Does the 2016 Forest River Cardinal have any recalls?

Transport Canada lists 1 campaign and the U.S. NHTSA lists 4 for the 2016 Forest River Cardinal. Matched by make, model, and model year. Many recalls affect only specific VIN ranges — confirm with your dealer using your full VIN.

How do I know if a recall applies to my 2016 Forest River Cardinal?

Recalls are matched by make, model and model year, but many cover only certain VIN ranges. Confirm with your manufacturer or dealer using your full VIN, or use the official Transport Canada or NHTSA lookup.

Are recall repairs free?

Yes. In both Canada and the United States the manufacturer must fix a recalled defect at no charge, through a franchised dealer.

RECALLS — MAKE · MODEL · YEAR

2016 Forest River Cardinal recalls

5 safety recall campaigns have been filed for the 2016 Forest River Cardinal with Transport Canada and the U.S. NHTSA. Here is what both agencies say.

Canadian recalls: 01
U.S. recalls: 04
Total campaigns: 05

Transport Canada recalls

Accessories#2015227May 27, 2015
98 units affected
On certain fifth wheel and travel trailers, the HSM Quad Steps rivets that hold the steps together could loosen and fail. If the rivets were to fail, the steps could collapse which could cause a person to fall, resulting in injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect and replace the rivets with stronger bolts.

Canadian data updated August 24, 2026

U.S. NHTSA recalls

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER#21V523000July 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.
Risk: 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.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS#17V336000May 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."
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.
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.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS#16V258000April 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."
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.
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.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS#15V860000December 22, 2015
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.
Remedy: 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.

Does this recall apply to my vehicle?

Matched by make, model, and model year. Many recalls affect only specific VIN ranges — confirm with your dealer using your full VIN.

What to do

Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer in both countries. To confirm a recall applies to your specific vehicle, or to book the work, contact your manufacturer or dealer with your full VIN, or use the official channel:

NHTSA recall lookup (search by VIN) — U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Defects and recalls database — Transport Canada

Check a 2016 Forest River Cardinal VIN

A VIN decode confirms your vehicle's exact model year, trim and assembly plant, then runs this same recall check against it.

Data sources and coverage limits →