15 NHTSA safety recalls cover the Forest River Cardinal, across model years 2013–2022. Every recall repair is free at any Forest River dealer.
Is yours affected? Check your Cardinal by VIN — or pick your model year below for every recall, complaint and fix.
Recalls and owner complaints by model year
Of the Forest River Cardinal model years, the 2021 has the most recalls (6); the 2015 drew the most owner complaints (11).
Recalls: NHTSA campaigns covering each Forest River Cardinal model year on this page. Complaints: owner reports filed with NHTSA for that model year, including trims and variants sold under the model name (e.g. an F-150 page counts F-150 Raptor). Separate scales: compare the shape, not the heights across panels.
| Model year | Recalls | Owner complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0 | 3 |
| 2011 | 0 | no data |
| 2012 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 |
| 2014 | 4 | 1 |
| 2015 | 1 | 11 |
| 2016 | 4 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 | 7 |
| 2018 | 2 | no data |
| 2019 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 6 | 1 |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 |
What these recalls fix, grouped by the vehicle system NHTSA files them under:
Forest River recalls 2021-2024 Dynamax trailers with faulty LED backlight circuit boards that overheat and could cause fire. Owners must have circuit disconnected by dealers by May 14, 2024.
Forest River recalls 2022 Coachmen Apex travel trailers with loose shore cord wires that could cause electrical shorts and fires. Owners must contact dealers for free repairs by April 5, 2022.
Forest River recalls certain 2022-2023 Coachmen trailers with a risk of awning injury if it drops beyond normal operation. Owners must contact dealers for free replacement.
Forest River recalls 2021 Cardinal trailers with certain Sailun tires due to potential belt separation causing loss of vehicle control. Owners must have tires inspected and replaced if needed.
Forest River recalls 2020-2022 Cardinal RVs due to potential carbon monoxide leaks from generator compartments. Owners must have generator compartment inspected by dealers for proper sealant.
When the Forest River Cardinal recalls were issued, by year — a cluster usually means one defect recalled in stages or across a platform.
Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA about the Forest River Cardinal; the most reported area is structure. These are reports, not recalls: they are how NHTSA spots defects.
See Forest River Cardinal complaints, TSBs and investigations by year →
We have 15 NHTSA safety recalls on record for the Forest River Cardinal, covering model years 2013–2022. The most recent was issued Apr 17, 2024 (Equipment).
The 2021 Forest River Cardinal has the most, with 6 recalls on record. Every model year with a recall is listed on this page with links to each one.
By system: Equipment (13), Electrical System (1), Tires (1).
None of these recalls carries an NHTSA do-not-drive or park-outside warning, but each fixes a safety defect, so book the free repair promptly.
Run a VIN recall check: enter your 17-character VIN to see the recalls on record for your exact year, then confirm at NHTSA.gov which are still unrepaired on your vehicle. Any Forest River dealer can also look it up.
Yes. Federal law requires Forest River to fix safety recalls free of charge at any authorized Forest River dealer, regardless of the vehicle’s age or how many owners it has had.