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#BS-2017-FORCAR-4B50

2017 Forest River Cardinal

Based on reports from 11 owners and 3 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Recalls

TSBs

✅

Preliminary Verdict

Green Light

Based on 11 complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, and 3 recalls.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Wheels & TiresHIGH

5 owners reported wheels & tires issues — failures commonly reported around 4K miles.

!Inspect the Structure:bodyMED

Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure

+ 3 more items in full checklistUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Wheels & Tires (5 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Wheels & Tires5 (45%)

Other3 (27%)

Structure:body1 (9%)

Suspension1 (9%)

Structure1 (9%)

2017 Forest River Cardinal: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Wheels & Tires Issues

Wheels & Tires complaints account for 45% of all reports filed for the 2017 Forest River Cardinal, with 5 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 3,900 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 4K-mile mark.

Structure:body Issues

Structure:body complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2017 Forest River Cardinal, with 1 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to structure:body-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Suspension Issues

Suspension complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2017 Forest River Cardinal, with 1 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to suspension-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Structure Issues

Structure complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2017 Forest River Cardinal, with 1 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to structure-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2017 Forest River Cardinal. Recent trend: stable.

Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own

Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (3 recalls)

16V258000Jun 2016

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

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."

17V336000Jun 2017

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

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."

21V523000Sep 2021

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

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.

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 11 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 3 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Forest River Cardinal Model Years

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997

View all Forest River Cardinal years →

2017 Forest River Cardinal: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2017 Forest River Cardinal?

The most commonly reported issue with the 2017 Forest River Cardinal is related to the wheels & tires, with 5 complaints filed with NHTSA.

Is the 2017 Forest River Cardinal reliable?

The 2017 Forest River Cardinal has 11 complaints, 0 crash reports, and 0 fire reports filed with NHTSA. The full report analyzes whether these numbers indicate real risk or are proportional to the vehicle’s popularity.

How much does it cost to fix 2017 Forest River Cardinal problems?

Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.

Does the 2017 Forest River Cardinal have any recalls?

Yes, the 2017 Forest River Cardinal has 3 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

What mileage do Forest River Cardinal problems start?

Based on 7 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 3,900 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 0–30K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.

What’s in the full report?

10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.

How is this different from free NHTSA data?

NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.

How is this different from Carfax?

Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.

What if the report isn’t useful?

100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.

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10 sections of AI analysis based on 11 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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