2021 GRAND DESIGN IMAGINE Complaints

Component failure : Left rear tire showed signs of wear. Replaced the tire and upon reinstalling checked the hubs and brakes. All good. Noticed a little deflection in the front of the left rear shackle. It was obscured by foam and underbelly material. Upon peeling it back, it was noticed that the shackle had torn completely away from the frame beam. RISK : This trailer had it been pulled down the highway another 10 miles would have experienced a catastrophic failure. This trailer at minimum would have lost the axle and torn apart the trailer. Worse it could have flipped the trailer or tow vehicle Reported Problem : Grand Design, the manufacturer, and Lippert the frame manufacturer have been notified. They sent me a "Customer Satisfaction Program" that identifies this issue. This is NOT Satisfactory. This is should be a total recall effort and they should be required to send out notices certified mail. Current : Working with the manufacturers to see if they will have the trailer towed to the nearest service center and if they will repair it.

The right side leaf spring hanger broke from the frame while traveling causing the trailer to lean heavily and pull to the right side nearly hitting an 18 wheeler that I was passing. I received a customer satisfaction campaign letter from Grand Design 3 days later in regard to cracks in the I beam frame above the spring hangers for all Imagine 2910BH models produced between 6/24/2020 and 6/14/2023. Grand Design said that they have concluded that condition does not present a safety hazard. Having a suspension component fail on a trailer is a safety hazard.

After reading of other owners of similar and identical models like mine having frame cracks, I made a point to inspect my trailer’s I beam chassis and I discovered horizontal cracks within the I beam, one on each side, over the suspension area. Every picture I have seen looks just like mine, a rusty L shaped crack adjacent to a crossmember welded on the backside of this area. You can see the shape of this crossmember through the surface of the I beam, indicating the metal is quite thin. It took me only a couple minutes to find, as I knew exactly where to look, based on the numerous stories I’ve read about. Upon further inspection, I also found suspect welds that look burned through the frame, leaving a hole behind. This makes me question the quality of the rest of the trailer’s frame. There is also a crossmember at the front of the trailer with a distinct bend in it at the bottom, where the top remains fairly straight. This, to me, is another indication that the frame is flexing and causing this member to fold as a result. After discovering this, I later learned many other owners have the same issue, and one had a complete A frame failure in that area. Also, I have discovered that all four of my trailer’s leaf springs are flattening out, and they remain this way with all personal items removed from the unit. As it sits now, it is within a handful of pounds of the original purchase weight, and the leafs have not sprung back. We have an appointment scheduled directly with the manufacturer in Indiana to have these issues repaired, among a laundry list of less safety related issues we’ve experienced since ownership. We’ve known of these major issues since August of 2024 and have waited 6 months for our appointment for repairs. We have declined from using this trailer during this time as we don’t have confidence that it can safely be towed. I am to understand, the wait time is due to a large influx of other trailers being brought in for major repair.

Cross member of frame bending, allowing A frame that its connected at to also bend.

On [XXX] we were driving with our travel trailer from South Carolina to Michigan on interstate highways. When we made what was to be a quick late afternoon stop in Detroit, we discovered that the A-Frame on the trailer was severely bent and about to break. We spent the next day trying to get help with repairing it by calling the manufacturer, Grand Design; the local Grand Design dealer; and a couple of welders. None were able to assist us, so we had the trailer hauled back to a welder closer to our home. We were thankful the A-Frame did not completely break on the highway which could have caused a wreck or a major safety hazard. The welder that replaced the metal was surprised the A-Frame metal was so very thin, commenting they had never seen anything so thin on a travel trailer. It was replaced with ¼” metal. The propane system integrity is in question since it was pushed against the front wall of the trailer. The travel trailer is currently at a Grand Design dealer to determine if it or other structural damage was incurred due to the bent A-Frame. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While towing our travel trailer we experienced a tire blowout on the left side rear. The blow out tore up the black water valve and sewage cap dumping sewage on the side of the highway. The lack of protection to the valve is not present and the valve is directly behind the tire. With trailer tire blowouts prevalent this is bound to happen again.

Suspension hangers cracked the frame and a section of the frame broke allowing the hanger to flip over and suspension to fail. This occurred while backing the trailer up. If it occurred while driving it could have caused the trailer to tip over.

As we were driving down the road, the frame had a catastrophic frame failure where the frame was split in half ,and almost departed from the entire towing portion of the trailer. The trailer is not in our possession any longer because the insurance company deemed it totaled . Thankfully, we were not driving fast and we were able to pull over safely dragging the entire RV along the highway. The Rv was inspected by the insurance company . There was no warning prior to the incident, however it has come to light that this is happening amongst many RV trailers and 5th wheels.

Noticed the frame on our trailer is starting to bulge. We are part of a Facebook group for our specific trailer and apparently this is a common problem/ occurrence. We contacted both Grand Design and Lippert for assistance with fixing the issue which they have done for many but since we are second owners they are refusing to help. This is a major safety issue and of left unfixed could potentially cause a bad accident/ incident. Since this is a common problem in these trailers I feel both Grand Design and Lippert should be held accountable and be required to correct the issue for the safety of their owners and others on the road should the frame snap completely while towing.

The contact owns a 2021 Grand Design Imagine RV equipped with Westlake Tires, Tire Line: Super ST, Tire Size: 225/75/R15, DOT Number: JULT1CT3920. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the contact felt a thump from the rear end of the trailer. The contact had not noticed a warning light being illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and noticed that the tread on the front passenger’s side tires had completely separated, causing damages underneath the trailer. There were no warning lights illuminated. The tire was changed by a towing service. The trailer was driven home, and the dealer was contacted. The contact had not yet received a call back from the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.