2021 Grand Design Imagine

After reading of other owners of similar and identical models like mine having frame cracks, I made a point to inspect my trailer’s I beam chassis and I discovered horizontal cracks within the I beam, one on each side, over the suspension area. Every picture I have seen looks just like mine, a rusty L shaped crack adjacent to a crossmember welded on the backside of this area. You can see the shape of this crossmember through the surface of the I beam, indicating the metal is quite thin. It took me only a couple minutes to find, as I knew exactly where to look, based on the numerous stories I’ve read about. Upon further inspection, I also found suspect welds that look burned through the frame, leaving a hole behind. This makes me question the quality of the rest of the trailer’s frame. There is also a crossmember at the front of the trailer with a distinct bend in it at the bottom, where the top remains fairly straight. This, to me, is another indication that the frame is flexing and causing this member to fold as a result. After discovering this, I later learned many other owners have the same issue, and one had a complete A frame failure in that area. Also, I have discovered that all four of my trailer’s leaf springs are flattening out, and they remain this way with all personal items removed from the unit. As it sits now, it is within a handful of pounds of the original purchase weight, and the leafs have not sprung back. We have an appointment scheduled directly with the manufacturer in Indiana to have these issues repaired, among a laundry list of less safety related issues we’ve experienced since ownership. We’ve known of these major issues since August of 2024 and have waited 6 months for our appointment for repairs. We have declined from using this trailer during this time as we don’t have confidence that it can safely be towed. I am to understand, the wait time is due to a large influx of other trailers being brought in for major repair.

On [XXX] we were driving with our travel trailer from South Carolina to Michigan on interstate highways. When we made what was to be a quick late afternoon stop in Detroit, we discovered that the A-Frame on the trailer was severely bent and about to break. We spent the next day trying to get help with repairing it by calling the manufacturer, Grand Design; the local Grand Design dealer; and a couple of welders. None were able to assist us, so we had the trailer hauled back to a welder closer to our home. We were thankful the A-Frame did not completely break on the highway which could have caused a wreck or a major safety hazard. The welder that replaced the metal was surprised the A-Frame metal was so very thin, commenting they had never seen anything so thin on a travel trailer. It was replaced with ¼” metal. The propane system integrity is in question since it was pushed against the front wall of the trailer. The travel trailer is currently at a Grand Design dealer to determine if it or other structural damage was incurred due to the bent A-Frame. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

As we were driving down the road, the frame had a catastrophic frame failure where the frame was split in half ,and almost departed from the entire towing portion of the trailer. The trailer is not in our possession any longer because the insurance company deemed it totaled . Thankfully, we were not driving fast and we were able to pull over safely dragging the entire RV along the highway. The Rv was inspected by the insurance company . There was no warning prior to the incident, however it has come to light that this is happening amongst many RV trailers and 5th wheels.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado used for hauling a 2021 Grand Design Imagine travel trailer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, he noticed that the front of the travel trailer had collapsed. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the travel trailer tongue was bent downward. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that they were unable to perform the repair. An independent mechanic performed the repair on-site by replacing the tongue and welding it to the travel trailer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Crossmember connecting the rear of the Hitch A-frame is starting to buckle inward. From the research done, this is the first step in the complete failure of the A-frame. We just recently purchased the 2021 RV from a private seller and noticed the slight bend in crossmember but didnt think anything of it. After a 1500 mile trip the bend is much more pronounced. This is when I started to research to see if this was more prevalent in this model, which seems to be the case. Contacted frame builder (Lippert) and started the claim process with them and Grand Design as well.

We were driving and went through a dip in the road and the whole front end of the A- Frame bent/buckled. We have not had any problems with this in the past, but it is a brand new trailer and we are learning it has happened to a few others all Grand Design XLS series. We wonder if the steel used is not of top quality and is too thin.