2019 Grand Design Imagine Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2019 Grand Design Imagine, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Other / unspecified337.5%
- Brakes225.0%
- Driver assistance112.5%
- Electrical112.5%
- Suspension112.5%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
2019 GRAND DESIGN IMAGINE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO WINN-TEC REGULATOR SAFETY RECALL.
120 volt AC cable was installed in contact with absorption refrigerator coils. Vibration would eventually lead to short, arcing, and potentially fire, particularly if arcing caused breach of the refrigerator cooling unit containing hydrogen and ammonia . Pictures uploaded show the cable in contact with the refrigerator coils and the excess length of cable as installed. This problem is identical to that covered by Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22V-038, but my trailer was not included in the affected vehicles list. I believe my vehicle and others like it should be included.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
Brake linings which are available for inspection. The brake lining defects likely caused THREE tire blowouts due to excessive heat from the disintegrating brake linings, also a degradation of stopping performance. Upon performing annual wheel bearing service and brake inspection I found all four brake assemblies with brake lining partially disintegrated and in one case completely missing from the metal backing. This is NOT normal wear and tear but the breaking off of the lining from the metal backing plate. Nobody has inspected the linings but I have notified the RV trailer manufacturer, Grand Design and the manufacturer of the brake linings, Dexter Axle Co. I had THREE tire blowouts, one in September 2020 and two more recently causing significant damage to the RV travel trailer not to mention the p
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GRAND DESIGN IMAGINE TRAILER. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL BEARING WAS SEPARATING FROM THE AXLE. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO USED A TORCH TO REMOVE THE NUT FROM THE AXLE TO ACCESS THE WHEEL BEARING. THE MECHANIC ALSO HAD TO USE A GRINDER TO GRIND THE AXLE AND THE BRAKE PADS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRAILER WAS WELL ENOUGH TO DRIVE HOME; HOWEVER, THE ENTIRE AXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD REIMBURSE THE CONTACT FOR THE TRAILER REPAIRS. THE CONTACT ALSO INFORMED THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE AXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT THEY REFUSED TO COMPENSATE HIM FOR THAT PARTICULAR REPAIR. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V823000 (SUSPENSION); HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE AXLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 5,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The 2019 Grand Design Imagine Travel Trailer is built of a Lippert chassis, this chassis combined with the commonly used Equal-i-zer sway control hitch is resulting in the trailer safety chains being damaged, which may cause serious damage, injury or death if the trailer becomes separated from the tow vehicle hitch. These chains are also linked to the trailer's emergency braking system. Grand Design should recall and cover the movement of the safety chain's attachment point further back on the trailer frame, to avoid safety chain failure due to damage that occurs when turning and pinching the chains. My small RV dealer in Indiana (Evans & Sons, Petersburg, IN) has seen four of five of these issues in addition to my trailer in the past year. They have reported this to Grand Design, as have I, but Grand Design is not covering the move of the safety chains attachment point further back on the trailer frame. In addition to my trailer and those my dealership have seen, there are several other photos of the same issue online. https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/showthread.php/36086-Repositioning-safety-chains
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
120 volt AC cable was installed in contact with absorption refrigerator coils. Vibration would eventually lead to short, arcing, and potentially fire, particularly if arcing caused breach of the refrigerator cooling unit containing hydrogen and ammonia . Pictures uploaded show the cable in contact with the refrigerator coils and the excess length of cable as installed. This problem is identical to that covered by Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22V-038, but my trailer was not included in the affected vehicles list. I believe my vehicle and others like it should be included.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GRAND DESIGN IMAGINE TRAILER. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL BEARING WAS SEPARATING FROM THE AXLE. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO USED A TORCH TO REMOVE THE NUT FROM THE AXLE TO ACCESS THE WHEEL BEARING. THE MECHANIC ALSO HAD TO USE A GRINDER TO GRIND THE AXLE AND THE BRAKE PADS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRAILER WAS WELL ENOUGH TO DRIVE HOME; HOWEVER, THE ENTIRE AXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD REIMBURSE THE CONTACT FOR THE TRAILER REPAIRS. THE CONTACT ALSO INFORMED THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE AXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT THEY REFUSED TO COMPENSATE HIM FOR THAT PARTICULAR REPAIR. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V823000 (SUSPENSION); HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE AXLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 5,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .