The 2017 Forest River Cardinal has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 880 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the tires. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
STRUCTURE21V5230002021-07-09825 affected
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…
Consequence
Adhesive failure may cause the vent portion of the window to detach, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
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.
EQUIPMENT17V3360002017-05-2417 affected
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,…
Consequence
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.
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.
EQUIPMENT16V2580002016-04-2938 affected
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…
Consequence
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.
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.
Complaints by component
TIRES
3
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
WHEELS
2
EQUIPMENT
1
STRUCTURE
1
STRUCTURE:BODY
1
SUSPENSION
1
Total complaints11
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2017 forest river cardinal. The contact stated that while her husband was hauling the fifth wheel at approximately 60-65 mph, the two front emergency exit windows detached. While driving at undisclosed speeds, the rear window detached from the rv. The contact stated that the…”
“The contact owns a 2017 forest river cardinal. The contact stated that while her husband was hauling the fifth wheel at approximately 60-65 mph, the two front emergency exit windows detached. While driving at undisclosed speeds, the rear window detached from the rv. The contact stated that the…”
“The slide out system cause the frame to separate from the wall of the travel trailer. This allowed water to get into the wall which rotted the support. When traveling, the slide out would separate on its own. Fortunately, I was made aware by a friend and was able to take the rv to the dealership…”
“We have a 2017 forest river cardinal. We have only taken our trailer out five times for approximately 3900 miles. The last trip to arizona on interstate 40 toward flagstaff. The temperature was around 80 degrees with light rain. The psi was 80 lbs in this tire when it blew out on july 12th, 2019.…”
“We have a 2017 forest river cardinal. We have only taken our trailer out five times for approximately 3900 miles. The last trip to arizona on interstate 40 toward flagstaff. The temperature was around 80 degrees with light rain. The psi was 80 lbs in this tire when it blew out on july 12th, 2019.…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2017 forest river cardinal. The contact stated that since owning the trailer, he has had to replace all four tires a total of 11 times due to tire blowouts. While driving 55 mph, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the trailer. The contact pulled over and upon…”
“Purchased new 5th wheel trailer in december of 2017 with goodyear marathon st235/80r16, load range e tires installed. While driving at 55 mph on a somewhat curvy and hilly state highway with 4800 miles on rv, the left rear tire tread came completely off the tire damaging the rv in the process. I…”
“Purchased new 5th wheel trailer in december of 2017 with goodyear marathon st235/80r16, load range e tires installed. While driving at 55 mph on a somewhat curvy and hilly state highway with 4800 miles on rv, the left rear tire tread came completely off the tire damaging the rv in the process. I…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2017 Forest River Cardinal as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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