GRAND DESIGN Complaints

Both sidewalls on my 5th Wheel have broken frames at the top of the walls and the walls need replaced. The side doors and compartment doors come open going down the road. The large side window exploded going down the road from the frame twisting. The RV has to be sent back to the factory to be repaired and have the walls replaced

I noticed wall movement against installed cabinets in the front of the RV. Movement was indicated by the shaving of the wall material leaving "sawdust" all over the front RV bedroom area. Upon inspection half of the required lag bolts were installed and those installed were too small for the pre-drill holes. Frame inspection by a dealer indentified split side wall support rails on both sides of the RV. My inspection also found bent outriggers which has allowed both side of the RV floor to sag down on the outside of the camper.

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)

In 2021, we began noticing wall movement in the interior of the RV, fasteners, paneling and interior walls getting loose and moving. After more trips we noticed scratches in the flooring and wood chips laying on the interior floor when we would push the main slide out. We also began noticing the large slide didn’t seem to be closing tight to the outside wall on one end. After more inspection we noticed large roller marks appearing on the underside of the main slide. We scheduled our unit into the dealership for review. The Dealership identified bent frame rails, twisted spring hangers, frames cracks, bent outriggers on the frame supporting the outside walls. The dealership contacted the manufacturer and the manufacturer sent one of their service repair technicians (SRT) to my dealership for an inspection. Because we have heard and seen issues with broken springs, spring hangers and the risk they create from losing springs, wheels and axles etc. the dealership advised that using the RV was not an option until the manufacturer approved it for use. As a result, several trips were cancelled for potential safety reasons. The SRT and the dealership believed that the unit had to go back to the factory for inspection and proper repairs. The unit has gone back to the manufacturer and the frame manufacturer where major frame work has been completed. Now we have a reworked, modified, weak frame and based on the report I’ve seen from the frame manufacturer I’m concerned that they didn’t go far enough and only worked on adding support to 4 of the 6 spring hangers and the related frame areas. It appears that the work done to fix the frame has raised the overall height of the unit 2 -3 inches and added weight to the unit which affects the weight sticker on my RV. I have asked but still haven’t received an engineering specification that dictated the work done to the frame to help build confidence and make this a safe and reliable RV.

Frame failure on the front of my 5th wheel. It was “fixed” once at Grand Design but now it’s back after less than 500 miles.

Welds on the frame where the fifth wheel overhang attaches to the main frame have broke allowing the kingpin to raise up off of the front upright. This means that the kingpin overhang is only attached at the rear upright making the RV unsafe to tow.

We have been living full time in our RV since Nov, 2022. We just brought our Grand Design Momentum M-381 in for the front cap replacement as there was frame flex over the past several months that we didn't realize was happening and there were cracks in the top of our cap. Let me explain, we saw evidence of "something" happening like the bedside tables rubbing against the wall and saw dust, the outside cap moldings/weatherstripping flapping in the breeze as we drove down the road, squeaking of our bedroom floor and eventually a separation of the wall at the floor by our bedroom door. We youtubed these issues and came up with several videos and realized we needed to remove the carpeting and see if we had the lag bolt issues and boy did we! We had 2 that were rusted and half way out, one that was sheared off and one that was hanging loosely. We took it into a dealership in LA where they did the frame flex evaluation for Grand Design and it was determined to change out the lag bolts for 1/2 inch ones on both sides of the superstructure. Long story short, the lag bolts worked their way out after one short trip and we were told to bring it into the dealership where they were told by Grand Design to epoxy the lag bolts in, that was in July 2024. At the same time we ended up with cracking in the front cap by the roof and that was scheduled to be replaced. When we brought the RV in for the cap replacement on Nov 7th we mentioned one lag bolt was working back out and Grand Design asked for another frame evaluation and that's when they found out that the lag bolts they epoxied in just 3 months ago were tearing through and the frame. After further testing and removal of the under cap area there was evidence of complete crack of the superstructure frame on the drivers side and evidence of welds in other areas of the superstructure that had cracks in the steel and aluminum. We're waiting to hear back from Grand Design how we are to move forward.

Cracks in the frame of RV above the spring-shackle hangers. Did have them repaired, but it should not have happined

We are a fulltime RVer living in this unit for 11 months. We had missing lag bolts that attaches the upper deck to the frame and what bolts were installed were too small. They were 3/8" x 3" in a 1/2" hole that was supposed to be 1/2" x 3.5". We called Grand Design in Indiana and opened a case. They told us to take our unit to the dealership where we bought it and have the frame inspected for flex and the proper lag bolts installed. Grand Design told us if there was any cracks in the steel then it will need further repair in Indiana. When we arrived and during this process; they found other issues. crack in bedroom wall, wrinkled wallpaper, crack in the sill plate and half the screws missing. Did some work on the end cap on the roof. They told us the flex was 1/4" on both sides and that was ok. They called in a welder for the sill plate. Replaced all the lag bolts. After receiving it back none of the doors closed correctly as if the whole unit was now twisted. We decided to trade it in as we don't trust it now. When we took it back for the switch we noticed the end cap had separated and see daylight at the floor. We told the manager because they already put it on the market to sell. This unit is compromised and should not be sold. We saw that our grand design solitude was transferred to another facility that we happen to stop for warranty on our new 5th wheel and saw it. We talked to the manager again and said you can't sell this; it's compromised and they said they already did and were prepping it for the new owners. When we found out that our Grand Design had issues it cost us a lot to get out of it and into another unit so we weren't without a home. This unit is not safe to be on the road. When we hitched up the new 5th wheel of same size we were shocked in the difference. The grand design did not tow smoothly; there is still something wrong with it and afraid someone else owns it now so a dealer can make a buck.

Frame failure issues diagnosed on the camper in 2023. We were not apprised of how serious the frame failure was or provided photos of the issues, so we are not sure how extensive the issue was. Repairs were performed by a Grand Design dealer prior to the Technical Service Bulletin being released by Grand Design. The repairs being performed prior to the TSB leaves us somewhat skeptical that they were performed according to Grand Design engineer specifications. Post repairs, we have had some of the same symptoms recurring again (sawdust after every trip, furniture movement, garage wall separation, front cap filon separation, door opening during travel (previously reported to NHTSA), indicating that perhaps the frame issues are persisting or recurring.