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Grand Design · NHTSA safety record

2021 Grand Design Imagine

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 18 safety complaints about the 2021 Grand Design Imagine with the US government. Of those, 1 mentions a fire and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the body structure, named in 7 complaints, 39% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers July 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

18 complaints on file

18

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
STRUCTURE 7 · 39%
SUSPENSION 6 · 33%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 28%
TIRES 4 · 22%
WHEELS 2 · 11%
EQUIPMENT 1 · 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 6%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 6%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 18.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 5.

8 6 4 2
21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2021 Grand Design Imagine. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

STRUCTURE:INTERIOR PANELS:DOOR

22V039000 · January 28, 2022

The defect
Grand Design RV, LLC (Grand Design) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Imagine travel trailers. The cast aluminum pull handles on the cabinet doors and drawers may have sharp edges.
The risk
Sharp handles could scrape or cut an occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the handles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 14, 2022. Owners may contact Grand Design customer service at 1-574-825-9679. Grand Design's number for this recall is 910027.

Grand Design RV, LLC · up to 20,144 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY

21V636000 · August 13, 2021

The defect
Grand Design RV, LLC (Grand Design) is recalling certain 2021 Imagine recreational trailers equipped with Dexter D30 axles. The axles may have been assembled with incorrect inner bearings.
The risk
Incorrect inner bearings can cause the wheels to lock up or reduce stopping ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the axles for incorrect bearings and replace the bearings as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Grand Design customer service at 1-574-825-9679. Grand Design's number for this recall is 910024.

Grand Design RV, LLC · up to 54 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER:LPG SYSTEMS

21V393000 · May 26, 2021

The defect
Grand Design RV, LLC (Grand Design) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Imagine, Transcend, and Momentum travel trailers. The LP regulator that controls the LP gas pressure may fail, allowing excessive gas pressure that causes the appliance flame to increase.
The risk
Excessive gas pressure and a larger than intended appliance flame can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the LP regulator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 24, 2021. Owners may contact Grand Design customer service at 1-574-825-9679. Grand Design's number for this recall is 910023.

Grand Design RV, LLC · up to 55,508 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

POWER TRAIN

fire · towed

The contact owns a 2021 Grand Design Travel Trailer. The contact stated that he was driving at an undisclosed speed when another vehicle alerted the contact that a fire was coming from the front driver’s side wheel. The contact then stated that he was able to navigate the trailer off the road. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that smoke was coming from the front driver’s side wheel and that wheel had collapsed from the wheel hub. The vehicle was towed to a service station where it was left overnight however, the next day, the contact had a technician come out to the vehicle where a temporary repair was performed. The contact then stated that the vehicle was taken to the

NHTSA complaint 11504447, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES

towed · 7,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Grand Design Imagine RV equipped with Westlake Tires, Tire Line: Super ST, Tire Size: 225/75/R15, DOT Number: JULT1CT3920. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the contact felt a thump from the rear end of the trailer. The contact had not noticed a warning light being illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and noticed that the tread on the front passenger’s side tires had completely separated, causing damages underneath the trailer. There were no warning lights illuminated. The tire was changed by a towing service. The trailer was driven home, and the dealer was contacted. The contact had not yet received a call back from

NHTSA complaint 11517675, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
Component failure : Left rear tire showed signs of wear. Replaced the tire and upon reinstalling checked the hubs and brakes. All good. Noticed a little deflection in the front of the left rear shackle. It was obscured by foam and underbelly material. Upon peeling it back, it was noticed that the shackle had torn completely away from the frame beam. RISK : This trailer had it been pulled down the highway another 10 miles would have experienced a catastrophic failure. This trailer at minimum would have lost the axle and torn apart the trailer. Worse it could have flipped the trailer or tow vehicle Reported Problem : Grand Design, the manufacturer, and Lippert the frame manufacturer have been

NHTSA complaint 11763192, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
The right side leaf spring hanger broke from the frame while traveling causing the trailer to lean heavily and pull to the right side nearly hitting an 18 wheeler that I was passing. I received a customer satisfaction campaign letter from Grand Design 3 days later in regard to cracks in the I beam frame above the spring hangers for all Imagine 2910BH models produced between 6/24/2020 and 6/14/2023. Grand Design said that they have concluded that condition does not present a safety hazard. Having a suspension component fail on a trailer is a safety hazard.

NHTSA complaint 11680317. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
After reading of other owners of similar and identical models like mine having frame cracks, I made a point to inspect my trailer’s I beam chassis and I discovered horizontal cracks within the I beam, one on each side, over the suspension area. Every picture I have seen looks just like mine, a rusty L shaped crack adjacent to a crossmember welded on the backside of this area. You can see the shape of this crossmember through the surface of the I beam, indicating the metal is quite thin. It took me only a couple minutes to find, as I knew exactly where to look, based on the numerous stories I’ve read about. Upon further inspection, I also found suspect welds that look burned through the

NHTSA complaint 11633521, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

WHEELS
Cross member of frame bending, allowing A frame that its connected at to also bend.

NHTSA complaint 11627166. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On [XXX] we were driving with our travel trailer from South Carolina to Michigan on interstate highways. When we made what was to be a quick late afternoon stop in Detroit, we discovered that the A-Frame on the trailer was severely bent and about to break. We spent the next day trying to get help with repairing it by calling the manufacturer, Grand Design; the local Grand Design dealer; and a couple of welders. None were able to assist us, so we had the trailer hauled back to a welder closer to our home. We were thankful the A-Frame did not completely break on the highway which could have caused a wreck or a major safety hazard. The welder that replaced the metal was surprised the A-Frame

NHTSA complaint 11625777, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
While towing our travel trailer we experienced a tire blowout on the left side rear. The blow out tore up the black water valve and sewage cap dumping sewage on the side of the highway. The lack of protection to the valve is not present and the valve is directly behind the tire. With trailer tire blowouts prevalent this is bound to happen again.

NHTSA complaint 11609161. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Grand Design Imagine

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2022 13 3 —
2020 12 2 —
2018 8 4 —

Other 2021 Grand Design models

Momentum 57 Solitude 31 Reflection 23

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Grand Design on this site — 24 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst