Model year record

2016 FOREST RIVER Cardinal

4 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 4 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 21V523000

Equipment: recreational vehicle/trailer

Component
Equipment: recreational vehicle/trailer
Manufacturer
Forest River, Inc.
Vehicles affected
825
Reported to NHTSA
2021-07-09
Owners notified
2021-09-02

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

Adhesive failure may cause the vent portion of the window to detach, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 17V336000

Equipment: other: labels

Component
Equipment: other: labels
Manufacturer
Forest River, Inc.
Vehicles affected
17
Reported to NHTSA
2017-05-24
Owners notified
2017-06-06

Defect description

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."

Safety 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.

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 16V258000

Equipment: other: labels

Component
Equipment: other: labels
Manufacturer
Forest River, Inc.
Vehicles affected
38
Reported to NHTSA
2016-04-29
Owners notified
2016-06-14

Defect description

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."

Safety 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.

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 15V860000

Equipment: other: labels

Component
Equipment: other: labels
Manufacturer
Forest River, Inc.
Vehicles affected
14
Reported to NHTSA
2015-12-22
Owners notified
2016-01-13

Defect description

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2016 Cardinal fifth wheel travel trailers, model CAF3850RL. The affected vehicles have Federal Certification Placards that list an incorrect gross axle weight from what is actually installed on the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

Safety risk

Incorrect placards may result in improper trailer loading. Improper loading may increase the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Forest River will notify owners and mail them a corrected Federal placard label, free of charge. The recall began on January 13, 2016. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 15-12112015-0122.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Electrical system12,800 mi
Structure: body12,800 mi
Unknown or other1
Wheels12,800 mi

The 2015 model has about a quarter as many complaints as this one. The 2017 model has about a third as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.