---
title: "2020 Sandpiper lights flicker and a burning odor comes from the power center"
kind: "owner-report"
recall: false
brand: "forest-river"
model: "sandpiper"
year: 2020
slug: "forest-river-sandpiper-burning-odor"
url: "https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/forest-river/sandpiper/2020/forest-river-sandpiper-burning-odor"
markdownUrl: "https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/forest-river/sandpiper/2020/forest-river-sandpiper-burning-odor.md"
---

# 2020 Sandpiper lights flicker and a burning odor comes from the power center

Owner reports are not official NHTSA recalls. Each report cites a public complaint, bulletin, forum thread, or manufacturer page. It is not a failure rate, a diagnosis, or a repair procedure.

**Owner report** · Electrical · 2020 Forest River Sandpiper

## Symptoms

NHTSA complaint ODI 11438367, filed October 27, 2021, on a 2020 Forest River Sandpiper, says the interior lights flickered and a burning odor came from the circuit board. No warning lights came on. The owner wrote that a dealer replaced the circuit board twice and the failure continued, that black soot showed up on clothes and appliances, and that the dealer could not find the soot. The trailer then went to the manufacturer for testing. An email said mold was found. The filing does not say that email explained the odor. The mileage is listed as 0. Complaint ODI 11424581, filed July 13, 2021, also on a 2020 Sandpiper, describes the same lights and a burning odor. The owner relates the odor to the converter box and the fuse box shorting, and says electrical parts stopped working. That coach was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The incident dates in the two filings are April 24, 2019, and October 1, 2019. NHTSA marks both filings as a fire. The written accounts describe a burning odor. They do not describe flames.

## Likely causes

One owner points at the circuit board. The other points at the converter and the fuse box shorting. Neither filing includes a shop measurement of a burned part. The mold email, in the October 2021 filing, is not described as the cause of the odor. The two filings do not show one failed power center on every 2020 Sandpiper.

## Common fixes

If the lights flicker and you smell something burning at the converter or the fuse panel, shut off shore power and the battery disconnect, and do not keep using that panel. The October 2021 filing says a dealer replaced the circuit board twice, the odor and the flicker continued, and the manufacturer was still testing the coach. The July 2021 filing says the manufacturer could not assist and the coach was not repaired. Neither filing describes a finished repair. Call the dealer with the dates and photos, and ask whether the visit is warranty, before you plug the trailer in again.

## DIY difficulty

Noticing flickering lights and a burning odor is what these owners describe. Replacing a circuit board, in the October 2021 filing, was a dealer. There is no published procedure here.

## Parts needed

No Forest River part number is named. One complaint describes the circuit board. The other describes the converter box and the fuse box.

## Warranty notes

This is not a recall. The October 2021 filing says the trailer had not been repaired and was still with the manufacturer. The July 2021 filing says the manufacturer could not assist. A complaint is not a coverage decision for another Sandpiper. The year on this page is 2020, which is the year both filings name.

## Sources

- [NHTSA complaints for 2020 Forest River Sandpiper (ODI 11438367 and 11424581)](https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=FOREST+RIVER&model=SANDPIPER&modelYear=2020)
- [Public page for NHTSA complaint ODI 11424581 on a 2020 Forest River Sandpiper](https://vehicleflaws.com/complaint/11424581)

Year page: [2020 Forest River Sandpiper](https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/forest-river/sandpiper/2020)

HTML page: https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/forest-river/sandpiper/2020/forest-river-sandpiper-burning-odor