2017 Great Dane Reefer 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 2017 Great Dane Reefer, 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
- Body & structure1100.0%
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
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
On September 16, 2025, I was operating a powered industrial forklift inside Trailer No. [XXX]— a 2017 Great Dane refrigerated semi-trailer, VIN [XXX] — during routine dock-loading operations at [XXX] of the T.G. Lee Dairy / DFA Dairy Brands Fluid facility, [XXX] . The trailer was detached from its tractor, stationary, dock-locked, and wheel-chocked in the standard configuration for loading. Without prior warning, visible deformation, or any indication of structural distress, the right front K-bracket supporting the trailer’s JOST International Corporation landing gear failed structurally. The right landing gear leg collapsed, the trailer tipped to the right, and the front right nose of the trailer impacted the ground. I was thrown against the interior wall of the trailer and sustained cervical, thoracic, and lumbar injuries resulting in days away from work and ongoing medical treatment. The landing gear system installed on this trailer has been identified as a JOST International Corporation product (Grand Haven, Michigan). Identification is confirmed by: (1) the repair invoice of J-KO Mobile Semi Trailer Services, Inc., dated September 19, 2025, reflecting fabrication and installation of a replacement K-brace and identifying the trailer make as Great Dane; (2) the fleet operator’s internal communications identifying JOST landing gear in connection with Trailer No. [XXX] and the incident; and (3) written acknowledgment by JOST International Corporation’s legal counsel dated May 21, 2026, that the trailer collapse resulted from a failure of the JOST landing gear. Prior to the failure, the subject trailer was inspected twice on the date of the incident Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports completed at 3:30 AM and 10:55 AM on September 16, 202 both of which reflected “No Defect” for the landing gear. The fleet operator’s fleet maintenance department reviewed the preceding 90 days of DVIRs and 180 days of preventive maintenance INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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 .