RoadVitals

2016 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.
2
Latest Aug 17, 2018
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.
4
Latest Jul 9, 2021
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 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2016 Forest River Cardinal, most frequently naming the body & structure, electrical and other / unspecified categories. 4 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year.

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

  • Body & structure133.3%
  • Electrical133.3%
  • Other / unspecified133.3%

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

4 campaigns cover this model year

View all 4

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
21V523000

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER; STRUCTURE

Jul 9, 2021
825 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Coachmen Cross Country, 2015 Coachmen Encore, 2016-2020 Coachmen Mirada, 2018-2021 Coachmen Sportscoach, 2019-2021 Forest River Berkshire, 2011-2016 Forest River Blue Ridge, 2014-2019 Forest River Cardinal, 2014-2020 Forest River Cedar Creek, 2014-2021 Forest River Georgetown, 2019 Forest River Legacy, and 2017-2018 Forest River Riverstone recreational vehicles equipped with Hehr 6400 Series windows. The adhesive that bonds the vented portion of the window may fail.
The risk: Adhesive failure may cause the vent portion of the window to detach, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect the windows, and replace the vent if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 2, 2021. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-8600. Forest River's number for this recall is 51-1380.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 51-1380View on NHTSA.gov
17V336000

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

May 24, 2017
17 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cardinal recreational trailers, model CAF3250RL. The Federal Placard on these vehicles overstates the Gross Axle Weight Rating capacity (GAWR) by 840lbs. for each axle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
The risk: The incorrect GAWR makes the Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC) label incorrect and may result in the vehicle being overloaded, affecting the vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and dealers will provide a new Federal Placard with the correct GAWR and a new CCC label, free of charge. The recall began on June 6, 2017. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 15-05192017-0412.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 15-05192017-0412View on NHTSA.gov
16V258000

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS; TIRES

Apr 29, 2016
38 units potentially affected
The defect: Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Cardinal recreational vehicles, models CAF3455RL, CAF3825FL and CAF3850RL, manufactured from November 20, 2015, through April 1, 2016. These vehicles may be equipped with a Federal Placard that indicates an incorrect tire and rim combination. The placard states the tire and rim combination is ST235/80R16 LRE Tires with 80 PSI and a rim designation of 16X6.00JJ, when the actual combination on the vehicle is LT235/85T16 LRG Tires with 110 PSI and a rim designation of 16X6.00HD. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk: If the operator inflates the tires to the PSI indicated on the label, the tires will be operated while being under-inflated causing pre-mature wear and a possible tire blow out, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
The remedy: Forest River will notify owners, and provide a new corrected Federal Placard, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on, or about, June 23, 2016. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 15-04172016-0179.
Forest River, Inc.Manufacturer number 15-04172016-0179View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Filed Aug 17, 2018

I CANNOT FIND ANY INFORMATION ON MY FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER WHEN ENTERING THE VIN ON MULTIPLE WEBSITES. THE ONLY THING I CAN FIND IS AN INCORRECT LENGTH AND AN ERROR CODE SAYING THE MODEL YEAR FOR THIS VEHICLE MAY BE INCORRECT. I AM TRYING TO RESALE THIS TRAILER AND I AM HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME DUE TO THIS. IF YOU LOOK AT A 2015 BROCHURE OF CARDINAL TRAILERS, MY 3450RL MODEL IS THERE. IF YOU LOOK AT A 2016 BROCHURE, MY MODEL IS NOT THERE. MY TRAILER IS A 2016 3450RL, HOWEVER, I DISAGREE. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WAS A SHOW TRAILER AT SHOWS OR WHAT THE DEAL IS, BUT I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE KNOWN ALL OF THIS BEFORE I PURCHASED THIS THING NEW AT AN OUTRAGEOUS PRICE. I AM SUPER UPSIDE DOWN ON A 2016 TRAILER NOW. THIS INDUSTRY NEEDS REGULATION.

NHTSA ID
11120627
Incident
Aug 2, 2018
Body & structureElectricalOther / unspecified
Filed Jul 7, 2017

GOODYEAR MARATHON TIRES LESS THAN 3000 MILES, AIR PRESSURE 80 PSI LUG NUT TORQUED. RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW WHILE DRIVING DOWN ]HIGHWAY 19 THRU OCALA NATIONAL FOREST AT 60 MILES PER HOUR. CAMPER IS EQUIPPED WITH TYRON STRAPS BUT STILL DID NOT PREVENT TIRE FROM TEARING FENDER OFF, WIRING, METAL DAMAGE,HYD LINE PUNCTURED AND FIBERGLASS DAMAGE.

NHTSA ID
11003551
Incident
Jul 4, 2017
Mileage
2,800 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—
2016Viewing240—
20151110—
2014140—
2013220—
2012100—
2010300—
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.