2021 Grand Design Reflection

The metal frame supporting my RV body has started to crack. If a complete frame failure occurred while traveling on the highway it could/would cause a catastrophic loss of control and could/would result in major loss of life. This is a common problem with the Grand Design RV line and they have recently extended the warranty because of this issue. It is a well known and documented problem and a national recall should be put in effect. I would not have known about this possibly dangerous issue had I not read about it online and then inspected my RV;s frame exterior frame. I am also concerned that there may be additional frame cracks covered by body panels and I firmly believe Grand Design needs to inspect my RV for additional cracks that I am not able to do myself! I also should not have to be responsible for bearing the cost of repairing a defective frame that is happening to lots of RV owners and appears to be a manufacturing defect. This cost of repair should be the burden of the RV company.

In 2021, we began noticing wall movement in the interior of the RV, fasteners, paneling and interior walls getting loose and moving. After more trips we noticed scratches in the flooring and wood chips laying on the interior floor when we would push the main slide out. We also began noticing the large slide didn’t seem to be closing tight to the outside wall on one end. After more inspection we noticed large roller marks appearing on the underside of the main slide. We scheduled our unit into the dealership for review. The Dealership identified bent frame rails, twisted spring hangers, frames cracks, bent outriggers on the frame supporting the outside walls. The dealership contacted the manufacturer and the manufacturer sent one of their service repair technicians (SRT) to my dealership for an inspection. Because we have heard and seen issues with broken springs, spring hangers and the risk they create from losing springs, wheels and axles etc. the dealership advised that using the RV was not an option until the manufacturer approved it for use. As a result, several trips were cancelled for potential safety reasons. The SRT and the dealership believed that the unit had to go back to the factory for inspection and proper repairs. The unit has gone back to the manufacturer and the frame manufacturer where major frame work has been completed. Now we have a reworked, modified, weak frame and based on the report I’ve seen from the frame manufacturer I’m concerned that they didn’t go far enough and only worked on adding support to 4 of the 6 spring hangers and the related frame areas. It appears that the work done to fix the frame has raised the overall height of the unit 2 -3 inches and added weight to the unit which affects the weight sticker on my RV. I have asked but still haven’t received an engineering specification that dictated the work done to the frame to help build confidence and make this a safe and reliable RV.

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.