---
title: "XLR fresh-water tanks drop when the straps or supports let go"
kind: "owner-report"
recall: false
brand: "forest-river"
model: "xlr"
year: 2021
slug: "forest-river-xlr-fresh-tank"
url: "https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/forest-river/xlr/2021/forest-river-xlr-fresh-tank"
markdownUrl: "https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/forest-river/xlr/2021/forest-river-xlr-fresh-tank.md"
---

# XLR fresh-water tanks drop when the straps or supports let go

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** · Frame · 2021 Forest River XLR

## Symptoms

NHTSA complaint ODI 11093774, filed May 14, 2018, on a 2018 Forest River 28KW XLR Nitro, says the fresh-water tank detached while the trailer was traveling on the highway. The trailer was towed to Specialty RV at 509 S Broad St, Lancaster, OH, where the shop confirmed the tank was detached. The trailer was repaired. The owner was told by the manufacturer that the failure was inherent to the trailer. Complaint ODI 11692047, filed October 8, 2025, on a 2021 Forest River XLR, says the trailer was parked when the driver's side straps holding the water tank had detached and the tank fell on the ground. The owner was told the repair was not covered under the recall. The complaint does not name a campaign number, and it says the trailer was not diagnosed or repaired. On the Forest River Forums, a reply on a thread about fresh-water tanks falling out says a 2014 27 ft XLR toy hauler had the tank one third full on a trip to Florida, and at the destination the tank was half out of the supports. The owner jacked the tank back up and bolted flat metal across the supports.

## Likely causes

The 2018 complaint says the tank detached on the highway and that the manufacturer called the failure inherent. The 2021 complaint says the straps on the driver's side let go while the trailer was parked. The 2014 forum reply says the tank had worked partway out of the supports. Those are three accounts. They do not show one loose strap on every XLR.

## Common fixes

Before a trip with water in the fresh tank, look at the straps and supports under the tank if you can see them. A strap that has come off, or a tank that has dropped, is what these reports describe. If the tank is on the ground or hanging from the hoses, do not tow it. The 2018 trailer was towed to a shop after the tank detached on the highway, and the shop repaired it. The 2021 complaint does not describe a repair. The 2014 owner jacked the tank back into place and bolted flat metal across the supports. That is one owner's modification, not a Forest River repair. Ask the dealer to look at the tank mounts and to say whether the visit is warranty before the next trip.

## DIY difficulty

Looking at the straps is something the 2014 owner describes. Putting a dropped tank back, in these reports, was a shop or a driveway jack. There is no Forest River procedure on this page.

## Parts needed

No Forest River part number is named. The complaints describe the fresh-water tank, the straps, and the supports. The forum reply describes flat metal bolted across the supports.

## Warranty notes

This is not a recall. The 2018 owner was told the failure was inherent to the trailer. The 2021 owner was told the repair was not covered under the recall, and the complaint does not name a campaign number. The 2014 reply does not say Forest River paid. A complaint is not a coverage decision for another XLR. The years on this page are 2018 and 2021, which are the years the complaints name. The forum coach is a 2014 XLR.

## Sources

- [NHTSA complaints for 2018 Forest River XLR (ODI 11093774)](https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=FOREST+RIVER&model=XLR&modelYear=2018)
- [NHTSA complaints for 2021 Forest River XLR (ODI 11692047)](https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=FOREST+RIVER&model=XLR&modelYear=2021)
- [Forest River Forums reply on a 2014 XLR toy hauler whose fresh tank worked out of the supports](https://www.forestriverforums.com/threads/fresh-water-tank-falls-out.315420/page-2)

Year page: [2021 Forest River XLR](https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/forest-river/xlr/2021)

HTML page: https://www.rigfixhq.com/issues/forest-river/xlr/2021/forest-river-xlr-fresh-tank