2015 Grand Design Reflection Owner Complaints

I PURCHASED THIS RV NEW. I LOST A WHEEL BEARING BECAUSE OF A BAD WHEEL HUB. I WAS ABLE TO REPAIR THE AXLE ENOUGH TO STILL USE. IN 2017 ON MY WAY TO ARIZONA I LOST THIS SAME WHEEL BEARING AGAIN AND WAS ABLE TO REPAIR IT ONCE AGAIN TO CONTINUE MY TRIP. AFTER RETURNING HOME LAST SPRING I DECIDED TO REPLACE THIS AXLE. UPON REMOVING THE AXLE I DISCOVERED THAT THE AXLES ON THIS RV ARE 4400# AXLES. MY PAPERWORK ON THIS RV SHOWS THAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE 5200# AXLES. WONDERING WHY THIS IS SO.

NHTSA ID

11128407

Incident

Dec 28, 2016

Mileage

12,000 mi

GRAAND DESIGN USES LIONSHEAD ALUMINUM 5 SPOKE WHEELS ON REFLECTION MODELS. THE WHEELS CRACK. I KNOW OF 3 CASES BESIDES MINE WHERE THE WHEELS HAVE CRACKED, AT SOME POINT SOMEONE IS GOING TO LOSE A WHEEL AND KILL SOMEONE. SEE HERE. HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/147999938972932/PERMALINK/465702340536022/

NHTSA ID

11110034

Incident

Mar 2, 2018

Mileage

12,000 mi

THE STRAP THAT HOLDS THE ELECTRICAL LINE AND THE PROPANE LINE UNDER THE KITCHEN SIDE OUT BROKE AND THE PROPANE LINE RUBBED ON THE TIRE WHILE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE CAUSING THE LINE TO CUT IN HALF AND PROPANE LEAKED OUT.

NHTSA ID

11022362

Incident

Jul 29, 2017

ALL 4 ELECTRIC DRUM BRAKES ON THE REFLECTION FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER TRAILER WERE CONTAMINATED WITH GREASE FROM THE AXLES. AFTER CHECKING BRAKES BECAUSE OF POOR TRAILER BRAKING WHILE TOWING THE FIFTH WHEEL TRAIL, I FOUND THAT ALL 4 BRAKE'S SHOES WERE BARELY WORN AFTER 2 YEARS OF USE. THE BRAKE SHOES HAD GREASE ON THEM AS WELL AS THE ELECTRIC MAGNET THAT ACTIVATES THE BRAKES. THE GREASE CONTAMINATION CAUSED FAULTY OPERATION OF THE BRAKES. NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER LIPPERT HAS SUPPOSEDLY AFTER SEVERAL YEARS MADE SOME CHANGES, BUT STILL BRAND NEW CAMPER TRAILER ARE BEING FOUND WITH BRAKE GREASE CONTAMINATION.

NHTSA ID

11003193

Incident

May 1, 2017

Mileage

6,400 mi

BRAKES WERE CONTAMINATED WITH WHEEL BEARING GREASE, EITHER DAMAGED/FAULTY REAR WHEEL BEARING SEAL OR/AND SUBSTANDARD GREASE THAT LIQUEFIES. THE CAVITY IN THE HUB IS FILLED TO MAXIMUM CAPACITY WITH GREASE WHICH IS UNNECESSARY WHICH IS ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORY. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AND HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR AT LEAST 6 YEARS. SUSPENSION ITEMS ARE PROVIDED BY LIPPERT (LCI). MY 2011 HEARTLAND SUNDANCE 5TH WHEEL HAD THE SAME ISSUE. GREASE ON THESE BRAKES MAKES IT NEARLY NON FUNCTIONING AND A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

10955358

Incident

Nov 4, 2015

Mileage

2,000 mi

GREASE SEALS FAILING CAUSING AXLE GREASE TO COVER WHEELS AND BRAKE PADS. DEALER HAS REPLACED BOTH SETS OF SEALS ON BOTH SIDES OF BOTH TANDEM AXLES DUE TO THIS ISSUE. ONE SIDE WAS REPLACED IN JAN 2016, THE OTHER SIDE WAS REPLACED IN SEPT 2016.

NHTSA ID

10920564

Incident

Jan 8, 2016

Mileage

1,000 mi

TRAILER WHEEL BEARING SEALS LEAKING GREASE, AND COATING BRAKE SHOES WITH GREASE. THREE OUT OF FOUR SEALS WERE LEAKING. REPLACED ALL GREASE SEALS AND REPACKED WHEEL BEARINGS.

NHTSA ID

10897448

Incident

Jun 28, 2016

Mileage

10,000 mi

4 GOODYEAR MARATHON WERE INSTALLED ON OUR REFLECTION FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER. THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON THE CAMPER WERE EXCHANGED FOR THE GOODYEAR TIRES. DOT 2VUN1LHR4213 THROUGH 4813. ON JULY 24,2016 THE TIRES WERE ADJUSTED TO 80 PSI. AFTER ABOUT 65 MILES INTO OUR TRIP THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE EXPLODED AND SHEARED THE TREAD FROM THE TIRE. THE EXPLODING TIRE CAUSED $3700 WORTH OF DAMAGE AS QUOTED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE TIRE WAS TURNED INTO AN AUTHORIZED GOOD YEAR DEALER AND A REPLACEMENT PROTOW TIRE WAS PURCHASED FOR $144. ON THE RETURN TRIP THE OTHER GOODYEAR MARATHON SAME SIDE SEPARATED. THIS TIRE WAS RETURNED TO GOODYEAR FOR EVALUATION. TIRE SIZE ST 235-80-16 LOAD RANGE E.DOT 2VUN 1LHR 4813 THE FIRST TIRE EXPLOSION WAS VIOLENT, THROWING FRAGMENTS INTO FOLLOWING TRAFFIC. ONE NEAR ACCIDENT WAS OBSERVED OF TRAFFIC TRYING TO AVOID THE SHARDS WITH THE CAR APPEARING TO GO SIDEWAYS. THE SECOND EXPLOSION WAS LESS VIOLENT BUT STILL LEFT LARGE CHUNKS IN THE HIGHWAY. STATE POLICE WERE CALLED FRO ASSISTANCE.

NHTSA ID

10895774

Incident

Jul 24, 2016

Mileage

7,200 mi

AXLE BEARING GREASE LEAKS ONTO BRAKE SHOES AND ELECTRIC BRAKE MAGNET MECHANISM, MAKING BRAKES LESS EFFECTIVE INCREASING BRAKING DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY, THIS OCCURS WHENEVER USING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES ARE ADJUSTED PROPERLY.

NHTSA ID

10882346

Incident

Jun 24, 2016

Mileage

3,000 mi

GRAND DESIGN TRAVEL TRAILERS/5TH WHEELS USING LIPPERT AXLES. WHEEL SEAL FAILURE LETTING WHEEL BEARING GREASE CONTAMINATE THE BRAKE SHOES/PADS & ELECTRO MAGNETS. ALMOST COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING. EMERGENCY ACTIVATION COULD NOT STOP UNIT WITHIN 150 FEET AT 10MPH. SEALS WERE HARD WHEN REMOVED.

NHTSA ID

10865545

Incident

May 15, 2016

Mileage

1,000 mi

THE 5TH WHEEL WAS 2 1/2 MONTHS OLD. AFTER RETURNING FROM A 250 MILE TRIP WE ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE BEDROOM SLIDE AND IT WOULDN'T OPEN. I PLUGGED IN THE ELECTRICAL PLUG AND OPENED THE SLIDE IN ORDER TO UNLOAD THE REMAINING CLOTHES, THEN I CLOSED THE SLIDE. THIS WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 8:00PM. AT 10:45PM MY GIRLFRIEND HEARD THREE LOUD EXPLOSIONS AND WE RAN OUTSIDE TO FIND THE 5TH WHEEL TOTALLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. I BELIEVE NOW THE EXPLOSIONS WERE THE TIRES ON THE 5TH WHEEL. THE FRAMES (BOTH OF THEM) THAT RUN THE LENGTH OF THE 5TH WHEEL WERE BENT APPROXIMATELY 18" TOWARD THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRAILER. IN ADDITION BOTH AXLES ARE BEND DOWNWARD. I DON'T IF THIS A RESULT OF THE HEAT OR NOT.

NHTSA ID

10761146

Incident

Aug 31, 2015

VIN STICKER ON SIDE OF FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER STATES "6000 LB AXLES" BUT TRAILER HAD UNDERSIZED AXLES RATED AT 5200 LB AXLES! GRAND DESIGN RV OWNERS PLEASE CHECK YOU AXLES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT!

NHTSA ID

10747286

Incident

Jul 14, 2015

Mileage

2,500 mi

SHORTLY AFTER DELIVERY OF A BRAND NEW 5TH WHEEL TRAVEL TRAILER I BEGAN TO NOTICE GREASE LEAKING FROM THE DRUM. AFTER PULLING THE BRAKE DRUMS I FOUND DARK GREASE HAD MIGRATED PAST THE SEALS AND IN TO THE DRUMS COATING THE INSIDE OF THE DRUMS, BRAKE PAD SURFACES AND MAGNET. THE BRAKE SYSTEM ON MY TRAILER ARE MANUFACTURED AND ASSEMBLED BY LIPPERT COMPONENTS, IND.

NHTSA ID

10746975

Incident

Jul 20, 2015

Mileage

2,000 mi

I WAS RETURNING FROM A TRIP, WHEN THE ELECTRIC BRAKES ON MY 5TH WHEEL TRAILER STARTED NOT WORKING. EVEN WITH THE BRAKE CONTROLLER GAIN TURNED TO MAXIMUM, THERE WAS LITTLE TO NO BRAKING. I INSPECTED THE BRAKES WHEN I GOT HOME AND FOUND THAT GREASE WAS LEAKING FROM ALL 4 WHEEL BEARING GREASE SEALS COATING THE BRAKE SHOES. THIS WAS ONLY THE 3RD TRIP I HAD TAKEN WITH THIS UNIT AND HAD TOWED IT LESS THAN 2500 MILES TOTAL SINCE PURCHASE IN AUGUST 2014. STOPPING DISTANCE WAS MUCH MORE THAN NORMAL WITH NO TRAILER BRAKES. AN ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED HAD THERE BEEN AN UNUSUAL SITUATION REQUIRING A SUDDEN STOP. MANUFACTURE IS CORRECTING THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY WITH TOTAL BRAKE AND SEAL REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ID

10744672

Incident

Jun 19, 2015

Mileage

2,500 mi

THIS IS A NEW TRAILER THAT HAD GREASE ON ALL FOUR BRAKES DUE TO GREASE PASSING THROUGH THE SEALS. THE MANUFACTURER IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAD PACKED THE WHEEL BEARINGS. THE HUBS WERE FILLED WITH GREASE INDICATING THAT THE "EASY-LUBE" FEATURE HAD BEEN USED TO PACK THE BEARINGS. I DON'T BELIEVE THE SEALS ARE BAD, I BELIEVE THE PROCEDURES ARE FLAWED. FIFTH WHEELS OF THIS WEIGHT SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS TYPE OF AXLE. THERE AREN'T ANY SEALS THAT ARE GOING TO CONTAIN THE GREASE FROM A GREASE GUN THAT IS FILLING THE HUB .

NHTSA ID

10734300

Incident

Jun 24, 2015

Mileage

400 mi

LIPPERT BRAKE SHOES AND MAGNETS CONTAMINATED WITH GREASE. GREASE SEAL BLEW OUT WITH EXCESSIVE GREASE AND/OR FAULTY SEALS. STOPPING ABILITY OF VEHICLE EXTREMELY IMPACTED AND DANGEROUS

NHTSA ID

10733047

Incident

Jun 3, 2015

Mileage

2,500 mi