GRAND DESIGN Complaints

GREASE SEALS FAILED AND GOT GREASE OVER ALL THE BRAKES AND BACK PLATES AND WHEELS

THE STRAP THAT HOLDS THE ELECTRICAL LINE AND THE PROPANE LINE UNDER THE KITCHEN SIDE OUT BROKE AND THE PROPANE LINE RUBBED ON THE TIRE WHILE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE CAUSING THE LINE TO CUT IN HALF AND PROPANE LEAKED OUT.

OVER PACKED WHEEL BEARINGS FROM FACTORY CAUSING GREASE TO BE FORCED PAST REAR WHEEL BEARING SEALS AND CONTAMINATING ELECTRIC BRAKES. BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS SEVERELY COMPROMISED CAUSING DIFFICULTY IN STOPPING 5TH WHEEL TRAILER. PROBLEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND BY SELLING DEALERSHIP DURING IT'S FIRST WARRANTY INSPECTION BUT WAS IGNORED OR OVERLOOKED. (TOM STINNETT'S CAMPERS INN RV IN LOUISVILLE KY) FIRST CONTACT WITH COMPANY, DEALERSHIP DENIED WORKING ON THE RV AT ALL, THEN LATER SAID THEY DID IN APRIL OF 2017. THEN CLAIMED THAT THEY ONLY LOOKED AT ONE WHEEL. THAT WHEEL AND THE OTHER THREE WERE BADLY CONTAMINATED WITH GREASE. WE TRUST THAT FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE TECHS WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO AND PROTECT THE GENERAL PUBLIC FROM SAFETY ISSUES BUT IN THIS CASE THEY IGNORED THE BLATANTLY OBVIOUS PROBLEM. HEAVY GREASE ACCUMULATION ON THE WHEEL RIMS IS A DEAD GIVE AWAY OF THE PROBLEM AND DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY EFFORT TO INSPECT, YET NOTHING WAS DONE. (FIRST DETECTED DURING TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP TO ME ON 8/16/2017)

THE BRAKES, SEALS AND BEARINGS ON MY 5TH WHEEL TRAVEL TRAILER WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED FOR THE THIRD TIME DUE TO THE SEALS LEAKING GREASE ONTO THE BRAKES. ALL FOUR BACKING PLATES, THE FRONT TWO HUBS AND ALL FOUR GREASE SEALS AND BEARINGS WERE REPLACED ON OUR FIRST TRIP AFTER TAKING POSSESSION OF THE FIFTH WHEEL IN MAY 2017. THIS WAS DONE AT A CAMPING WORLD DEALERSHIP IN NORTH CAROLINA AND RESULTED IN BEING WITHOUT THE USE OF OUR TRAILER FROM MAY 18 ' 23. ON OUR SECOND TRIP, STARTING ON JULY 9, 2017, THE BRAKES AGAIN BEGAN PERFORMING POORLY. RAY DUFFY, OF GRAND DESIGN, ARRANGED TO HAVE THEM INSPECTED IN WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA ON JULY 14, 2017 AT JAKE'S AUTOMOTIVE. HE PRE-SHIPPED REPLACEMENT PARTS IN ANTICIPATION OF BAD SEALS. THE TECHNICIAN AT JAKE'S AUTOMOTIVE FOUND GREASE CONTAMINATION ON THE RIGHT FRONT, RIGHT REAR AND LEFT REAR BRAKES. HE ALSO FOUND THAT THOSE SEALS AND BEARINGS HAD SEPARATED FROM THE HUBS AND REMAINED ON THE SPINDLE WHEN THE HUBS WERE REMOVED. THE RECEIPT STATES, 'HAD TO REPLACE 3 OF FOUR BACKING PLATES AND HARDWARE DUE TO WHEEL SEALS BLOWING OUT.' THE FOURTH WHEEL, THE LEFT FRONT, WAS NOT REMOVED OR INSPECTED BY THE REPAIR FACILITY SINCE THEY DID NOT HAVE REPLACEMENT PARTS AVAILABLE AND THEY WERE CONCERNED THAT REMOVAL OF THE WHEEL COULD DAMAGE THE GREASE SEAL. I REMOVED ALL FOUR HUBS TODAY. THE INTERIORS OF THE TWO LEFT HUBS WERE COMPLETELY COATED WITH GREASE. THE LEFT FRONT WAS WORSE THAN THE LEFT REAR. THE TWO RIGHT HUBS DID NOT HAVE AS MUCH GREASE ON THEM AND WERE EVIDENTLY DOING THE MAJORITY OF THE BRAKING. THE INSIDE OF BOTH HUBS WERE PRETTY SEVERELY SCORED BY THE MAGNETS AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. ALL FOUR GREASE SEALS AND THE INNER BEARINGS STAYED ON THE SPINDLES WHEN THE HUBS WERE REMOVED. SINCE THE SEALS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PRESSED IN, I FOUND THEIR REMAINING ON THE SPINDLES PROBLEMATIC.

BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING VERY WELL, WITH THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER GAIN IN MY TRUCK SET AT 10.0 (FULL ON). PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY LEAKING AXLE SEALS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WHICH RESULTED IN THE BRAKE SHOES AND DRUMS BEING COATED WITH AXLE GREASE. ALL FOUR BRAKE ASSEMBLIES AND AXLE SEALS WERE REPLACED BY THE DEALER UNDER WARRANTY.

OVER SERVICED WHEEL BEARING HUBS AT FACTORY BY LCI CAUSED FAILURE OF REAR BEARING GREASE SEALS ON ALL 4 WHEELS CONTAMINATING BRAKE PADS RENDERING BRAKING INEFFECTIVE WHEN IN MOTION MAKING IT UNABLE TO STOP QUICKLY IN AN EMERGENCY.

3 OF 4 WHEELS HAD GREASE LEAKING FROM THE INNER HUB SEAL ONTO THE BRAKE SHOES AND DRUMS, WITH LOSS OF BRAKING POWER. ALL BRAKES HAD TO BE REPLACED.

FOUND SEVERAL PROBLEMS ONLINE INDICATING THAT GREASE LEAKS PAST THE AXLE SEALS AND CONTAMINATES THE BRAKES. MY WHEELS ARE SHOWING SIGNS OF GREASE AND IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE BRAKES LOSE EFFECTIVENESS. PROBLEM IS THAT THE CONDITION WILL GET PROGRESSIVELY WORST AND THE USER MAY NOT NOTICE THE LOSS OF BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE.

OUR TRAILER HAS A LIPPERT SUSPENSION ORIGINALLY WITH 7,000# AXLES THAT HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO 8,000# AXLES JUST 4,200 MILES AGO. ONE OF THE FOUR SPRING PACKS CAME APART ON THE INTERSTATE CAUSING THE AXLE TO BECOME MISALIGNED AND NEARLY CAUSING US TO DRIVE OVER THE EDGE OF A GUARDRAIL ON A NARROW BRIDGE WITH TWO LANES AT 50MPH. THIS IS THE 3RD LIPPERT SPRING FAILURE WE HAVE HAD, BUT THE 6TH SUSPENSION FAILURE. UPON INSPECTION WE ALSO HAVE DISCOVERED THAT EACH TIME THE BRONZE BUSHINGS ARE PREMATURELY, COMPLETELY, WORN THROUGH SO THAT THERE IS NO ANTI-FRICTION SURFACE REMAINING. PICTURES ATTACHED.

AFTER LESS THAN 200 MILES OF TOTAL TRAVEL, WE ARE INFORMED THAT THE WHEEL BEARINGS AND "BACKING PLATES" NEED TO BE REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF NEARLY $1,000. MY BRAKES ARE GETTING GREASE ON THEM. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET - THE WEB IS FULL OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUES. THE MANUFACTURER, SO FAR, IS AVOIDING RESPONSIBILITY WITH A LIST OF BS EXCUSES ABOUT OWNERS DOING THEIR OWN MAINTENANCE ETC. BRAKES, BEARINGS, AXLES, BACKING PLATES, SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE ON A NEARLY NEW TRAILER WITH LOW MILES AND JUST NOW GETTING IT'S FIRST MAINTENANCE. IN THE WORDS OF MY SERVICE MANAGER "THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE". SO WHY IS LIPPERT OR GRAND DESIGN NOT DOING THE RESPONSIBLE THING??