GRAND DESIGN Complaints

Own 2018 Grand Design (GD) RV with a broken Lippert (LCI) spring hanger that holds the axle in place, not discovered until maintenance. Photos available. Research reveals longevity, LCI knowledge, fix, number of & lack of notification. Contacted dealer, GD & LCI about safety defect told “Out Of warranty.” Not warranty, safety. The GD RV requirement or LCI frame equipment component issue is the spring/axle hanger. Other RV manufactures utilize Lippert frames with the same component/condition. LCI RV frames experience a higher rate of spring/axle hanger failures than RV manufactures Northwoods or Outdoor RV that design and construct their own RV frames. Info GD Forum. Attached #1, 2, 3, 4. There are more. 7/2014 NHTSA Recall # 14V-288 Starcraft. #5 10/7/2016 Keystone Rv RECALL: 14V-146 Safety Advisory: 14-205. #6 4/ 23/2021 LGS Industries Inc, #7 Recalls based on quality. Current cause unknown, “may fail during travel leading to an increased risk of loss of control and vehicle crash” remains the same. March 6, 2022, post describes in detail the broken spring hanger issue, includes a mechanical drawing dated 2003 of Lippert designed V modification fix. #8 LCI Publication LIP-0135 revA, AXLE RETRO PROCEDURE developed for 2009 Open Range RV. Page 2, information/drawings how to modify spring hanger, with V mod. #9 On 12/2020, a post “This is what the spring hanger looks like with the V reinforcements factory installed on my ’21 31G.” Is Lippert now installing the V mod on new frames? #10 Educating RV owners, the importance of inspection & available V mod of potential hanger failure, would result in safer roads for owners & public. GD & LCI’s current absence of responsibility & involvement is unfair.

Upon returning from a most recent trip we started to notice significant floor noise, moving interior cabinetry, and a cracked front cap on our 2023 Grand Design Momentum 395MS-R. We were instructed by Grand Design to take our unit to our dealer for inspection and servicing. During the time at the dealer, an SRT from Grand Design was on site and was actually the one to perform the inspection and supposed repairs. The only work done was a few sets of measurements, which Grand Design originally provided conflicting information on and the addition of larger lag bolts in a certain easily accessible area of our unit. There is a documented TSB 24-001 that has been dispersed for owners and the exact process detailed in this TSB was not in any way followed by the SRT during the inspection and remedy of our unit. This is the exact response we are receiving when questioning this specific part, "SRT didn’t feel he needed to tear the whole front apart because measurements were within tolerance. He mentioned that it really wasn’t necessary to compromise the seal on the front filon." According to the SRT, the measurements are in spec, however we have not been able to obtain the actual official measurements from the SRT on the TSB. We fear at this point our unit is compromised and being covered up by the manufacturer. This issue is known and has been expressed by many. Countless models are in the dealer warranty centers being worked on for the identical issues where a shortcut or mistake was made in the manufacturing process leaving hundreds if not thousands of consumers with units they are questioning to be road worthy. We deserve better handling of the issues and honestly a nationwide recall of all units falling within the model and year range. I would like to have my specific case addressed and escalated along with a better answer from the company to consumers on how exactly this is going to be handled and resolved. These units can not be deemed road worthy!!!! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFOR

Took delivery of this new 2024 on [XXX], 2024. There has been a know problem with the rear stabilizing jacks being installed too long. Lippert is the manufacture of the jacks and their specifications require that the rear jacks be at least 7" from the ground in travel mode. Mine measure 3-5" from the ground when attached to the truck and level. This creates a a dangerous issue if a jack strikes the ground during travel and comes loose. It was conveyed to me that Grand Design made changes to this by installing a shorter rear jack system beginning in March of this year which did not happen on this unit. This is the correspondence with the dealer that I purchased from when I inquired about the potential jack issue prior to the sale. .................. We just spoke with our Reflection Rep and he says that Lippert has taken care of the jack issues and there shouldn't be anything for you to worry about concerning them. If you have any other questions in the meantime, let me know! Thanks, Jordan Land INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The frame in the front of our fifth wheel was never attached to the body at the factory. This caused excessive wear and tear on the suspension causing a failure. This was found by dealer when they were inspecting the fifth wheel. Suspensions should not be flat or in our case broken from normal usage of a fifth wheel.

Removed the winter cover for the RV and the laminated cover for the tongue jack was disintegrated, exposing the power switches and light. This jack was already previously replaced due to the same, or similar problem. The replacement jack has the same touch pad cracking problem as the original jack. I do not know if the jack may extend on its own if the circuitry inside gets wet, like the first recall, but I will disconnect it from the power source while on the road, and once at a campsite.

1 April about 1530 we had an electrically generated "thermal event" in the generator compartment of the RV. We were not traveling, the RV was set up in the dedicated site on our property and had not been moved in 3+ months. The fire could not have been caused by any "outside influence" as no one had been in that compartment for 3+ months and there is no generator in that compartment. We use it for storage when we travel. The greatest safety concern is any fire can consume an RV in just minutes and this compartment is directly beneath our bed and immediately adjacent to a 40# propane tank connected by rubber hosing to the regulator. Had we been in the trailer asleep we might very well have been overcome by the dense smoke before we could get out. The only thing that kept the trailer from burning to the ground was the simple fact that the ventilation holes cut into the floor of this compartment to provide combustion air to a generator were covered because we didn't want our stuff bouncing around on a metal floor in transit. Simply put, the fire just rain out of oxygen. Grand Design has not been particularly responsive to the event, so we do not know yet what the eventual resolution will be, but it's clear than any repairs will require a massive structural exploration to reveal any hidden damages or possibly determine a cause. Are there any similar thermal events reported to you, particularly with this manufacturer?

In february 2023 we noticed several internal (sawdust, exposed finish nails, floor noises, broken trim, pinched wall coverings) and external (multiple locked doors opening in transit)signs that our RV frame was experiencing excessive flexing, more than what is expected and necessary for a nearly 42' metal vehicle frame. The frame has since failed, the suspension is underrated for the weight of the vehicle. The manufacturers UVW and GVWR sticker knowingly contained incorrect OEM information with proof from a CAT scale leading to me as the owner believing the vehicle could have been loaded with more OEM item weight from the manufacturer than what was accounted for and annotated. Despite understanding the allowable weights and keeping this RV well under the advertised GVWR, the 6 separate leafsprings of the suspension are all flattened. The upper deck frame failed under normal on-road (and very little) use. A 2024 TSB was issued on my RV for "upper deck flex". .5" of movement at the pin box was the "within limits" passing grade. My unloaded and empty RV's measurement taken by an authorized service center by the manufacturer in keeping with the TSB, measured 1.5" of flex at the pin box. This failure was so great it led to the manufacturer instructing the Service center to not move it or release it to me out of safety concerns. It has been at the service center since 4/10/2024 ti present without any instruction or communication from the manufacturer on how to proceed either under warranty or otherwise.

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.

Signs of frame flex/failure Lag boats through frame beam into exterior walls, are protruding and coming out. Countertop and cabinet, rubbing against the walls, lots of cracks in the Front Cap. The RV as less then 5000 miles on it and only used maybe once a month during summer months. Per my research these are signs of frame flex/failure.

We have a 2021 Grand Design 353G Momentum fifth wheel RV. We have experienced frame failure with the upper deck of the RV. It has been inspected and repaired by the manufacturer recently, but I wanted to let you know about this issue that seems to be prevalent in the RV industry. It seems that the manufacturer has under engineered the chassis that Lipper has produced for them. I feel that this repair will not be sufficient for the life of the RV. I believe this is extremely unfair due to the cost of these and the cost my wife and I have incurred during this ordeal. Frame failures seem to be at the forefront of issues currently and things need to change. We saw signs of failure up to a year before we had it repaired but did not know what we were dealing with. The welds on the chassis are poor and the quality control of these units are very, very poor. If these were to fail on the highway, lives are at risk.