2022 Grand Design Reflection

We purchased the coach fall 2022. First major trip was in summer 2023. The main slide out failed (stopped working halfway out and would not extend or retract) the second night of camping. There was not a local repair facility available. A mobile repair person was able to get the slide out retracted. He informed us there was only one screw holding the main slide out frame in place. We wrapped a ratchet strap around the coach to hold the slide out in so we could at least continue our trip. A remote repairman at out next stop reported this is a common occurrence on this coach and it would need to be completely rebuilt. We noted that during transport there was sawdust on the cabinets and floors which we have been informed is evidence of excessive frame flexing. We took the coach back to the dealer from which we purchased the unit. The slide out had to be completely rebuilt (new rails, new slide blocks, new motors). We have little confidence that the slide out will not fail again. We noted that the rear tires were wearing at a rate of more than 4 times faster than the front tires. The excessive wear was accompanied with concern that we would blow a tire on the road and cause an accident and/or injury. A Lippert representative was consulted who advised that the front axle was defective and had to be replaced. Our extended warranty did not cover the cost of the axle. The next major trip was in summer 2024. The main slide out failed again. A repairman noted that the motors and rails needed to be replaced again and that the frame was at the limit of being within specs and may have contributed to the problem. During that repair the repairman noted cracking in the roof seams at the major junction at the front of the camper and around AC units and vents. Each of those areas had been resealed just 5 months earlier. We were informed that this was also evidence of excessive frame flexing. The repair facility diagnostician reported that the roof needed to be scraped and resealed.

While returning from a recent camping trip my wife while following the trailer home noticed the house structure was swaying and bouncing too much. She had thought the rig would fall apart. We arrived home and notice that the slide was out 2-4 inches, the cabin door had opened, an interior wall had separated from exterior wall and a side wall had flexed 2 or more inches out by another slide. There was bends and creases in the exterior metal side skirting that needed to be secured for travel. on approximately 11/04 we turned in the rig for repairs to Happy Daze RV. They Have since made us aware of frame cracks through out the trailer. We have not been notified of who or how the repairs will be handled.

There is an issue with the structural integrity of the front upper deck where the walls are bolted to the frame. The only fasteners that I could find are loose and stripped out with no way of tightening them. There is also a lot of creaking and popping noises from the front upper deck area when hitching and unhitching the trailer from the tow vehicle. This is the same issue as with the Solotude and Momentum product series, also manufactured by Grad Design.

The welds for the rear wall framing have broken loose and the rear wall is shifting side to side. I assume after time it could fully detach from the trailer and fall into the roadway. The trailer has not been inspected yet, but there are other cases documented on the internet. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Both sidewalls on my 5th Wheel have broken frames at the top of the walls and the walls need replaced. The side doors and compartment doors come open going down the road. The large side window exploded going down the road from the frame twisting. The RV has to be sent back to the factory to be repaired and have the walls replaced

-Black tank 43gal capacity leaking after loud "bang" followed a second later by a thud (turned my head to look and saw the travel trailer underbelly enclosure fall/sag about two inches instantly, then after a few moments sewage water began pouring out from multiple locations (I have a video of it leaking). -It is suspected that the straps holding the black tank to the trailer frame snapped, the tank then dropped onto the underbelly enclosure, and somehow cracked along the way. -Called Grand Design RV and opened a case for it immediately (I was stuck at a Dalhart, TX RV park (my tow vehicle broke down and it took a month to get a mechanic to fix it). Called around 15 RV repair shops, service dealerships, mobile RV repair guys, and even plumbers. Most of them said they would not be willing to work on this type of issue due to hazmat (can you blame them?) and the few that did could not get me in for 3+ months out. The Grand Design solution was to "get it to your local GD dealer service center" which I had already made a May 29th service appointment for other warranty concerns back in January. Trailer is still at Windish RV Longmont, CO as I type this on 6-19-2024. -MAJOR health and safety concern. Towing trailer home I was terrified the black tank would give way going down the interstate and highways, which could easily lead to injuries or death for anybody on the road in my wake, at least a [XXX] hazmat situation... -The furnace is ducted to the underbelly and basement storage bays (4 season camper). A few days after this initial incident the overnight low dropped to 39F, so I had no choice but to activate the furnace. The fumes were so foul that not only did I end up vomiting throughout the night, but my poor labradoodle did as well. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

-Fresh water tank 54gal capacity leaking after being filled, began as a small leak and over time has become decently extreme (but only leaks when trailer is in motion/traveling down road). It is now to the point that when I followed behind travel trailer in another vehicle, I had to use my windshield wipers for the first 30 minutes due to the amount of water spray coming up from road. When the leaking issue first started, it would stop leaking after about 1/4 of the tank had emptied, now it continues until about 3/4th of the tank has emptied! -Issue started after picking up trailer from initial repair visit after purchase (Adventure RV Cheyenne, WY now Blue Compass RV Cheyenne, WY had trailer for over 10 months!). -Trailer is currently at Windish RV Longmont, CO for warranty inspection/repair for this issue and others. -Water leaking like this creates an unecessary safety and visibility risk to motorists traveling behind this travel trailer (even at a great following distance). This is especially dangerous to motorcycles, as when I followed my own trailer it was sunny and 80F out, so you would not expect that kind of water spray back on the interstate.

-Stabilizer leveling powered scissor jacks front and rear collapsed during first trip ever; at a level campsite (Lippert LCI brand) on brand new travel trailer. -Rear stabilizer failed the worst, with the metal arms deforming so much that the jack could not be retracted fully via power or manual with backup tool and best arm strength (in shape [XXX] at the time). -Called dealership (Adventure RV Cheyenne, WY now Blue Compass RV Cheyenne, WY) and was told it would probably not be covered under warranty, but they would need to inspect it in person and then submit claim to Grand Design RV and Lippert LCI. -Searched for LCI MODEL # 337199 and best price was on Amazon (figured I could relax after at least knowing how much I was potentially going to have to shell out to replace these out of pocket). Reading the reviews (some with photos) showed a TON of these have failed just like mine (manufacturing defect, or metal quality defect suspected), so it is a decently common issue. I have attached screenshots I took that evening of these reviews and photos. -Dealership service said the claim was denied by Grand Design. I pushed back hard, showed them the screen shots of the other failures, and told them to contact Lippert. -Dealership gave me different answers, but basically front unit was not replaced or repaired because the failure was not yet significant enough to keep the jacks from fully retracting (or at least within an inch of fully retracting. The rear unit was replaced with what to me looks to be a used replacement (motor housing cover cracked and faded, sticker with serial and model number faded and barely attached). -This is a major safety concern because I was only able to retract the rears up enough to get maybe 4" of ground clearance. The feet kept scraping on dips in highway the entire trip home. Could have easily got caught and ripped the whole unit from trailer, creating a major safety hazard for anybody on the road behind me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U