Forest River CardinalYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 61 owner complaints and 22 safety recalls on record for the Forest River Cardinal.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaints Best years—Fewest complaints for their age Owner complaints61Top: Tires Safety recalls221997–2024 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Forest River Cardinal years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Cardinal median. Tap a year for its full report.

0 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 6 7 1 5 3 1 2 1 11 2 7 0 1 1 1 0 1 0

'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'08'09'10'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

2024Not rated–/1000 complaints · 2 recalls 2023Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls 2022Not rated–/1000 complaints · 5 recalls 2021Not rated–/1001 complaint · 6 recalls 2020Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall 2019Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall 2018Not rated–/1000 complaints · 3 recalls 2017Not rated–/1007 complaints · 3 recalls 2016Not rated–/1002 complaints · 4 recalls 2015Not rated–/10011 complaints · 1 recall 2014Not rated–/1001 complaint · 4 recalls 2013Not rated–/1002 complaints · 2 recalls 2012Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls 2010Not rated–/1003 complaints · 0 recalls 2009Not rated–/1005 complaints · 1 recall 2008Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls 2006Not rated–/1007 complaints · 1 recall 2005Not rated–/1006 complaints · 2 recalls 2004Not rated–/1002 complaints · 2 recalls 2003Not rated–/1001 complaint · 3 recalls 2002Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls 2001Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls 2000Not rated–/1002 complaints · 1 recall 1999Not rated–/1002 complaints · 1 recall 1998Not rated–/1002 complaints · 1 recall 1997Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall

Complaints by system

Most common Forest River Cardinal problems

All model years combined: 61 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

19Tires

15Structure1 crash/fire/injury

10Equipment1 crash/fire/injury

10Wheels

7Suspension1 crash/fire/injury

4Electrical system

2Visibility/wiper

1Latches/locks/linkages

1Interior lighting

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Tires	19	0
Structure	15	1
Equipment	10	1
Wheels	10	0
Suspension	7	1
Electrical system	4	0
Visibility/wiper	2	0
Latches/locks/linkages	1	0
Interior lighting	1	0

22 recalls

Forest River Cardinal recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

Wiring: fuses and circuit breakers26V-704 · 2024 · Oct 22, 2026 · 5,612 vehicles Equipment: electrical24V-272 · 2021–2022 · Apr 17, 2024 · 4,480 vehicles Trailer hitches: fifth wheel assembly24V-265 · 2024 · Apr 12, 2024 · 100 vehicles Equipment: recreational vehicle/trailer22V-556 · 2022 · Jul 29, 2022 · 49,295 vehicles Electrical system22V-135 · 2022 · Mar 8, 2022 · 1,009 vehicles Tires: tread/belt22V-004 · 2021–2022 · Jan 7, 2022 · 1,164 vehicles Electrical: accessory generator21V-988 · 2020–2022 · Dec 17, 2021 · 111 vehicles Equipment: recreational vehicle/trailer21V-523 · 2014–2019 · Jul 9, 2021 · 825 vehicles Equipment: recreational vehicle/trailer21V-145 · 2021 · Mar 8, 2021 · 309 vehicles Equipment21V-141 · 2021 · Mar 5, 2021 · 21 vehicles Lpg systems: furnace20V-655 · 2021 · Oct 26, 2020 · 69 vehicles Emergency: escape/egress/exit18V-081 · 2018 · Jan 30, 2018 · 53 vehicles

Showing the 12 newest of 22 recalls. Each model-year page lists all recalls for that year.