GRAND DESIGN Complaints

AXLE SEAL LEAKED CAUSING GREASE TO LEAK ONTO BRAKE FRICTION SURFACE, GREATLY REDUCING BRAKING ABILITY. PROBLEM WAS FOUND DURING OWNERS SELF INSPECTION. THIS PROBLEM WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION FROM THE GRAND DESIGN OWNERS FORUM. "HTTP://WWW.GRANDDESIGNOWNERS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/8531-POLL-HOW-MANY-OF-YOU-HAVE-HAD-YOUR-GREASE-SEALS-FAIL "

TRAILER HAS LEAKING GREASE SEALS WHICH CONTAMINATED THE BRAKE SHOES. THIS IS A NEW TRAILER AND ARRIVED FROM DEALER IN THIS CONDITION. THIS IS A 2 AXLE TRAILER.

WE PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2017 GRAND DESIGN SOLITUDE 310GK. UPON REVIEWING THE GRAND DESIGN OWNER'S FORUM, NUMEROUS PEOPLE REPORTED THEIR BRAKES BEING COVERED IN GREASE FROM THE LEAKING SEALS. 75% OF OWNERS POLLED IN THE FORUM REPORTED THEIR BRAKES ARE FAULTY. WE HAD OUR RV DEALER PULL THE DRUMS AND THEY REPORTED THAT ALL OF THE BRAKES ARE FAULTY AND COVERED IN GREASE. WE'RE NOW WAITING FOR THE REPAIR PARTS TO ARRIVE FROM GRAND DESIGN AND LIPPERT MFG. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE ON A CANADIAN ROCKIES TRIP LAST WEEK. IT'S A GOOD THING WE HAD THE BRAKES CHECKED AS THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS PROBLEM RESULTING IN INJURY OR EVEN A FATALITY SHOULD THE BRAKES FAIL. THIS IS A 12,000 LB. 5TH WHEEL. IT'S EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING THE GD AND LIPPERT KNOW THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE PROBLEM IN THE LAST 3 OR MORE YEARS. I AM ONE DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER!

OUR GRAND DESIGN SOLITUDE 310GK WAS MANUFACTURED IN SEP 2016. THE LCI/LIPPERT AXLES LEAKED GREASE OUT THE BACKSIDE PAST THE LIP SEAL AND GOT ALL OVER THE BRAKES AND MAGNET. NOTHING WRONG WITH THE LIP SEAL. SUSPECTED CAUSE IS OVERFILLING WITH GREASE DURING MANUFACTURING. IF YOU HAVE A GRAND DESIGN ANY MODEL MADE IN THE LAST THREE YEARS YOU BETTER PULL YOUR BRAKE DRUMS AND INSPECT. HAVE LOTS OF SHOP TOWELS...IT MAY BE A MESS. LUCKILY I WASN'T COMING DOWN SOME MOUNTAIN WITH GREASE ALL OVER MY BRAKES, SOMEBODY MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED.

LEAKING AXEL SEALS CAUSING GREASE TO COVER BRAKE SHOES, BRAKE MAGNETS AND DRUMS.

AXLE SEALS LEAKED ALLOWING GREASE TO ENTER BRAKE DRUMS AND COAT SHOES, MAGNET AND DRUM. CONFIRMED BY LIPPERT COMPONENTS WHILE VEHICLE WAS AT GRAND DESIGN SERVICE SHOP.

THE WIRING FOR THE ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES ARE NOT IN ANY PROTECTIVE COVER AND ARE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE SUSPENSION, FREE TO MOVE AND CHAFE. WHEN ANY OF THE 12 VOLT POWER WIRES RUBS THROUGH AND THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED IT WILL CREATE A DEAD SHORT, BLOWING THE FUSE IN THE TOW VEHICLE AND LEAVING THE DRIVER WITH A 15,500 POUND TRAILER WITH NO BRAKES TO AID IN STOPPING. THE ATTACHED PICTURES ARE OF THE DRIVERS SIDE.

GREASE GETTING PAST THE SEALS FROM THE BEARINGS. THIS WAS PRESENT ON ALL OF THE WHEELS ON 5TH WHEEL AFFECTING THE BRAKES. UPON INSPECTION GREASE WAS PRESENT ON ALL THE BRAKES AFFECTING THE STOPPING EFFECTIVENESS. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE THIS COMPANY KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAS NOT CORRECTED IT.

THE GREASE SEALS ON THE DRUMS LEAKED FROM THE FACTORY AND ALLOWED THE BRAKES TO BE CONTAMINATED. MORE DETAILS ARE AT HTTP://WWW.GRANDDESIGNOWNERS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/8531-POLL-HOW-MANY-OF-YOU-HAVE-HAD-YOUR-GREASE-SEALS-FAIL?P=104942&VIEWFULL=1#POST104942

THE CURB SIDE ELECTRIC DRUM BRAKES ON BOTH AXLES OF OUR TANDEM AXLE FIFTH WHEEL RV ARE GREASED AND HAVE FAILED. THE ROOT CAUSE SEEMS TO BE THE FAILURE OF THE DOUBLE LIP INNER GREASE SEAL. IT ALLOWS GREASE INTO THE BRAKE ASSEMBLY WHERE IT IS FLUNG ABOUT SATURATING THE SHOES AND SPLATTERING ON FRICTION SURFACES. THE ATTACHED PICTURES SHOW THE SHOES AND ELECTROMAGNETS ARE COVERED IN GREASE AS IS THE WHEEL HUB, ARMATURE AND MISCELLANEOUS BRAKE COMPONENTS. THE RESULT WAS NEAR TOTAL LOSS OF TRAILER BRAKING ON THAT SIDE OF THE RV PLACING OUR LIVES AND THAT OF OTHERS IN DANGER IN BOTH HIGHWAY AND URBAN DRIVING. BOTH ELECTROMAGNETS ON THE CURB SIDE FELL OUT OF THEIR RESPECTIVE ASSEMBLIES WHEN THE HUBS WERE PULLED SUGGESTING THE RETAINERS HAD EITHER BEEN LEFT OFF OR HAD FALLEN OUT AT SOME POINT. NO RETAINERS WERE RECOVERED. IN GENERAL DRIVING AND BRAKING SCENARIOS IN THE CITY AND ON HIGHWAYS, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT LACK OF ASSISTIVE BRAKING FROM THE RV TRAILER. IN REMOVING THE FACTORY BRAKE HUBS RECENTLY, WE DISCOVERED GREASE ALL OVER TWO OF THE FOUR BRAKE ASSEMBLIES. THIS FAILURE IS COMMON ACROSS THE RV INDUSTRY ACCORDING TO THE OWNER'S FORUMS. A POLL ON THE GRAND DESIGN OWNER'S FORUM LISTS 136 OWNERS AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING THAT HAVE HAVE HAD SOME OR ALL OF THEIR FACTORY BRAKES FAIL DUE TO INNER GREASE SEAL FAILURES. HTTP://WWW.GRANDDESIGNOWNERS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/8531-POLL-HOW-MANY-OF-YOU-HAVE-HAD-YOUR-GREASE-SEALS-FAIL?P=104366#POST104366 SINCE THIS FAILURE IS HIDDEN FROM VIEW, WE CANNOT BE PRECISE AS TO WHEN THE FAILURES OCCURRED. OUR SEALS FAILED SOMETIME BETWEEN DELIVERY FROM THE FACTORY TO THE DEALER IN EARLY MAY 2016 TO MARCH 19TH OF 2017 WHEN WE PUT OUR RV IN STORAGE. WE HAVE DRIVEN IT ABOUT 5000 MILES OVER THAT TIME. THE FAILED BRAKE HUBS WERE PULLED BETWEEN MARCH 25 AND MARCH 26TH.