RoadVitals

2010 Forest River Cardinal

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
Latest May 11, 2012
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2010 Forest River Cardinal, most frequently naming the tires & wheels and suspension categories.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Tires & wheels266.7%
  • Suspension133.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Tires & wheels
Filed May 11, 2012

ON4/29/12 WHILE PULLING A 2010 FOREST RIVER WILD CAT 5TH WHEEL, A TIRE ON THE RV SEPARATED AND LOST ITS TREAD. THE TIRE MAKE WAS A RFD-TRAIL EXPRESS LOAD RANGE D, ST225/75R15. THE TIRE HAD LESS THAN 5,000 MILES ON IT. THE TIRE TREAD BROKE THROUGH THE TRAILER FLOOR BREAKING THE WATER LINES AND KITCHEN PIPES AND PUTTING A LARGE HOLE IN THE CAMPER FLOOR. PER INSURANCE ADJUSTER IT CAUSED $3,000 IN DAMAGE TO THE RV. *TR

NHTSA ID
10458109
Incident
Apr 29, 2012
Tires & wheels
Filed Feb 20, 2012

IN SEPTEMBER 2011 WHILE PULLING MY NEW 2010 FOREST RIVER XLR, WE HAD A TIRE EXPLODE DOWN THE MIDDLE. WE HAD ONLY BEEN ON THE ROAD FOR 20 MINUTES AND TRAVELING AT 55 MPH. WE HAVE LESS THAN 2400 MILES ON THE TIRES. I PERSONALLY CHECK THE TIRE PRESSURE AND LUG NUT ON BOTH MY 5TH WHEEL AND TRUCK BEFORE GETTING ON THE ROAD. I NOTIFIED LIONSHEAD SPECIALTY TIRE & WHEEL AND THEY REFERRED ME TO VOMA TIRE. VOMA TIRE TOLD ME TO SUBMIT PICTURES WHICH I DID AND A ESTIMATE ON THE DAMAGES. I SENT ALL THIS IN AND THE REPRESENTATIVE AT VOMA SENT A CHECK FOR THE DAMAGES TO MY 5TH WHEEL AND ONE TIRE. I ASK ABOUT THE REST OF THE TIRES AND SHE STATE THAT SHE COULD NOT WARRANT THE TIRES AND WOULD ALLOW ME $65.89/ TIRE AND + $10.00 MOUNTING FOR EACH TIRE. SHE STATED THAT I SHOULD REPLACE THE TIRES AND CUT THE DOT NUMBER OFF AND SEND THEM TO HER AND SHE WOULD ISSUE ME A CHECK. AFTER REPLACING THE TIRES, CUTTING THE DOT NUMBERS OFF AND MAILING THEM TO VOMA, THE PERSON HANDLING THE CASE WAS HOSPITALIZED AND NOW THEY REFUSE TO REIMBURSE ME. THIS COMPANY SCAMMED ME. *TR

NHTSA ID
10448590
Incident
Sep 1, 2011
Suspension
Filed Dec 10, 2011

SHACKLE PLATE BOLTS WERE TIGHT WITH LOCK NUTS BUT ALL OF THE BOLT HOLES ON THE 8 SHACKLE PLATES (2 ON EACH PLATE SO 16 HOLES) WERE WALLERED CAUSING EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR, BLOWOUTS, AND TRAILER FENDERSKIRT DAMAGE. FOREST RIVER WARRANTY ADMINISTRATOR CLAIMS THE CONSUMER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CHECKING SHACKLE BOLTS HOWEVER SINCE THE BOLTS WERE TIGHT, DAMAGE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. FORTUNATELY THE PROBLEM WAS DETECTED BY THE CONSUMER BEFORE THE SHACKLE PLATES BROKE AND AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED. FACTORY REPLACEMENT SHACKLES WERE 1/2 INCH THICK WHEREAS ORIGINAL PARTS WERE 1/4 INCH THICK. FOREST RIVER NEEDS TO USE THE THICKER SHACKLES INITIALLY RATHER THAN WAITING TO SEE IF THE TRAILER SURPASSES THEIR ONE YEAR WARRANTY. OUR UNIT WAS 14 MONTHS OLD BUT THE PROBLEM WOULD HAVE DEVELOPED SOONER IF WE HAD TRAVELED MORE MILES. HAD THE SHACKLE PLATES BROKE WHILE TRAVELING DOWN ONE OF THE MOUNTAIN PASSES IN COLORADO, WE MAY NOT BE HERE TO WARN OTHERS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10439254
Incident
Oct 1, 2011
Mileage
5,500 mi

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Forest River Cardinal by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2024010
2023100
2022050
2021160
2020110
2019110
2018030
2017730
2016240
20151110
2014140
2013220
2012100
2010Viewing300
2009510
2008100
2006710
2005620
2004220
2003130
2002120
2001120
2000210
1999210
1998210
1997010

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.