The 2009 Forest River Cardinal has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 176 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the tires. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
EQUIPMENT09V1480002009-05-01176 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROPER VEHICLE LOADING SPECIFICATIONS OR MISPRINT LABEL COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
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.
Complaints by component
TIRES
3
EQUIPMENT
1
SUSPENSION
1
1crashes2injuries
Total complaints5
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“On april 6, 2012 I was on my way to a camp ground when one of the tires on my camper blow out. The only damage was to the tire. On july 18, 2012 I again was on my way to a camp ground and the second tire came a part. This time the tire damaged the camper. The following is tire information:…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 2011 forest river cardinal rv equipped with a dometic awning. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the awning opened. The contact was able to drive onto the emergency lane. The dealer tore the awning fabric while the rv remained in the emergency lane. The dealer…”
“Goodyear tire less than one year old blew out causing damage to the trailer and loss of the tire. *tr”
“2009 forest river cedar creek g2 fifth wheel rv was involved in an accident when the shackles and u bolts securing the trailer suspension came off, as per the manufacturer they were not properly secured by locking bolts, and the axles were missing the guide pins for the leaf springs . The trailer…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 2008 forest river cardinal trailer(na). The vehicle has kenda karrier lowstar tires, st255/80/16(na). While driving approximately 65 mph on normal road conditions; the trailer began to sway. The contact was able to drive in the emergency lane, shut the engine off and inspect…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2009 Forest River Cardinal as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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