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2002 Forest River Cardinal Recalls, Complaints & Specs

2 safety recalls list the 2002 Forest River Cardinal, and owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

2
safety recalls
1
owner complaint to NHTSA

2 safety recalls for the 2002 Forest River Cardinal

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Equipment

    NHTSA 10V454000 Reported 2,207 vehicles potentially affected FOREST RIVER, INC.

    Forest river is recalling certain recreational vehicles equipped with dimplex electraflame, symphony, or optiflame branded electric fireplaces, stoves, and fireplace inserts. The plug in remote control receiver for the fireplace can overheat.

    Remedy: Forest river is working with dimplex and dimplex will provide owners a free replacement plug-in remote control kit. The safety recall began on january 28, 2011. Owners may contact dimplex north america customer service…

  2. Recreational vehicle/trailer (equipment)

    NHTSA 07V085000 Reported 128,000 vehicles potentially affected FOREST RIVER, INC.

    Certain recreational vehicles equipped with a two-door refrigerator, manufactured by the dometic corporation, may have a defect in the boiler tube. Pressurized coolant solution could be released into an area where an ignition source (gas flame) is present.

    Remedy: Forest river will be working with dometic in order to repair these refrigerators (please see 06e076). Dometic will repair these refrigerators by installing a secondary burn housing, a thermal fuse, and a melt fuse free…

1 owner complaint filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2002 Forest River Cardinal have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA. Complaints peaked in 2009 with 1 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“Tl*the contact owns a 2002 forest river cardinal fifth wheel rv. The vehicle has a dometic refrigerator, model rm2852. The refrigerator was leaking a yellow liquid that filled the entire trailer with”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, July 14, 2009 · Equipment

Compare Forest River Cardinal model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Forest River Cardinal model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1997 Forest River Cardinal10
1998 Forest River Cardinal12
1999 Forest River Cardinal12
2000 Forest River Cardinal12
2001 Forest River Cardinal21
2002 Forest River Cardinal21
2003 Forest River Cardinal31
2004 Forest River Cardinal22
2005 Forest River Cardinal26
2006 Forest River Cardinal17
2008 Forest River Cardinal01
2009 Forest River Cardinal15
2010 Forest River Cardinal03
2012 Forest River Cardinal01
2013 Forest River Cardinal22
2014 Forest River Cardinal41
2015 Forest River Cardinal111
2016 Forest River Cardinal42
2017 Forest River Cardinal37
2018 Forest River Cardinal30
2019 Forest River Cardinal11
2020 Forest River Cardinal11
2021 Forest River Cardinal61
2022 Forest River Cardinal50
2023 Forest River Cardinal01
2024 Forest River Cardinal10

Checking a specific 2002 Forest River Cardinal

How do I know if my 2002 Forest River Cardinal has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 2 campaigns currently list the 2002 Forest River Cardinal; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Forest River dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 07V085000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Forest River models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.