GRAND DESIGN Complaints

Bolts holding brake caliper assembly to the axle apparently loosen and fell out while on the highway. This caused the caliper to drop, resting on inner part of the tire rim, leaving approximately half to one quarter of the caliper on the disc. Caliper caused significant gouging on the rim. During braking, the caliper was prevented from spinning during brake application due to it hitting the axle u-bolt retention plate on top of the leaf spring. In the very limited backing, the hydraulic line held back the caliper. Safety issues are the complete lose of the hydraulic system, causing the complete lose of trailer brakes. The caliper gouging the tire rim could have caused the rim to break, with the result of the tire departing the trailer on the highway and hitting another vehicle. Issue was found when I noticed metal flakes (tire rim) in my driveway where I backed my trailer to park it. Following the flakes, I discovered the issue. Grand Design, and axle/brake manufacturer Dexter notified via email. No response as of yet. Hydraulic brakes were factory installed at the time of manufacture.

Was starting out on my 940 mile road trip and 3 hrs into the trip both rear tires lost there tread. I have TPMS and neither tire was out of temp range nor psi range. This is on a dual axle 5th wheel RV. Took 5 hrs for roadside service to respond with acceptable tires. On day two with only 1.5 hrs left, the front two tires did the same thing. All 4 tires have date code of 2320. All 4 tires did lost thread in the same location. All four tires held pressure which allowed me to safely pull off the side of the road both times.

The contact owns a 2020 Grand Design Solitude RV. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, both the rear and the front entry doors of the trailer would unlatch. The contact also stated that the failure occurred while driving at lower speeds on bumpy road surfaces. The contact stated that the front entry door would unlatch but would not open all the way due to a safety bar that was designed to keep the door closed. However, the rear entry door would open gradually while driving. The contact stated that upon veering to the side of the road to manually close the rear door; while the contact was driving at a slower speed, the rear door flew open and struck the road sign on two different occasions causing damages the door. The contact purchased an RV handrail designed to close over the ends where the door would open. The contact installed the part herself. The contact stated that the rear door still unlatched but no longer flew open while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The RV was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

On 6/17/2022 the cold pressures were set correctly for the 2021 Grand Design 2800BH travel trailer as they had been for a dozen or more prior trips. A TPMS was being used during travel to monitor pressures and temperatures. All 4 of the Westlake brand ST 225 / 75 R 15 tires with manufacturing date "3320" were inspected for bubbles, cuts, punctures, etc... prior to departure and no anomalies were observed. With absolutely NO WARNING the right rear wheel experienced a complete tread separation. The tire's entire tread was thrown from the tire in one piece, after making contact with the vehicle, while traveling at 68mph on the FL turnpike southbound. The remainder of the tire remained inflated however the steel belt was now in contact with the highway. The debris caused a multicar accident and delays on the highway according to the Road Ranger who assisted with installation of the spare. The camper itself has consequential damage in excess of $6000 that neither the tire warranty nor travel trailer warranty will cover for this manufacturing defect. The safety of myself, my family riding along, and those around me while traveling on the highway was put in severe risk of injury or death. The defective tire that was removed from the wheel has been retained.

The contact owns a 2021 Grand Design Reflection RV. The contact stated that the structural slide seized and was inoperable. The RV was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a faulty camber. The mechanics and the manufacturer's technicians performed numerous repairs by welding the frame; however, the failure recurred. The RV was then taken to the manufacturer's factory where the technicians added structural steel to strengthen the frame and replaced the front and rear axles; however, after the repair, the front cap was leaking water and there was black mold inside of the RV. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,600.

The right rear spring hanger broke away from frame while driving through a construction area with little to no room to maneuver.

The contact owns a 2021 Grand Design Transcend Travel Trailer equipped with Westlake Tires, Tire Line: Super ST tires, Tire Size: ST225/75/R15. The contact stated that while towing the Travel Trailer at approximately 65 MPH, the trailer began to violently shake and vibrate. After stopping to inspect the trailer, it was discovered that the front passenger’s side tire had experienced complete tread separation but the tire remained inflated. Additionally, the rear passenger’s side tire had developed a bubble on the tread. The manufacturer of the RV was notified of the failure. The tire manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 4,500.

The bunk beds in the rear room of this 5th wheel camper are approximately 5' off the ground and are not equipped with safety like a standard bed of this height would require from other regulations. This is a MAJOR safety issue that resulted in facial and upper body injuries to my 12 year old daughter when she fell out of the bunk while sleeping. Speaking with others this is a very common occurrence and have talked with those that have injuries ranging from general soreness/bruising like my daughter to more serious injuries like broken bones including someone that told me their child broke a vertebrae. This safety issue is not specific to my model and effects many model RVs from many manufacturers. Please require manufactures to follow the same regulations from the Consumer Safety Product Commission here: https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Bunk-Beds These rules have been on the books for over a decade yet not applied in RVs

BROKEN WELDS IN THE FRAME IN 5 DIFFERENT PLACES. The dealership in Grand Junction Colorado has told us the rig is to unsafe to tow it off their lot. The dealership in Grand Junction Colorado are the ones that diagnosed the broken welds in the frame. The RV has not been inspected by the manufacturer. Manufacturer has only asked more questions and asked for additional photos. We walked into the RV and noticed that the cabinets had moved and the trim was hanging down. We first noticed this on June 5th. Called the dealership on June 7th to make an appointment to have them inspect it. The appointment was made for June 16th. That is when they told us we couldn't use it.

The tire came apart. The tread separated from the rest of the tire and the whole tire separated like it was cut in half. Others safety was at risk because of debris. It hasn’t been presented to dealer yet. It has not been inspected yet. I use a tire pressure monitoring system and all tires were showing similar readings for psi and temperature 70-72psi and 93’.