2021 Grand Design Reflection Problems

This is a Fifth wheel RV a 2021 Grand Design Reflection 303RLS. The Steel "I" Beam frame is developing cracks in the I Beam in the area of the spring hangers for the axles. This is yet to actually case an accident but may very well lead to one if the cracking worsens and the frame fails. Frame failure at highway speed is an obvious concern. This is something I believe is caused by defective parts made by LCI (Lippert) Corp. and used by Grand Design. This frame failure is not uncommon and based on my continuing research is happening on hundreds if not thousands of these RV's. Raising awareness and requiring Grand Design to recall and repair / replace these defective frames is the ultimate goal. Please zoom in on the pictures to see one of the cracks in the frame.

The upper right front side of the fifth wheel trailer is separating from the trailer frame in the pin box area. The structure of the trailer seems to not be properly connected to the frame or there is flex in the frame that is causing the structure to detach. Recently after having it inspected by a dealer, bolts and welds in the structure were broken and stripped resulting in the frame not being properly attached to the structure. The unit was taken to a dealer and repairs were made at the owner's expense. Broken and stripped out bolts were replaced/repaired and broken welds were also fixed. Grand Design has released a Technical Service Bulletin that covers fifth wheel models Solitude and Momentum that have this same issues but that Technical Service Bulletin does not cover Reflection models. The same issue that is plaguing the Solitude and Momentum models is affecting the Reflection model, but is not included to be repaired under the Technical Service Bulletin.

The Driver side rear outer wheel bearing seized and the wheel including drum came off the axle while driving about 30mph. The wheel rolled down the road but fortunately did not hit any other vehicles. The RV was towed to RV dealership. Dealership could not determine root cause of failure. The RV had approximately 10,000 miles on the trailer before incident. The bearings has been inspected and repacked prior to trip by certified RV tech. Before trip started RV was weighed at CAT certified truck scale and combined rear axle weight was 9200 lbs. Each axle is rated at 5200 lbs. Owner of RV contacted Dexter Axle, the manufacturer of the axle. As a second owner, warranty was no longer valid. Dexter representative did state that the replacement 5200lb axle outer bearing has been changed to a larger bearing. The representative stated that the reason for change was not due to reported failures but consolidation. The owner had both axles replaced with 6000lb axles and has driven 1250 miles since incident.

I habe a 2021 Grand Design Reflection 303 RLS. The frame is cracked on both side just above the center spring shackles, I have also noticed frame flex between the pin box of the hitch and the rv body. I noticed the cracks when setting up the rv for the weekend and the frame flex driving down the road. I do not have any pictures of the cracks, but did attach a document to reference the frame crack and procedure to repair. The rv is at the dealership now being evaluated.

one brake shoe pad came completely off the mount plate, so no effective braking on that wheel

We have taken two trips with trailer and (Tow vehicle - 2021 Ram 2500). First trip in April 2021 of about 150 miles round trip no problems were encountered. Second trip in May 2021 with a round trip of 380 miles we had repeated instances of "Check Trailer Brake Wiring" and "trailer disconnected" appear on dash. These warnings would disappear after a few moments. When safe to do so after first instance (and the warning was off) I pulled off the road and checked connection and trailer brakes by engaging the emergency trailer brake switch and trying to pull away. It appeared that the trailer brakes held. This cycle continued for trip to and from RV park. This month, I made an appointment at the RV Dealer, hooked up the trailer, checked operation of turn signals and brake lights and checked that the trailer brakes would engage. They did. When pulling out of storage lot, the warnings appeared, I tried to engage the trailer brake emergency brake while the warning was still on the dash and found No trailer brakes. I proceeded to drive to the RV dealer and the warning disappeared and brakes seemed to function. While I believe the truck brakes will stop the trailer at slow speeds, I am worried about the situation at highway speeds. Trailer is at the dealer waiting in a repair queue. I had telephoned the Grand Design RV customer service line and was told they weren't aware of a problem. However, a friend with the same year and model trailer but a different tow vehicle has encountered the same brake warning issue.

1. DETACHED REAR WALL The interior screws on the back wall tore a horizontal hole (approx 1/2 inch), and interior cabinetry joints are pulling apart. I looked outside to see if there were any signs that were indicative of rear wall separation. The Reflection 150 has an underbelly covering, so mostly the structure/frame is not readily viewable. However, investigating outside I found the black skirt wrinkled/buckled on the rear/drivers side. Upon googling, this is apparent indication of rear wall brackets broken/rear wall detached. 2. iFAME CRACKS ABOVE AXLES While investigating, I found severe iFrame cracks on both drivers side and passenger side. I contacted Grand Design who referred me to Lippert, who suggested we use a Lippert agent. 2 Florida local agents declined to get involved, so i returned to the dealer where i purchased the RV - 500 miles away in Georgia, after an email & phone consult. After 5 weeks, they said they would rather not do the job, and after 2 weeks prompting, Lippert agreed to schedule a 'courtesy inspection' - a month out. The dealer that inspected the RV stated that they thought the floor is subsiding & they think it is related to frame issues, but could not be sure without a more thorough inspection (but would need to remove under belly). 3. BROKEN LEAF SPRING In April 2023 we replaced all the leaf springs when we had one fail on the road.

2021 GRAND DESIGN REFLECTION 29RS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUES WITH VEHICLES MANUAL. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE OWNER'S MANUAL NEEDS TO BE REVISED IN REFERENCE TO CHANGING THE VEHICLE'S TIRES. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE INFORMATION DID NOT REFLECT WHAT ACTIONS IT ACTUALLY WOULD TAKE TO CHANGE A TIRE ON THE VEHICLE. *JS

Improper routing of 110v wiring on RV Gas/Electric Refrigerator circuit wiring leads to wire contacting the refrigerator "chimney" (boiler flue) which over time burns through the wire insulation cover and results in "live wire" to metal contact and can lead to FIRE! Grand Design RV is aware of this issue! One customer had a fire as a result of this poor installation practice and posted the info on Facebook, stating Grand Design, a Fire Inspector for the Insurance Company and an agent for Norcold Refrigerator determined the cause of the fire as improperly routed wiring. Grand Design has not alerted owners of this potential critical safety issue with a Safety Bulletin, VIN Recall or any other means to alert owners of the hazard. After reading it, we inspected our unit and found the same issue. Grand Design failed to authorize an Emergency Inspection and Repair for 3 business days (4.5days total) despite me notifying them of the fire in another unit. I also informed them that on Grand Design Owners Technical Forum, several other owners are finding the same issue. We hired (at our expense) a Mobile RV Service Technician to inspect and repair our wiring. He found the wire in question to be completely burnt through to the individual wires. It was a matter of time before we would have a fire as well. He made the necessary repairs on 15 June 2021 and we filed a Warranty Claim with Grand Design. We had no circuit breakers trip or any other indication that there was an electrical wiring issue. The refrigerator worked normally and was drawing the correct amperage and all outlets worked normally. Grand Design's poor routing and installation of the wires is creating a significant safety hazard and their failure to notify customers in any way of the potential hazard is very disturbing. Coupled with their lack of urgency in addressing the issue when I called in can possibly lead to unsuspecting owners having fires that could lead to serious injury and death.

The Driver side rear outer wheel bearing seized and the wheel including drum came off the axle while driving about 30mph. The wheel rolled down the road but fortunately did not hit any other vehicles. The RV was towed to RV dealership. Dealership could not determine root cause of failure. The RV had approximately 10,000 miles on the trailer before incident. The bearings has been inspected and repacked prior to trip by certified RV tech. Before trip started RV was weighed at CAT certified truck scale and combined rear axle weight was 9200 lbs. Each axle is rated at 5200 lbs. Owner of RV contacted Dexter Axle, the manufacturer of the axle. As a second owner, warranty was no longer valid. Dexter representative did state that the replacement 5200lb axle outer bearing has been changed to a larger bearing. The representative stated that the reason for change was not due to reported failures but consolidation. The owner had both axles replaced with 6000lb axles and has driven 1250 miles since incident.