RoadVitals

2019 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.
1
Latest Feb 6, 2024
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.
1
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 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2019 Forest River Cardinal, most frequently naming the body & structure category. 1 safety recall has 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 & structure1100.0%

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

1 campaign cover this model year

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

Recent owner complaints

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

Body & structure
Filed Feb 6, 2024

Rv fiberglass is cracking and delaminating because of frame is given to much think they call it frame flexing the fifthwheel hitch Has a lot of frame flexing in it now where before had very little I feel like something is come unwelded and is loose with the hitch contacted Forest River about it they basically told me I was on my own my warranty went out in 2020 this was a $65,000 fifthwheel and have structure failure with and they don’t want to help you or talk to you about it I thought well ok maybe I am one in a million but after researching this somebody should have made lippert frames do a recall on these there all over the internet with the same problems different manufacturers but same frame I contacted them a year when all of this started and they did the same thing then try to brush it off as owners fault please I need some help on this issue

NHTSA ID
11570369
Incident
Dec 14, 2023

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—
2019Viewing110—
2018030—
2017730—
2016240—
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.