NHTSA complaint ODI 11648972, filed March 18, 2025, on a 2023 Forest River Cardinal, says that while driving and making a right turn the electric living-room slide opened. The failure mileage was 300. The dealer did not determine the cause. The owner also wrote that the trailer was unstable and hard to steer at various speeds, and that an exterior storage door opened. The manufacturer and the dealer were notified. Complaint ODI 11680535, filed August 13, 2025, on a 2021 Forest River Cardinal 366DLVE, says doors and slide-outs open during transport. The same complaint says an independent repair shop acknowledged frame flex, and it describes cracks near the corners of the upper-deck slide openings, panel separation, and rub marks on the floors under the slides. Those extra items are that complaint's words. This page is the slides and doors that opened while the trailer was moving.

The 2023 complaint says the living-room slide opened during a right turn and that the dealer did not find the cause. The 2021 complaint says doors and slide-outs open during transport and that a shop acknowledged frame flex. The flex comment is that complaint's account. Neither complaint includes a measurement of the slide mechanism. They do not show one slide opening on every Cardinal.

If a slide or an outside door has opened while the trailer is moving, stop. Do not keep towing with a slide out or a door unlatched. The 2023 owner took the trailer to the dealer, and the complaint says the cause was not found. The 2021 complaint names an independent repair shop and does not describe a finished slide repair. Ask the dealer to look at the slide locks and the storage doors before the next trip, and ask whether the visit is warranty. Sourced public report. This is not a repair procedure from RigFix.

Seeing a slide or a door open is what these owners describe. Finding why a slide deployed, in the 2023 complaint, was a dealer visit that did not find the cause. There is no published procedure here.

No Forest River part number is named. The 2023 complaint describes the electric living-room slide and an exterior storage door. The 2021 complaint describes slide-outs, doors, and the upper-deck slide openings on a 366DLVE.

This is not a recall. Neither complaint names a campaign number. The 2023 complaint says the manufacturer and the dealer were notified and does not say who paid. The 2021 complaint does not say Forest River paid. A complaint is not a coverage decision for another Cardinal. The years on this page are 2021 and 2023, which are the years the complaints name.

Last updated October 15, 2026

2021 Forest River Cardinal

Cardinal slides open while the trailer is moving

Owner reportSlides

Symptoms: NHTSA complaint ODI 11648972, filed March 18, 2025, on a 2023 Forest River Cardinal, says that while driving and making a right turn the electric living-room slide opened. The failure mileage was 300. The dealer did not determine the cause. The owner also wrote that the trailer was unstable and hard to steer at various speeds, and that an exterior storage door opened. The manufacturer and the dealer were notified. Complaint ODI 11680535, filed August 13, 2025, on a 2021 Forest River Cardinal 366DLVE, says doors and slide-outs open during transport. The same complaint says an independent repair shop acknowledged frame flex, and it describes cracks near the corners of the upper-deck slide openings, panel separation, and rub marks on the floors under the slides. Those extra items are that complaint's words. This page is the slides and doors that opened while the trailer was moving.
Likely causes: The 2023 complaint says the living-room slide opened during a right turn and that the dealer did not find the cause. The 2021 complaint says doors and slide-outs open during transport and that a shop acknowledged frame flex. The flex comment is that complaint's account. Neither complaint includes a measurement of the slide mechanism. They do not show one slide opening on every Cardinal.
Common fixes: If a slide or an outside door has opened while the trailer is moving, stop. Do not keep towing with a slide out or a door unlatched. The 2023 owner took the trailer to the dealer, and the complaint says the cause was not found. The 2021 complaint names an independent repair shop and does not describe a finished slide repair. Ask the dealer to look at the slide locks and the storage doors before the next trip, and ask whether the visit is warranty.
DIY difficulty: Seeing a slide or a door open is what these owners describe. Finding why a slide deployed, in the 2023 complaint, was a dealer visit that did not find the cause. There is no published procedure here.
Parts needed: No Forest River part number is named. The 2023 complaint describes the electric living-room slide and an exterior storage door. The 2021 complaint describes slide-outs, doors, and the upper-deck slide openings on a 366DLVE.
Warranty notes: This is not a recall. Neither complaint names a campaign number. The 2023 complaint says the manufacturer and the dealer were notified and does not say who paid. The 2021 complaint does not say Forest River paid. A complaint is not a coverage decision for another Cardinal. The years on this page are 2021 and 2023, which are the years the complaints name.

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These answers apply to any make on this site. They explain who pays for a recall repair and what to do if a dealer will not do it.

Cardinal slides open while the trailer is moving

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Your rights with an open recall

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