GRAND DESIGN Complaints

We purchased our 2021 Grand Design 395M Momentum new in early 2021. Over the past year we noticed cabinets on the passenger side bedroom separating from there wood frames. We initially repaired the cabinets ourselves thinking it was just poor workmanship. This last trip from Houston to Myrtle Beach the cabinets again separated. Someone in the campground at Myrtle Beach informed us about the issue with Grand Design's frames. Upon closer inspection I noticed that the bottom of the cap had separated approximately 1" and when you lower the unit onto the 5th wheel hitch the pin box sinks an additional 1.5". It appeared sever enough that we were uncomfortable towing the unit back to Houston. We secured an enclosed trailer (at our expense) for our items and left the unit in storage (at our expense) until we could contact Grand Design. We contacted Grand Design and are scheduling our unit to be towed to a local Myrtle Beach dealer for repair. In my opinion if we would have attempted to tow the trailer it could have broken loose and collapsed on to our truck or broke free entirely. At a minimum I do believe a letter notifying owners of the issues is warranted and what repairs/changes are being made. It is only a matter of time before there is a catastrophic event with sever injury or death.

FRAME FAILURE AND STRUCTURE. CARGO DOOR OPENED WHILE TRAVELING. (SAFETY ISSUE) FURNITURE SEPARATING FROM STRUCTURE. BROKEN OVERHEAD CABINETS OVER BED (SAFETY ISSUE) WALL SEPARATING FROM FLOOR IN CARGO AREA WOOD DUSTING FROM CEILING IN BEDROOM AND GARAGE AREA.

Our frame on our 2022 Grand Design Solitude S Class 3740BH has failed. While towing this RV 5th wheel trailer, we have observed signs of frame flex/failure and now it has been verified by RV tech Justin Douglas of TBD RV Repair out of Denver, IA 319-883-6030. Items to note: Our hitch inbox appears to rise and fall several inches during transport. The front cargo doors and side entrance door have opened during transport after being secured. Several pieces of moulding have “pulled” out from shifting along the front trim of the trailer. The afore mentioned left and right sidewalls appear to shift during transport resulting in pulled screws that support the bedroom floor connected to the sidewall. The roof membrane has separated at the front cap from shifting back and forth. We believe they’re maybe be structural damage to the roof and front chin cone as well under the membrane but we have yet to open the roof to protect the rest of the trailer from rain. Cabinetry in the front bedroom has shifted causing separation of the shelves. The thin staples keeping the particle board have fallen back into the front cone. We re-secured them so we could use the closet without items falling into unaccessible parts of the structure. The bedroom and master bath floor squeak and rise and fall (move) when walking on them The bedroom door has also gotten stuck closed after transport due to shifting. The right side leaf spring compensator (CRE device) was cracked from what was believed to be from lateral shifting and was replaced. No lamps or warning messages were applicable for this problem. The police have not been involved at this time nor any insurance as of yet. We feel that if these items are not immediately corrected by Grand Design, this may result in a safety risk on the road.

The contact owns a 2023 Grand Design Momentum RV. The contact stated that while the trailer was parked at a campground, he became aware of gaps in the front body panel. Additionally, the pin box and front landing gear were not leveled with the ground and the primary bedroom had excessive frame flex. The trailer was taken to the dealer, where the front body panel was disassembled, and the bolts replaced. The failure persisted, and the trailer was taken to Great American RV Super Stores (12167 Interchange Dr, Grand Bay, AL 36541), where it was discovered that the front body panel and frame bolts were the incorrect size and the bolts were replaced with larger bolts. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

The contact's friend owns a 2024 Grand Design Momentum Recreational trailer equipped with an Insignia gas range stove, Model Number: NS-RNG24SS9. The contact stated that after lighting the pilot light inside the oven, the contact closed the oven door and turned the oven knob. The contact stated that the stove then exploded, and the oven door flew open. The contact had not sustained any injuries. The RV and stove were not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The stove manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

DUE TO EXTREME FRAME FLEX, THE WELDS IN THE FRONT OF MY COACH BROKE AWAY FROM THE METAL. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE ONLY THING HOLDING MY 44' TOY HAULER ON MY TRUCK WAS THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SKIN OF THE COACH. I WAS HORRIFIED TO FIND THAT I WAS DRIVING MY COACH UNDER THESE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS CAUSING EXTREME RISK TO MY FAMILY AND THOSE ON THE ROAD. TO BE CLEAR, THIS FAILURE ONLY SHOWED ITSELF WITH ONLY MINOR SYMPTOMS TO AN UNTRAINED EYE. AFTER READING ALL THE COMMENTS ONLINE, I REALIZED THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED FOR EVERYONE CONCERNED

I am writing to formally report a series of serious structural concerns we are experiencing with our Grand Design Momentum 349M fifth wheel/toy hauler, which appear to be related to excessive frame flex/failure or upper deck instability. These issues began toward the end of last year and have progressively worsened, raising significant safety concerns for our family. The following symptoms have been observed: * Bay and Propane Doors Opening During Transit Both the bay door and propane doors on either side of the trailer have opened unexpectedly while towing on the highway, posing a major safety hazard. * Loud Cracking Sounds from Front Driver’s Side Wall We consistently hear loud cracking noises from the front driver’s side wall during towing and hitching, suggesting structural stress or movement. * Exterior Trim Separation The exterior trim pieces repeatedly separate during travel, despite multiple attempts to re-secure them with bolts. * Cabinetry Movement in Front Cap Sleeping Area Most concerning, the cabinetry in the front cap—where our 8-year-old son sleeps—visibly shifts forward and backward during towing and hitching. This movement is both alarming and unacceptable from a safety standpoint. We have documented these issues with photos and video evidence, which are enclosed with this message. Please ensure the volume is turned up when reviewing the video to hear the structural noises clearly. Regards, --- [XXX] Email: [XXX] Phone #: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

During normal travel on a paved roadway, the wheel/hub assembly on the axle on the trailer fell off. This caused the axle spindle to bend and the wheel and hub assembly to fall off.

The frame of my trailer sustained damage due to flexing from poor design. I was lucky and noticed some loud noises when transitioning weight to the king pin on the truck. A lot of creaking and groaning. Because of all of these noises and what I had read online, I had the trailer inspected. The inspection found the frame moving within the structure when the weight transitions from the stabilizers to the king pin. Additional damage was a crack in the structure that holds the wall to the frame and many bent gussets that are designed to give the structure strength. This design is substandard. I understand the whole thing is designed to work as a whole to provide strength, but there are weak areas in this design. First is the use of lag bolts into a soft wood as a method of connecting the frame to the wall structure. This needs to be into metal or aluminum allowing the use of bolts and a thread locking compound to prevent loosening. Lag bolts into wood on a structure designed to withstand dynamic movement of towing is inadequate. This will always loosen over time transferring the load to other areas of the structure and the damage many are seeing. My trailer has been repaired, but I'm not sure if the new gussets and additional lag bolts will be enough because they are still using wood as a structural component. My trailer is a 2020 and the 5 year warranty will expire in September. I'm not sure where I will be after that when the next repair comes. I don't have a lot of pictures because I was out of town when they did the inspection. You can see the break in the wall support showing that the wall was moving after is separated from the frame. The pictures show how this bent the gussets that are designed to give the structure support. Like I said, I saw this problem online and asked for in inspection before I had real problems. If I had waited, the damage would've been much worse.

The contact owns a 2020 Grand Design Transcend RV. The contact stated that the RV was parked and set in place. The contact stated that upon exiting the RV and stepping on the bottom step, the bottom step detached. The contact noticed that the bottom step steel screws, which attached the step to the frame, had sheared off. The contact stated that the steps were made of aluminum and were attached to the trailers with four steel screws, two on each side on the stair frame. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a local dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and advised the contact that there were no recalls for the step screws. The failure mileage was approximately 1,500.