RoadVitals

2018 Grand Design Solitude Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
4
Latest Apr 28, 2022
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Jun 27, 2017

What this page shows

Our database holds 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2018 Grand Design Solitude. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–4 of 4

Suspension
Filed Apr 28, 2022

One of the passenger side leaf springs on our Dexter axle snapped near the shackle point. Since we have read that this is a common issue, we are reporting as this could have potentially resulted in a serious safety issue. When our leaf spring snapped, it severed the propane line that runs underneath our 5th wheel in two places. It also caused the two tires to rub together. Fortunately, for us, this must have happened within a short distance from the RV park we were staying at for the evening because we only lost about 1/3 tank of propane and the tires do not appear to have sustained significant damage. We were able to disconnect and drive to a nearby trailer supply store and get a new leaf spring. We also removed and took the damaged propane supply line to a nearby propane provider/retail store and have it repaired. My husband replaced the leaf spring and reinstalled the propane line making sure to test for leaks. We did not keep the broken leaf spring as it didn't even occur to us to keep it for inspection but we are able to show where it snapped, if needed. It almost appeared to be rusted from the inside. Since we don't live/store our RV in humidity prone areas, this seemed unusual. This incident occurred while we were on a trip to visit family in Florida. We do not/nor have not lived in our RV full-time. Our use is infrequent. There was no indication that there was any issue while we were driving. It was only when we exited our truck that we smelled a very strong propane smell that my husband investigated the source and discovered the damage. We had been traveling on I-20 near W. Monroe, LA when we discovered the issue. It is frightening to think about what could have happened had we had a blowout from the tires rubbing together, along with the propane leak while driving down the interstate at 65mph. Please note: we are extremely trailer weight conscience and are very careful to not overload.

NHTSA ID
11462558
Incident
Apr 20, 2022
Other / unspecifiedSuspension
Filed Jul 27, 2021

From factory, vehicle standard build weight of this trailer (nothing loaded) is; 14,200 lbs. Trailer is a two axle design, with each axle rated at 7,000 lbs. Total load allowed by their specifications is 14,000 lbs. Before I add any items normally carried in a travel trailer (food, clothing, etc.) I am already over the axle rating. On a trip with with normally carried items and approximately 20 gallons of water in a fresh water tank (capacity is 54 gallons) I had two tires blow out on two separate roads. (one tire each side about 25 miles apart) Factory now offers upgraded axles of 8,000 lbs. each, bringing axle load capacity to 16,000 lbs. I was unable to determine why the tires failed as they shredded beyond any recovery of the tire structure. Tires were 235/85 R 16 in size, load range 'G' and trailer rated. They were inflated to 110 lbs. as directed by the sidewall. My concern is with the possible defective design of the axles, which may have contributed to the tire failure. Overheated bearings, poor load distribution, unknown at this time.

NHTSA ID
11426722
Incident
May 31, 2021
Brakes
Filed Feb 5, 2018

MINE IS A 5TH WHEEL TRAILER. IT HAD 7K LB LIPPERT AXLES FROM THE FACTORY. ALL FOUR INSIDE SEALS LEAKED AND GOT GREASE ON THE BRAKE DRUMS AND SHOES. THE TRAILER BRAKES DIDN'T WORK FROM THE FIRST DAY I GOT THE TRAILER. I ENDED UP CHANGING OUT THE AXLES WITH DEXTER 8K LB AXLES WITH NEVER LUBE BEARINGS SO I WOULD NEVER HAVE THIS PROBLEM AGAIN. I FOUND OUT LIPPERT WAS REIMBURSING FOR THIS REPAIR. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO QUALIFY?

NHTSA ID
11067135
Incident
Jan 9, 2018
Mileage
6,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Jun 27, 2017

JUST PICKED UP A BRAND NEW 2018 GRAND DESIGN SOLITUDE 310GK 5TH WHEEL TRAILER AND NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES DON'T WORK VERY WELL. TOWED THE UNIT HOME 400 MILES AND DECIDED TO CONTACT LIPPERT, THE MANUFACTURER OF THE AXLES AND BRAKES. I WAS GIVEN A CLAIM NUMBER TO INSPECT THE BRAKES. DUE TO OWNING A TIRE REPAIR SHOP, I WAS ALLOWED TO PERFORM THE INSPECTION MYSELF. WHAT I FOUND WAS NO ISSUE ON THE TWO HUBS AND BRAKES ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE UNIT, BRAKES CONTAMINATED WITH GREASE ON THE TWO RIGHT HAND HUBS. GREASE WAS ON THE MAGNETS, INSIDE OF THE DRUM BRAKING SURFACES AND MAGNET SURFACE. LIPPERT AGREED TO SEND ME 2 NEW BACKING PLATES WITH BRAKES, AND TWO NEW GREASE SEALS, PLUS PAY TWO HOURS OF LABOR. ALL OF THIS IS GREAT, BUT IF I HAD BEEN IN A PANIC STOP SITUATION, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP THIS VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID
11001834
Incident
Jun 26, 2017
Mileage
400 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .