2017 Forest River Cardinal
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Tires is the leading concern among 7 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 7 Cardinal model years with reports.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Equipment, recreational vehicle/trailerJul 9, 2021
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.
Adhesive failure may cause the vent portion of the window to detach, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
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.
Campaign 21V523000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, other, labelsMay 24, 2017
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 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.
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.
Campaign 17V336000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, other, labelsApr 29, 2016
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."
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.
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.
Campaign 16V258000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: other or unspecified
2 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Nov 19, 2021
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 for inspection and repair. I have a another friend that has a Forest River Wildwood that had the same issue which was also corrected before an accident occurred. From what I was told, the wall and screws for the system are were the issue and larger ones were put in place.
Other or unspecified, May 10, 2017
AFTER PURCHASING I REALIZED THAT THE FEDERAL DATA PLACARD ON THE RV LISTS THE GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATINGS AS 6818 LBS. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE THE TWO AXLES ON THIS RV ARE 6,000 LB AXLES. BECAUSE THE PLACARD HAS LISTED THE TWO AXLES AT A TOTAL OF 1636 LBS TOO MUCH, THEY HAVE, IN TURN LISTED THE GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING AT 15,888, WHICH IS 1636 TOO HEAVY A RATING. THE PLACARD SHOULD LIST THE AXLES AS 6,000 GAWR. THE TONGUE WEIGHT OF THE RV IS 2252 LBS. SO, IF THEY WOULD HAVE LISTED THE AXLES AT THE CORRECT 12,000 LBS AND ADDED THAT WEIGHT TO THE TONGUE WEIGHT THE GVWR WOULD HAVE BEEN 14,252. I HAVE SEEN OTHER FOREST RIVER CARDINAL RV'S AT THE LAZY DAYS, TAMPA DEALERSHIP WITH THE SAME ERRORS. SOME UNSUSPECTING BUYER MIGHT, SOME DAY HAVE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO OVERLOADING HIS/HER RV BECAUSE OF THE INACCURATE GVWR ON THESE RV'S. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL AND REISSUING OF FEDERAL PLACARDS FOR THESE RV'S BEING SENT OUT FROM FOREST RIVER.