2009 Forest River Cardinal recalls and problems

The 2009 Forest River Cardinal has 1 recall and 5 owner complaints on file with NHTSA; the most reported problem area is tires.

How the 2009 compares
Fewest complaintsMost complaints

High complaint count among 20 Cardinal model years — 5th most.

1recalls
5complaints
1crashes
0fires
2injuries
6,000median miles

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, not verified and not adjusted for sales. Ranking compares this model's own years only.

Does your car have an open recall?
Recalls apply to specific vehicles. Only a VIN lookup on NHTSA's official site shows whether yours is affected and still unrepaired.
Check your VIN →

1 recall

Equipment

May 1, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V148000 · 176 vehicles

Problem: Forest River is recalling 176 my 2009 cardinal fifth wheel trailers. These trailers fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars." due to faulty scales in the production facility, the label for the cargo carrying capacity values is incorrect.

Original NHTSA wording

FOREST RIVER IS RECALLING 176 MY 2009 CARDINAL FIFTH WHEEL TRAILERS. THESE TRAILERS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 120, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS." DUE TO FAULTY SCALES IN THE PRODUCTION FACILITY, THE LABEL FOR THE CARGO CARRYING CAPACITY VALUES IS INCORRECT.

Risk: Failure to follow proper vehicle loading specifications or misprint label could increase the risk of a crash.

Original NHTSA wording

FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROPER VEHICLE LOADING SPECIFICATIONS OR MISPRINT LABEL COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy & notes

Forest River will be mailing corrected labels to retail purchasers, and/or to dealers. The safety recall began on April 15, 2009. Owners May contact Forest River at 1-574-206-7600.

Owners May also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .

Recall text as published by NHTSA and the manufacturer.

What owners complain about

Tires3
Equipment1
Suspension1

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA; one complaint can name several areas. Not verified by NHTSA.

Complaints by year filed

2009: 2 complaints200922010: 2 complaints20102012: 1 complaints20121

2009 vs. other Forest River Cardinal years

2000: 2 complaints20002001: 1 complaints2002: 1 complaints20022003: 1 complaints2004: 2 complaints20042005: 6 complaints2006: 7 complaints20062008: 1 complaints2009: 5 complaints20092010: 3 complaints2012: 1 complaints20122013: 2 complaints2014: 1 complaints20142015: 11 complaints112016: 2 complaints20162017: 7 complaints2019: 1 complaints20192020: 1 complaints2021: 1 complaints20212023: 1 complaints20231

Owner complaints by model year; the darker bar is the 2009. Click a bar to switch year.

Questions

Does the 2009 Forest River Cardinal have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign covering the 2009 Forest River Cardinal, the latest from May 1, 2009 (equipment). A recall applies to specific vehicles: enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours is affected and still open.

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Forest River Cardinal?

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA most often mention tires (3), equipment (1), suspension (1). Complaints are consumer reports and are not verified by NHTSA.