NHTSA vehicle safety data

2020 Forest River Cardinal Recalls & Complaints

The 2020 Forest River Cardinal has 1 NHTSA recall campaign and 1 owner complaint on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Forest River dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2020 Forest River Cardinal. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

2020 Forest River Cardinal owner complaints

Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA about the 2020 Forest River Cardinal, describing incidents dated June 22, 2020.

Most-cited components

Structure 1 complaint

Newest complaints

ODI #11337763 · Filed July 6, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 FOREST RIVER CARDINAL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LEFT AND RIGHT ANCHOR LEGS ATTACHED TO THE FRONT END OF THE RV INDEPENDENTLY LOWERED WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH RATES OF SPEEDS WITHOUT WARNING. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT…

Read the full complaint

Carbon Monoxide May Enter Cabin

NHTSA #21V988000 · Equipment — Electrical — Accessory Generator · NHTSA notice

Reported December 17, 2021 · Forest River, Inc.

Potentially affected: 111 vehicles

Repair completion: 45.05% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Forest River campaign 15-1444 · Owners notified January 5, 2022

Defect description

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Cardinal fifth wheel recreational vehicles. The generator compartment may not be sealed properly, allowing carbon monoxide to enter the vehicle.

Safety consequence

Carbon monoxide inside the vehicle can increase the risk of injury or death.

Manufacturer remedy

Dealers will inspect the generator compartment for proper sealant and apply sealant if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 5, 2022. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-296-7700. Forest River's number for this recall is 15-1444.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

try.vin has no NCAP crash-test rating on file for the 2020 Forest River Cardinal. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

1 owner complaint has been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Forest River Cardinal.

Structure

ODI #11337763

Incident: June 22, 2020 · Filed: July 6, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 FOREST RIVER CARDINAL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LEFT AND RIGHT ANCHOR LEGS ATTACHED TO THE FRONT END OF THE RV INDEPENDENTLY LOWERED WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH RATES OF SPEEDS WITHOUT WARNING. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FAILURE WAS A DEALER ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO FINDLAY RV (4530 BOULDER HWY, LAS VEGAS, NV 89121) WHERE THEY HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED AFTER EACH VISIT. THE VEHICLE HAD YET TO BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200. *DT*JB*DT*JB*DT*DT*AS

Other Forest River Cardinal model years

Check your 2020 Forest River Cardinal VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Forest River Cardinal at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

Check a Forest River VIN