GRAND DESIGN Complaints

ON 26 SEPTEMBER 2018, I ORDERED A SUSPENSION KIT FOR THIS TRAILER FROM WWW.ETRAILER.COM. ORDER# 106838902. THE KIT I ORDERED WAS A ROADMASTER SLIPPER SPRING KIT #RM-2570 WITH THE RM-2460 SHOCK ABSORBERS. THIS EQUIPMENT IS FOR AN AXLE THAT IS RATED AT 7,000 LB, WHICH IS WHAT THE AXLES ON MY TRAILER ARE RATED FOR. I INSTALLED THE KIT ON MY TRAILER. AFTER INSTALLING THE SPRINGS I NOTICED A TAG ON ONE OF THE SPRINGS. USING THE NUMBER FOUND ON THE TAG, E5226, I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERED THAT THE SPRING IS RATED FOR 3,000 LBS WHICH IS SUITABLE FOR AN AXLE THAT IS RATED FOR 6,000 LBS. ROADMASTER IS THE MANUFACTURER OF THE SPRING KIT. ETRAILER IS THE RETAILER SELLING THE KIT. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE SPRINGS IN THE 7,000 LB KIT ARE ONLY SUITABLE FOR 6,000 LB AXLES. PERSONS USING THE RM-2570 KIT MAY BUY THE KIT AND INSTALL IT THINKING THE EQUIPMENT THEY INSTALLED WAS SAFE. BUT IN FACT, THE SPRINGS ARE UNDERRATED FOR THEIR INTENDED USE AND THIS COULD RESULT IN SPRING FAILURE AND AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE NOTIFIED BOTH ROADMASTER AND ETRAILER, BUT IT'S AFTER HOURS AND I DON'T EXPECT TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM UNTIL THEIR OFFICES OPEN TOMORROW.

DURING MOSTLY HIGHWAY TRAVEL WITH OUR CAMPER THE AXLE GREASE SEALS FAILED WHICH ALLOWED GREASE TO CONTAMINATE THE BRAKE SHOES AND BRAKE DRUMS AFFECTING BRAKING PERFORMANCE. REVIEWING OTHER POSTS ON-LINE A LOT OF OTHER OWNERS OF THESE CAMPERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE.

MY COMPLAINT IS FOR WHEEL BEARINGS. I'VE CONTACTED BOTH SELLER BYOUNG RV IN PORTLAND OREGON (XXXX) AND MANUFACTURE GRAND DESIGN RV (XXXX). MY TRAILER HAS BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH EXCESSIVE RESIDUE BUILD UP ON WHEELS. ANOTHER REFLECTION OWNER TOLD ME HIS TRAILER WAS DOING SAME THING. THE DEALER WHERE HE PURCHASED TRAILER (BLUE DOG RV IN REDMOND OREGON) TOLD HIM REFLECTIONS WITH THIS PROBLEM IS BECAUSE THE WRONG SIZE BEARINGS WERE USED. MY TRAILER NOW HAS 5800 MILES. I'VE SENT ON PICTURES TO BOTH DEALER AND MANUFACTURE. MARK ARPIN TOLD ME NO ISSUES OF IMPROPER BEARING EXISTS. IF SO WHY WOULD BLUE DOG SAY DIFFERENT? COULD THIS TURN INTO A HAZARD OR SAFETY CONCERN? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. (XXXXX) PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

LEAF SPRINGS BROKEN, CUTTING WIRE TO ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES. TWO LEAF SPRING FAILURES, ONE AT 11 MONTHS SINCE PURCHASE, SECOND FAILURE AT 13 MONTHS. BOTH FAILURES WHILE MOVING.

GRAAND DESIGN USES LIONSHEAD ALUMINUM 5 SPOKE WHEELS ON REFLECTION MODELS. THE WHEELS CRACK. I KNOW OF 3 CASES BESIDES MINE WHERE THE WHEELS HAVE CRACKED, AT SOME POINT SOMEONE IS GOING TO LOSE A WHEEL AND KILL SOMEONE. SEE HERE. HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/147999938972932/PERMALINK/465702340536022/

IN DECEMBER 2017, I PURCHASED A GRAND DESIGN IMAGINE TRAVEL TRAILER, MODEL 2500RL. WHEN I TOWED THE TRAILER, I NOTICED THE TRAILERS BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP THE TRAILER EVEN WHEN I ADJUSTED THE BRAKE CONTROLLER GAIN TO MAXIMUM. THINKING THE TRAILER BRAKES JUST NEEDED ADJUSTMENT, ON MAY 21, 2018, I TOOK THE TRAILER TO THE SELLING DEALER FOR SERVICE. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THE BRAKES DID NOT NEED ADJUSTMENT. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE BRAKES ON THE FRONT AXLE OF THE DOUBLE AXLE TRAILER WERE NOT CONNECTED TO THE POWER SOURCE THAT OPERATES THE BRAKES. IN OTHER WORDS, THE BRAKES WERE ONLY 50% CONNECTED. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKES WERE WIRED CORRECTLY. I WAS TOWING A 7500 POUND TRAILER WITH IMPROPERLY CONNECTED BRAKES. THIS TRAILER SHOULD HAVE NEVER LEFT THE FACTORY WITH INOPERATIVE BRAKES. THE BRAKES WERE EITHER NEVER CONNECTED OR THE CONNECTORS ARE DEFECTIVE. IN MY VIEW THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. HOW MANY OTHER TRAVEL TRAILERS FROM GRAND DESIGN HAVE BEEN PLACED IN SERVICE WITH IMPROPERLY CONNECTED BRAKES. THE BRAKES ON MY TRAVEL TRAILER HAVE BEEN FIXED, BUT ONLY BECAUSE I NOTICED THE POOR BRAKING AND TOOK THE TRAILER TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE. GRAND DESIGN SHOULD BE CALLED TO TASK ON THIS PROBLEM. THEY ARE EITHER NEGLIGENT IN THEIR POST PRODUCTION INSPECTIONS OR THE PARTS USED TO CONNECT THE BRAKE WIRING IS DEFECTIVE. *TT

BOUGHT NEW, AFTER 6 MONTHS OF USE THE BRAKES FAILED. THE LIPPERT AXLES ON THE COACH HAD FAILURE ON THE SEALS AND COATED THE BRAKES WITH GREASE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE ON A 16,000 TRAILER WITH NO BRAKES. LIPPERT KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE BUT HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL ON ALL OF THE TRAILERS WITH THEIR AXLES. MOST OF THE GRAND DESIGN COACHES ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM

MINE IS A 5TH WHEEL TRAILER. IT HAD 7K LB LIPPERT AXLES FROM THE FACTORY. ALL FOUR INSIDE SEALS LEAKED AND GOT GREASE ON THE BRAKE DRUMS AND SHOES. THE TRAILER BRAKES DIDN'T WORK FROM THE FIRST DAY I GOT THE TRAILER. I ENDED UP CHANGING OUT THE AXLES WITH DEXTER 8K LB AXLES WITH NEVER LUBE BEARINGS SO I WOULD NEVER HAVE THIS PROBLEM AGAIN. I FOUND OUT LIPPERT WAS REIMBURSING FOR THIS REPAIR. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO QUALIFY?

NOTICE - LATE EMAIL.... 11/13/17 GRAND DESIGN RV 11333 COUNTY ROAD 2 MIDDLEBURY, IN 46540 GREETINGS, THIS LETTER IS REGARDING OUR 2017 SOLITUDE 375RES, VIN #[XXX]. WE PURCHASED THE UNIT IN FEBRUARY OF 2017 FROM LAZY DAYS RV IN TUCSON, AZ. WHEN WE ARRIVED IN UTAH WE FOUND THAT WE A BROKEN LEAF SPRING ON DRIVERS SIDE REAR AXEL AND THAT THE TIRE HAD BEEN DAMAGED. WE HAD THOSE REPLACED AT LES SCHWAB TIRES IN PROVO, UTAH AT OUR EXPENSE. THIS OCCURRED ON JUNE 14, 2017. I THEN CONTACTED THE FACTORY AND SPOKE WITH [XXX]. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THE PROBLEMS AND HE SAID THAT GRAND DESIGN WOULD REIMBURSE ME FOR REASONABLE COSTS. THE FOLLOWING DAY WE LEFT UTAH AND WENT CALDWELL, ID. AFTER ARRIVING THERE WE FOUND THAT THE OTHER THREE LEAF SPRINGS HAD COLLAPSED. I CONTACTED THE FACTORY AGAIN AND SPOKE TO [XXX] WHO SAID THAT HE COULD UNDERSTAND HAVING ONE BAD SPRING BUT TO HAVE ALL FOUR GO BAD WAS UNLIKELY AND THAT WE SHOULD HAVE IT WEIGHED. I AGREED. IN THE MEAN TIME I HAD THE WORK DONE AGAIN AT MY EXPENSE AND I THEN PARKED THE UNIT UNTIL WE COULD GET IT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR OTHER WORK. ONCE THERE WE FOUND THAT YET ANOTHER SPRING HAD COLLAPSED. I HAD THE DEALER WEIGH THE UNIT AND IT WAS FOUND TO BE WITHIN THE PUBLISHED WEIGHTS FOR THIS UNIT. AS OF THIS WRITING THE DEALER SAYS THAT THEY ARE STILL WAITING ON A RESPONSE FROM GRAND DESIGN. SO IN CLOSING WHILE WE AWAIT YOUR RESPONSE, I CAN'T HELP BUT TO CONSIDER THE BIGGER PICTURE AND THAT IS, ARE THESE AXEL/SPRINGS UNDERSIZED FOR THIS SIZE RV AND IS IT SAFE TO DRIVE THE HIGHWAYS? [XXX] CELL- [XXX] CC:FILE NHTSA GRAND DESIGN FORUM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR, I PURCHASED A 2016 GRAND DESIGN REFLECTION 313RLTS TRAVEL TRAILER (USED) FROM A GRAND DESIGN DEALER (PALM BEACH RV, WEST PALM BEACH, FL). VIN: [XXX]. I HAVE DRIVEN THIS TRAILER APPROXIMATELY 2,000 MILES. I NOTICED THAT THE TRAILER WASN'T BRAKING AS GOOD AS IT SHOULD BE, SO I TOOK IT IN TO A LOCAL RV REPAIR SHOP (RVTECH, FT. MYERS, FL) TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. UPON INSPECTION, THEY DISCOVERED THAT ALL FOUR OF MY GREASE SEALS HAVE FAILED, AND THAT THE BACKING PLATES AND BRAKES WERE SPLATTERED WITH GREASE, THE DRUM ASSEMBLIES WERE SCORED, THE BRAKE PADS WERE DAMAGED AND NEEDED REPAIR. HE ALSO SAID IT APPEARED THAT THE MAGNETS WERE ACTUALLY DIGGING INTO THE METAL, CREATING FURTHER SCORING. I'M NOT A MECHANIC, BUT THEIR EXPLANATION OF THE DAMAGE THAT WAS DONE WAS THAT IT WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE GREASE SEALS FAILING. AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET I DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS INDEED A VERY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM - THE GRAND DESIGN OWNER'S FORUM HAS 92 PAGES ON A SINGLE THREAD ABOUT IT. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A KNOWN PROBLEM, AND I'VE BEEN DRIVING A 10,000 LB TRAILER WITH BASICALLY NO BRAKES. WHY DIDN'T GRAND DESIGN NOTIFY THEIR DEALERS OF THIS PROBLEM, AND HAVE THE DEALERS CHECK TO SEE IF ANY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS HAD THIS PROBLEM? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR