runs from 6,822 to 10,517 pounds dry on GVWRs from 9,500 to 13,200 pounds, with dry tongue weights from 794 to 1,296 pounds — and real loaded tongue weights run higher. Tongue weight does not track length in this family: the 43-foot Zinger 390DB asks 1,244 pounds on the ball while the 38-foot 340BH asks 1,296, and the 25-foot Zinger Lite 190RB asks 562 while the 31-foot 260BH asks 800. CrossRoads publishes no axle rating and no tire size for any Zinger line, so the trailer's own placard is the only authority on those. Tow rating alone is not enough: the tow vehicle's payload has to carry the tongue weight plus passengers and gear. Treat published tongue weights as a floor, weigh the loaded trailer, and confirm against your vehicle's door-jamb ratings and a proper weight-distributing hitch before buying.
06 What every Zinger has
08 Recalls
NHTSA lists 16 recall campaigns affecting this line. The earliest was reported 12 May 2005 and the most recent 13 Apr 2022. 13 of them are matched on NHTSA’s own model field; the other 3 name this line in the recall text and are marked named in text below, which is a weaker match and shown as one.
| Reported | Campaign | Component | What can go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 2022 | 22V242000 | Equipment | Carbon monoxide inside the vehicle can increase the risk of injury or death. |
| 25 Feb 2020 | 20V105000 named in text | Tires | 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. |
| 2 Mar 2018 | 18V143000 | Equipment | The loose or missing propane gas port screw can allow propane gas to leak when the refrigerator is used in 'gas' mode, increasing the risk of a fire. |
| 19 Feb 2018 | 18V121000 | Electrical system | An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire. |
| 22 Nov 2017 | 17V755000 | Equipment | In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury. |
| 20 Oct 2017 | 17V667000 | Equipment | If the flame of the cook top becomes inverted or is redirected due to a breeze, the corrugated fiber board may burn, increasing the risk of a fire. |
| 13 Apr 2015 | 15V215000 | Suspension | If the wheel studs break, the wheel could detach from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 29 Sep 2014 | 14V603000 named in text | Equipment | Incorrect GVWR information may result in the trailer being overloaded which could cause sudden tire, axle or suspension failure, increasing the risk of loss of… |
| 31 Mar 2014 | 14V156000 | Suspension | A spring hanger that fractures may result in a loss of control of the trailer, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 11 Mar 2011 | 11V161000 | Equipment | Should A consumer rely ON the incorrect axle and weight rating information, the vehicle could BE overloaded, causing A tire failure that could result IN A crash… |
| 15 Oct 2010 | 10V505000 | Equipment | AN overheated receiver could cause A fire. |
| 12 Oct 2010 | 10V495000 | Equipment | A propane leak IN the presence OF AN ignition source could result IN A fire and/or explosion causing property damage and/or personal injury. |
| 23 Apr 2009 | 09V136000 named in text | Exterior lighting | Lack OF reflectors could lead TO reduced visibility OF the travel trailer increasing the risk OF A crash. |
| 21 Jul 2008 | 08V370000 | Equipment | IF this solution IS exposed TO AN ignition source under certain specific circumstances, IT can result IN A vehicle fire. |
| 18 Dec 2006 | 06V475000 | Suspension | Sudden axle failure could result IN A vehicle crash. |
| 12 May 2005 | 05V215000 | Wheels | This could result IN A wheel separation increasing the risk OF A crash. |
Coverage is not complete, and this matters. These campaigns come from two passes over NHTSA’s public record: a query-by-query harvest of the recall API (1,556 queries, of which 0 failed and 242 returned an explicit zero), and a sweep of NHTSA’s complete recall flat file (325,650 rows), which added 46 campaigns the API harvest had missed. It missed them because the roster it worked from was built by a catalog endpoint that refuses most requests, so entire manufacturer names were never asked about — NHTSA files several Forest River sub-brands as makes of their own. Two limits remain: NHTSA sometimes files a roster under a parent name, and some matches below rest on the wording of the recall rather than its model field. Campaigns affecting only pre-2005 units fall outside this catalog’s range and are not listed. This page is a starting point, not a clearance. Check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy, and again before you tow.
09 Owner-reported problems
Owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA about this line. The earliest was filed 5 Dec 2008 and the most recent 8 Dec 2023. 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 and 1 report describing a fire. These are the owner’s own account of what happened and have not been verified by NHTSA.
What gets reported
| Component group | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | 3 | 21% |
| Structure | 3 | 21% |
| Suspension | 3 | 21% |
| Tires | 3 | 21% |
| Electrical system | 1 | 7% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 7% |
Most recent reports
The most recent 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Dec 2023 | Structure | 1,000 | The contact owns a 2022 Forest River Crossroads Zinger RV trailer hauled by a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the RV was having water intrusion failures. The contact stated that the RV had water entering from the roof. The RV was not kept under a car port or tarpaulin. The contact stated… |
| 29 Jul 2020 | Suspension | — | Tl* the contact owns A 2013 crossroad zinger travel trailer. The contact stated that the axle started to smoke and bend while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed that the axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made… |
| 20 Sep 2019 | Electrical system | — | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CROSSROADS ZINGER CAMPER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V121000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED CAMPING WORLD OF CHATTANOOGA… |
| 28 Aug 2018 | Tires | 5,000 | Tires separated - one on driver side and one on passenger side. This happened when towing A 35 foot trailer on I 70 at 60 mph. Tires only had 5000 miles on them. Nothing left of tires. Brand tail express made in china. |
| 17 Apr 2015 | Structure › Body | — | Tl* the contact owns A 2015 crossroads zinger Z-1. When the vehicle was purchased, the labels indicated A cargo carrying capacity of 1294.55 kilograms. In october of 2014, the contact received A recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 14V60300 (structure) indicating that the cargo carrying… |
| 9 May 2014 | Suspension | — | The axles bent and caused tire damage that may result in tire failure. The axles are made by lippert components, inc. LC35-SB-85-68.5-NOSP-OS-L-545-7242-30PT. *tr |
| 14 Apr 2014 | Latches/locks/linkages | — | Tl* the contact owns A 2013 crossroad zinger trailer. The contact stated that he received notification of nhtsa campaign number 13E039000 (equipment , latches/locks/linkages) and it had been months since the part was ordered which still had not arrived. The manufacturer was not contacted about the… |
| 18 Aug 2013 | Tires | — | The 2013 crossroads zinger travel trailer I purchased has A 3401.94 kg or 7500 lb gvwr/pnbv, the tires on the unit are 205/75R15 load range C. The max load of the tires are 1820 lb @ 50 lbs PSI max pressure cold. The combined load for the tires is 7280 lbs on A trailer that has A label of GVWR of… |
| 28 May 2013 | Tires | 2,000 | Mission tire st 205/75R/14 blow out on 2008 sunset travel trailer, causing damage to fender and trailer 7/12. 5/28/13 inspected other mission tires on trailer and found one with A bulge and deformed code DOT4YB3CI12C -3907. Changed it out with different brand. These tires are dangerous. Brand. DOT… |
| 22 Dec 2011 | Structure › Frame and members › Underbody… | — | Owner conducted A post-delivery ("zero mileage") inspection of A newly purchased vehicle and found that the bolts intended to secure the vehicle body to the frame were loose. It appeared that the bolts were not in correct alignment with the anchoring vehicle cross-member. Many of the bolts are… |
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. The total does include reports NHTSA filed under this line’s own trim badges — Zinger Crossfire and Zinger Z-1 — because each names the same trailer.
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.