2016 Forest River Cardinal Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Cardinal years
- Not enough data 7th of 26 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Forest River Cardinal. That ranks 7th out of 26 Cardinal model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (1 complaints, 50%), typically at around 2,800 miles. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 2owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 Forest River Cardinal problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 1 | 50% | 2,800 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 50% | 2,800 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 50% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 50% | 2,800 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 Forest River Cardinal recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer; structure
Problem: 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.
Risk: Adhesive failure may cause the vent portion of the window to detach, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: 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.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: 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."
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.
Fix: 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.
Equipment:other:labels; tires
Problem: 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."
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.
Fix: 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.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: 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."
Risk: Incorrect placards may result in improper trailer loading. Improper loading may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I cannot find any information on my fifth wheel trailer when entering the vin on multiple websites. The only thing i can find is an incorrect length and an error code saying the model year for this vehicle may be incorrect. I am trying to resale this trailer and i am having a difficult time due to…
Goodyear marathon tires less than 3000 miles, air pressure 80 psi lug nut torqued. Right rear tire blew while driving down ]highway 19 thru ocala national forest at 60 miles per hour. Camper is equipped with tyron straps but still did not prevent tire from tearing fender off, wiring, metal…
Other Forest River Cardinal years
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See all Forest River Cardinal problems by year, every Forest River model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Forest River Cardinal?
Owners most often report electrical system, structure, unknown or other problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 1 complaint.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Forest River Cardinal?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 Forest River Cardinal a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Cardinal model years, the 2016 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.