Grand Design Problems You Need To Know (Momentum-Reflection)
This seems to be true more so with RVs than any other product. Even the best RV makers have problems with their products. The people who know about these issues the best are the customers. They have to live with the problems and get them fixed all the time.
One or several issues revolve around the products Grand Design buys to install in their RVs. They are not made by this company thus they cannot be faulted when the fridge or stove or even the water heater breaks down.
To learn more about the problems that are Grand Design’s fault, just continue to read our article. There is some quality control responsibility even if you are not the maker of the feature. You are installing it and claiming it is good.
Design Design Problems 101
Are Grand Design Trailers Good?
For the most part, yes the company is good and the products they produce are seen as above average. The company seems to stand behind its claims as well as they have a very good after purchase customer care service.
Plus, most of their customers seem to be satisfied with the travel trailer they purchase. One owner called their model one of the best they have owned and it seems that they have owned several.
Others claim that this company does not produce anything better than Grand Design’s competitors. You get both good and bad quality trailers no matter where you shop at. It all depends on when you buy and so on.
It has been said that the workers are paid cheaply which may affect build quality but that may be just a rumor and not fact. You have to test one out to see if it is better or not.
Do Grand Design Trailers Hold Their Value?
While #4 on a list of RVs or trailers that hold their value, we think that list is in no particular order. The reviewer says a lot of good things about this brand and the luxury items the company places in its trailers.
These luxury items help the trailers hold their value and sell for a higher 2nd hand price than many other trailer makers out there. The most vital asset to Grand Design trailers is that the company is owned by Winnebago.
According to reports, that puts Grand Design trailers in another league. Keep in mind that once you drive off the lot, the trailer has depreciated by 20%. By the 5th year, it has depreciated by 60%.
The good news is that this equation does not apply to all RV trailer brands and it may not apply to Grand Design models. This company has a strong pedigree.
Where is Grand Design Momentum Built?
According to their website, the Momentum trailer is built at their factory in Middlebury, Indiana. That seems to be the factory location for all their travel trailer models.
The company does allow tours but you have to call their sales department to schedule a visit. You can also use the same phone number for specs, build status, and any other questions you may have.
That phone number is listed at the bottom of their web pages when you visit their website. That information is backed up by a YouTube video made by one owner who was given one of these tours.
Besides being made by a top RV manufacturing company, Grand Design Momentum comes with a variety of floor plans. Your trailer may not be unique but at least everyone does not own the same floor plan.
You get a little personalized build by picking out the floor plan you like the most.
The Grand Design Quality Issues
The biggest quality issue would be the workers in the factory. They are basically on an assembly line and not paid very well. This can affect the quality of the construction but not all the appliances and features.
We have heard these complaints before. Grand Design is not the only one that has workers who do not do their best. You have to keep in mind that no two trailers are the same. The floor plans, and the standard and optional features all play a role in how the quality turns out.
The word is that these trailers will last longer than the trailers made by their competitors. The wood truss in the ceiling adds to that quality as these trailers, most of them, are built for all four seasons.
Not everyone will be happy with the trailer they buy, but for the most part, they like the floor plan and how everything is laid out. They overlook some things because of that convenience.
Grand Design RV Complaints
Here is the thing, with every trailer being different, you will get some lemons and you will get some good trailers that never have any problems. It is the luck of the draw when you buy a travel trailer.
Because they are all made in the same way, using the same methodology, almost all trailers will have the same issues. maybe the biggest complaint is the cost of the travel trailers.
Some people think they are paying $10,000 too much for what they get. Then with over 60 complaints registered by the BBB, that is a small number compared to how many the company builds and sells. They get a BBB rating of A+.
Other complaints include-- water leaks, poor build quality, and the trailer was falling apart, faulty appliances, and so on. You have to consider the source when you read about all the complaints. Some negative reviews may not be honest
Grand Design Awning Problems
This is one of those feature products that are not built by Grand Design. The awning may come from Dometic or LCI and one of the issues owners have complained about is the arm not closing all the way.
The fabric seems to sag a little making it hard to retract the arms. Owners have loosened a screw and tightened the fabric. This solution only lasts a short time then the problem arises again.
The fabric may not be cut square. This is not Grand Design's fault per se. The blame does lie with the company that makes the awning for Grand Design. It seems that someone is slipping at quality control as this is not a rare problem. Several owners have said they have had the exact same experience.
The solution it seems is to contact Grand Design or the company that makes the awning. No one seems to agree if the arm malfunctions or if the fabric stretches too much after being used a lot.
Grand Design Thermostat Problems
The thermostat is made by Dometic so you can turn to them for solutions if you are experiencing any trouble with this product. It may be in a Grand Design trailer but Grand Design would only be responsible for installation.
The one installation issue would be if the heater duct was not connected to the plenum. It seems that whoever installed it, used tape and not screws causing the separation over time.
If you have a Furrion AC /heater unit installed in your trailer, it could be that the thermostat fails because of the location of the room temperature control sensor.
It is up inside the ducting and needs to be extended so that it is actually in the room when turned on. This causes a lot of problems for owners as they cannot get their thermostat to control the heat or the cooling systems.
Grand Design Frame Problems
Grand Design would only be the builder of the frame. But they would follow the specs and designs created by grand Design. This means that the frames may not be the best in the world. However, Lippert would most likely be the lowest bidder so quality would be suspect.
It is a double-edged sword and owners are the ones paying the price for the lack of concern over the frame quality and build. The word is that anything Lippert touches seems to be junk and suspect.
The frames are built to last about the length of the 1-year warranties and after that, you are going to have troubles. One of the biggest issues with these frames would be the weight capacities. The frames do not seem to hold the amount of weight Lippert claims they can hold.
Sometimes, the manufacturing companies put less thickness in the welds, etc. than they say they do. That causes a lot of frame issues.
Grand Design Roof Problems
This one is an installation problem and Grand Design has no one to blame but themselves. The roof membrane seems to be the biggest issue. It can shrink or loosen up so much that there may be water leaks.
Grand Design customer care said that the situation was normal and was just an appearance issue. The solution would be to take the trim off and tighten the membrane back up.
It is said that many of the bubbles that appear are normal, they remain hard and usually they disappear over time. We looked at a lot of reviews and discussion forums, most people said nothing about the roof.
There may be water leaks at other parts where the AC unit is or other rooftop features sit. That is more of a sealing problem and that may occur more with slide-outs than the roof.
Grand Design Electrical Problems
There seem to be a lot of electrical issues with a Grand Design trailer. Most also seem to be minor and easy to fix. There is one where the generator will shake when turned on.
But that is an owner's problem as he is using a 30-amp system with a 30 to 50-amp converter to power his 50-amp trailer. The generator heats up and overloads fairly quickly.
One problem that may be installation responsible for is the 8 LED lights in the living room. They glow and flicker with the switch off. There has been no word on a solution or if this is an actual design issue.
There may be occasions where the fuse will blow. This happens when a short is in the system. It is a common problem but not one that is major or hard to fix.
Grand Design Plumbing Problems
There are different plumbing issues that come up in different trailers. One owner had a problem with the water pump not pumping even though the tank was 1/3 full. Then a water main came off and flooded the underbelly.No solution to this problem just yet.
Other more common problems would be gate valves getting stuck and needing a little assistance to get them working again. Also, the cables could come loose and to fix this issue you need to lower the whole coroplast.
The fix is easy and you may need to run a new cable to solve the problem. One of the problems we are having is that there are few, if any, websites writing about these different problems. From our research, most of them are individual and not common throughout the Grand Design model lineups.
That may be why we do not see a lot of websites writing about these issues. Grand Design does take great care in building their trailers so problems are rare.
Grand Design Tire Problems
The issue may not be so much with the tires but with the axles. If the axle spindle is bent, then the tires will wear excessively on one side only. This can cause a lot of steering and efficiency issues when the tires start to go like that.
The axle may have been manufactured incorrectly and is the source of the issue. It could also have bent due to any number of incidents like potholes, etc.
Then another axle problem that will cause problems for you and your tires would be the axle bearing. When they wear down and start to go, you can have a lot of problems with your steering.
This issue will also bring damage to your hub and CV joint. These issues will affect your tires in some way. The reason we went this route is that Grand Design does not make the tires they put on your trailer.
If there is a tire problem, it would be due to the tire maker’s quality control or manufacturing error
Grand Design Warranty Issues
The biggest problem with the warranty would be that it is a 1-year limited warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship. This coverage begins at the date of purchase, not after that.
It has been reported that Grand Design is terrible at honoring their warranty. Some owners have said those stories were horrible. They made the owners afraid to go in for some warranty repairs.
On the other side of the coin, many owners have praised the warranty service and have not had any problems getting items fixed. The word on the extended warranty is that it is not worth the money.
One owner did not use two of his over the years and it was just throwing money at unseen problems that may or may not occur. Dealers will try to get you to buy one as they make a lot of profit off any sales of these warranties.
Common Grand Design Momentum Problems
The list is endless. One owner experienced the following issues, these are not shared by other owners: garage lights needed to be replaced, toy hauler ramp needed to be repaired, propane tank retainers broke, kitchen faucet had to be replaced, awning did not work well, new fuel filter was needed for generator, and more.
That more includes the following- replaced all grease seals and brake shoes, DVD entertainment system had to be replaced, AC unit went out, and awning light needed to be replaced. All of this was paid for out of pocket.
Your list of troubles may be the same or slightly different. Each RV will have its own issues and they are not always the same.
Grand Design Momentum Slide Out Problems
This company was served a class-action lawsuit in 2021. The lawsuit complained that the seals that kept the water out were faulty. Water damage seems to have been extensive.
The lawsuit blames Grand Design for ignoring this problem and said the company knew about them but passed it off as superficial damage. Other issues involve failure to extend or retract. The slide would only go out 6 inches and not move after that.
The source may be the controller sending out a code to describe what is wrong. Also, screws can be in the wrong location. They have been known to gauge the side of the slide making them work abnormally.
Synchronization may also be a common problem. You have to use the controller to resynch and get the slide working normally again.
Grand Design Reflection Problems
One problem is the slide again. It seems that Grand Design does not do a very good job of installing this device. The standard problem is the extension and retraction of the device. This part of the Reflection is unreliable.
Other problems encountered by owners are: the toilet is crooked, no grease in the axle springs, deep scrapes in the sealant on the roof, broken wire in the heater, blind not secured and can fall.
More problems include-- leaky holding tanks, cabinet doors were stripped and would not tighten, the stairs squeaked, and the table was loose and not secure. Table clamps did not hold the table in place. And much more.
Reflection Door Problems
The biggest door issue we came across was that the door may separate from the trailer. The gap can go from 1/4 of an inch to a 1/2 inch in size. When repaired, the door may change the location of the gap to the top letting in the sunlight.
Then there is an issue with the screen door. It does not stay locked in place and the locks could give you trouble. Plus the door may be stiff to open. The possible source may be the sun.
It is known that the doors become inoperable when sitting in the sun. Many won’t open from the inside when this happens.
Grand Design Reflection Floor Problems
It seems that the 2018 models had a problem with the slides tearing up the flooring when extended or retracted. Part of the cause was the fridge inside the kitchen slide. There must have been too much weight for the original flooring.
But the damage did not happen under the fridge all the time. It took place in different areas. The good news is that Grand Design knew about the problem and made updated sub-flooring and flooring material to compensate for this problem.
Grand Design also added another set of rollers to keep the slide level and that seems to have fixed the problem.
Grand Design Transcend Problems
One major problem is with the heating system. It seems that Grand Design built the system with 2 90-degree turns. That design hindered the flow of hot air to the living areas of the trailer. A dealer said nothing could be done about this problem.
Most of the reported problems are minor and they include- a warped cabinet door, and curtains the wrong size for the same window or doorway. A bolt came up through a kitchen floor but that was due to a loose screw and was a 10-minute fix.
A dinette table was loose and those are the types of problems owners have encountered so far.
Some Final Words
Travel trailers are vulnerable to the type of workman doing the build or the day the work was done. You never know what you are going to get until you take the trailer out for a camping trip.
You may get a lemon with a lot wrong with it or you may get one that has nothing go wrong. Or you may get something in between.
