Owners have filed 11 complaints
about the 2023 Grand Design Imagine with NHTSA between 2023 and 2026.
The largest single group is the suspension.
Across this model's run it ranks 5 of 6 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 34
Against the median year of the Grand Design Imagine. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 0
0% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
How 2023 compares with every other Grand Design Imagine
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2023 Grand Design Imagine
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Suspension
545.5%
Other & Unspecified
218.2%
Equipment & Accessories
19.1%
Wheels
19.1%
Tires
19.1%
Body & Structure
19.1%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Jul 2023peak 3Mar 2026
Recalls on the 2023 Grand Design Imagine
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 20233511,874 units in Canada
Label
Issue: On certain RV trailers, the cargo-carrying capacity was not calculated with the fresh water tanks full. As a result, the trailer is labelled with the wrong cargo-carrying capacity. This could lead you to overload the trailer, which could cause poor handling or a tire failure. Safety Risk: Poor handling or a tire failure could cause a loss of control and result in a crash. Corrective Actions: Grand Design RV will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your trailer to a dealership to install corrected cargo-carrying capacity labels. You can contact Grand Design RV directly if you would prefer to have them send you the label, and apply it yourself.
Recall 20231701,061 units in Canada
Label
Issue: On certain RV trailers, the tire and loading information label may not have been installed. As result, information about the correct tire sizes and inflation pressures is missing. Tires that are not properly inflated could lead to poor handling and/or a tire failure. Safety Risk: Poor handling or a tire failure could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Grand Design RV will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your trailer to a dealership to install the missing tire and loading information label. You can contact Grand Design RV directly if you would prefer to have them send you the label, and apply it yourself.
Recall 2022451980 units in Canada
Accessories
Issue: On certain RV trailers, the fabric for the patio awning may not be properly attached. As a result, the awning could detach and fall from the trailer. Safety Risk: An awning that falls from the trailer could create a risk of injury. An awning that falls from a moving vehicle could create road hazard for others and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Grand Design RV will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your trailer to a dealership to inspect the fabric roll on the awning. It will be repaired or replaced, as necessary.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Siler City, NC
SUSPENSION
Axle assembly does not meet Federal Vehicle Safety requirements. Vehicle is rated at GVWR/PNVB 8995LB and axle assemble ratings are 4400 each. Two axles at 4400 each is 8800 LB, see axle tag photos. The leaf springs are rated at 3500 LBS with both being 7000 LB, see axle tag Leaf Spring Designation 7225 LB. I have 4,427 documented miles on the recreation vehicle and just had the bearings repacked and two out of the four bearings show scoring and discoloration from extreme over heating indicating improper calculation of load bearing components. The manufacture's own labels show the suspension is not rated or configured for the RV's requirements.
NHTSA complaint #11724304 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Siler City, NC
SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS:LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY:LEAF
Axle assembly does not meet Federal Vehicle Safety requirements. Vehicle is rated at GVWR/PNVB 8995LB and axle assemble ratings are 4400 each. Two axles at 4400 each is 8800 LB, see axle tag photos. The leaf springs are rated at 3500 LBS with both being 7000 LB, see axle tag Leaf Spring Designation 7225 LB. I have 4,427 documented miles on the recreation vehicle and just had the bearings repacked and two out of the four bearings show scoring and discoloration from extreme over heating indicating improper calculation of load bearing components. The manufacture's own labels show the suspension is not rated or configured for the RV's requirements.
NHTSA complaint #11724304 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Orcutt, CA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Upon inspection of the frame based on other complaints of frame cracking, I found approximate 2" cracks in the steel I beam frame rail above the leaf spring hangers. I read that this is indicative of frame flex and compromised or wrong steel thickness of the I beam. Im currently working with the manufacture to resolve this, but I'm concerned of the quality of the entire frame rails and the safety/integrity of possible repairs.
NHTSA complaint #11632841 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Orcutt, CA
SUSPENSION
Upon inspection of the frame based on other complaints of frame cracking, I found approximate 2" cracks in the steel I beam frame rail above the leaf spring hangers. I read that this is indicative of frame flex and compromised or wrong steel thickness of the I beam. Im currently working with the manufacture to resolve this, but I'm concerned of the quality of the entire frame rails and the safety/integrity of possible repairs.
NHTSA complaint #11632841 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Orcutt, CA
STRUCTURE
Upon inspection of the frame based on other complaints of frame cracking, I found approximate 2" cracks in the steel I beam frame rail above the leaf spring hangers. I read that this is indicative of frame flex and compromised or wrong steel thickness of the I beam. Im currently working with the manufacture to resolve this, but I'm concerned of the quality of the entire frame rails and the safety/integrity of possible repairs.
NHTSA complaint #11632841 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Deerfield, IL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Bent axle that caused tire to bent. There was no accident because unit was delivered to the service before fitting separated. In this case there was a recall of grand design reflection and momentum NHTSA Recall No. 23V-455 but not imagine. No warning signs were displayed. The issue was noticed at the Rv General , Huntley , IL service department. The issue is severe- it could cause separation of tire which could cause loss of control, injury or death. The unit is located at RV General, Huntley, IL. The recall says” axles may not have been tightened properly. As a result, a fitting could separate and damage the pin that locks the axle nut in place. If the axle nut comes loose, the spindle and wheel could separate from the trailer. A wheel separation could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of injury or a crash. Additionally, a wheel that separates could also hit another person or vehicle.” This recall did not include imagine 2800BH model
NHTSA complaint #11596802 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Deerfield, IL
SUSPENSION
Bent axle that caused tire to bent. There was no accident because unit was delivered to the service before fitting separated. In this case there was a recall of grand design reflection and momentum NHTSA Recall No. 23V-455 but not imagine. No warning signs were displayed. The issue was noticed at the Rv General , Huntley , IL service department. The issue is severe- it could cause separation of tire which could cause loss of control, injury or death. The unit is located at RV General, Huntley, IL. The recall says” axles may not have been tightened properly. As a result, a fitting could separate and damage the pin that locks the axle nut in place. If the axle nut comes loose, the spindle and wheel could separate from the trailer. A wheel separation could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of injury or a crash. Additionally, a wheel that separates could also hit another person or vehicle.” This recall did not include imagine 2800BH model
NHTSA complaint #11596802 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Deerfield, IL
SUSPENSION:MULTIPLE AXLE
Bent axle that caused tire to bent. There was no accident because unit was delivered to the service before fitting separated. In this case there was a recall of grand design reflection and momentum NHTSA Recall No. 23V-455 but not imagine. No warning signs were displayed. The issue was noticed at the Rv General , Huntley , IL service department. The issue is severe- it could cause separation of tire which could cause loss of control, injury or death. The unit is located at RV General, Huntley, IL. The recall says” axles may not have been tightened properly. As a result, a fitting could separate and damage the pin that locks the axle nut in place. If the axle nut comes loose, the spindle and wheel could separate from the trailer. A wheel separation could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of injury or a crash. Additionally, a wheel that separates could also hit another person or vehicle.” This recall did not include imagine 2800BH model
NHTSA complaint #11596802 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kansas City, MO
EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:CARRIER/RACK
Spare tire under the trailer will lower when going down a rough highway. This causes the spare tire come in contact with the pavement resulting in the spare tire coming loose and breaking loose from the trailer. This happen to me and there are also a blog talking about others have had a similar issue. https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/showthread.php/14789-spare-tire-dropping This almost impacted a vehicle that was following me and they flagged me down about a mile down the road. This was on I70 in Kansas, and I reported to the state patrol in case someone got hurt that I was unaware of since I could not go back. Grand design has been contacted case number 00577328 The tire impacted the trailer underneath several time as you can see in the photos, and you can see were the cable broke the winch when coming loose
NHTSA complaint #11531339 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kansas City, MO
WHEELS
Spare tire under the trailer will lower when going down a rough highway. This causes the spare tire come in contact with the pavement resulting in the spare tire coming loose and breaking loose from the trailer. This happen to me and there are also a blog talking about others have had a similar issue. https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/showthread.php/14789-spare-tire-dropping This almost impacted a vehicle that was following me and they flagged me down about a mile down the road. This was on I70 in Kansas, and I reported to the state patrol in case someone got hurt that I was unaware of since I could not go back. Grand design has been contacted case number 00577328 The tire impacted the trailer underneath several time as you can see in the photos, and you can see were the cable broke the winch when coming loose
NHTSA complaint #11531339 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kansas City, MO
TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE
Spare tire under the trailer will lower when going down a rough highway. This causes the spare tire come in contact with the pavement resulting in the spare tire coming loose and breaking loose from the trailer. This happen to me and there are also a blog talking about others have had a similar issue. https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/showthread.php/14789-spare-tire-dropping This almost impacted a vehicle that was following me and they flagged me down about a mile down the road. This was on I70 in Kansas, and I reported to the state patrol in case someone got hurt that I was unaware of since I could not go back. Grand design has been contacted case number 00577328 The tire impacted the trailer underneath several time as you can see in the photos, and you can see were the cable broke the winch when coming loose
NHTSA complaint #11531339 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.