2018 Grand Design Reflection: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2018 Grand Design Reflection
On the 2018 Grand Design Reflection, the failure owners report most often is other suspension problem, with 4 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 10,000 miles.
The failures owners actually file about
Owners have reported 7 named failure modes on the 2018 Grand Design Reflection, and the three most-reported carry 62% of everything filed, so the trouble here is concentrated rather than scattered.
Other suspension problem leads with 4 reports and about 0.5 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other powertrain problem follows with 2 reports, median 10,000 miles.
Other brake problem follows with 2 reports, median 300 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into suspension (5), brakes (3) and transmission (2).
At what mileage it happens
9 of the reports on the 2018 Grand Design Reflection came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 10,000 miles.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 44% of the dated reports.
89% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 1 a fire and 1 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.46, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other suspension problem at $350–$2,000, other powertrain problem at $400–$4,500, other brake problem at $300–$1,800 and other body or interior problem at $200–$2,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
15% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 4 | 3 | — | 9k | — | 0.5 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 2 | 2 | — | 12k | — | 0.3 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 2 | 2 | — | 280 | — | 0.3 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 1 | — | 10k | — | 0.3 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Fuel leak or fuel odor | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 39k | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Strut, shock or spring failure | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $500–$2,000 | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2018 Grand Design Reflection draws about 1.7 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 76th percentile of complaint rates among 2018 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 7,599 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2018 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other suspension problem
Grand design reflection options assembled at manufacturer or dealer are not included are not included in 9556# uvw or subtracted from ccc label of 1379# as required by amended federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) nos. 110 and 120 to address the problem of motor home and recreation vehicle trailer overloading. The final rule took effect on june 2, 2008. If options installed by manufacturer or dealer at time of sale when options exceed 165# which is 1.5% of 10,995 lbs gvwr the ccc tag needs to be modified or replaced. Manufacturer shipped options dinette with 4 chairs, 2nd A/C, 2nd awning. Dealer added 2 slide toppers, automatic lift system the sum of each item exceeds 165# threshold, thus placing owner at risk of exceeding 10,995# thus overloading axle and springs. Grand design requires owner to weigh trailer before warrantying bent axles or springs and deny's claim if in excess of 10,995# blaming customer for exceeding the cargo weight. In our case our trailer was over by 280# which resulted in inside tire wear, 2 bent axles and springs after approximately 11,500 trailer miles across us and alaska between 12/27/2017…
Other powertrain problem
Grand design reflection options assembled at manufacturer or dealer are not included are not included in 9556# uvw or subtracted from ccc label of 1379# as required by amended federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) nos. 110 and 120 to address the problem of motor home and recreation vehicle trailer overloading. The final rule took effect on june 2, 2008. If options installed by manufacturer or dealer at time of sale when options exceed 165# which is 1.5% of 10,995 lbs gvwr the ccc tag needs to be modified or replaced. Manufacturer shipped options dinette with 4 chairs, 2nd A/C, 2nd awning. Dealer added 2 slide toppers, automatic lift system the sum of each item exceeds 165# threshold, thus placing owner at risk of exceeding 10,995# thus overloading axle and springs. Grand design requires owner to weigh trailer before warrantying bent axles or springs and deny's claim if in excess of 10,995# blaming customer for exceeding the cargo weight. In our case our trailer was over by 280# which resulted in inside tire wear, 2 bent axles and springs after approximately 11,500 trailer miles across us and alaska between 12/27/2017…
Grand design reflection options assembled at manufacturer or dealer are not included are not included in 9556# uvw or subtracted from ccc label of 1379# as required by amended federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) nos. 110 and 120 to address the problem of motor home and recreation vehicle trailer overloading. The final rule took effect on june 2, 2008. If options installed by manufacturer or dealer at time of sale when options exceed 165# which is 1.5% of 10,995 lbs gvwr the ccc tag needs to be modified or replaced. Manufacturer shipped options dinette with 4 chairs, 2nd A/C, 2nd awning. Dealer added 2 slide toppers, automatic lift system the sum of each item exceeds 165# threshold, thus placing owner at risk of exceeding 10,995# thus overloading axle and springs. Grand design requires owner to weigh trailer before warrantying bent axles or springs and deny's claim if in excess of 10,995# blaming customer for exceeding the cargo weight. In our case our trailer was over by 280# which resulted in inside tire wear, 2 bent axles and springs after approximately 11,500 trailer miles across us and alaska between 12/27/2017…
Other brake problem
Found several problems online indicating that grease leaks past the axle seals and contaminates the brakes. My wheels are showing signs of grease and it is only a matter of time before the brakes lose effectiveness. Problem is that the condition will get progressively worst and the user may not notice the loss of brake effectiveness until it is too late.
Recalls on the 2018 model year
NHTSA has issued 5 recall campaigns covering the 2018 Grand Design Reflection, affecting an estimated 11,195 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover equipment:appliance:refrigerator, electrical system:wiring and equipment:mechanical:integrated jack/leveler/stabilizer. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:REFRIGERATOR
43,421 vehicles 2022-01-28- Defect
- Grand Design RV, LLC (Grand Design) is recalling certain 2013-2021 Momentum, Solitude, and Reflection recreational vehicles. A 110-volt wire in the refrigerator cabinet may be improperly secured, which could result in the wire contacting the refrigerator cooling unit, causing an electrical arc.
- Consequence
- An electrical arc increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace any damaged wiring, and properly secure the wires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 21, 2022. Owners may contact Grand Design customer service at 1-574-825-9679. Grand Design's number for this recall is 910026.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
22,797 vehicles 2020-06-19- Defect
- Grand Design RV, LLC (Grand Design) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Reflection trailers. A wiring connector in the vehicle underbody may not be properly secured, allowing water intrusion into the wiring connector, possibly resulting in an electrical short circuit.
- Consequence
- If water enters the wiring connector, it can cause a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Grand Design will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the wiring connectors up to prevent water intrusion, free of charge. This recall began June 29, 2020. Owners may contact Grand Design's customer service at 1-574-825-9679. Grand Design's number for this recall is 910020.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
1,765 vehicles 2018-10-30- Defect
- Grand Design RV, LLC is recalling certain 2018-2019 Reflection fifth wheel trailers, models 28BH and 29RS. The circuit for the power converter does not have over-current protection.
- Consequence
- An electrical short circuit in the unprotected circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Grand Design RV will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the trailers to determine if the 50-amp mini breaker at the bus bar is installed correctly and that the circuit is wired correctly, correcting it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2018. Owners may contact Grand Design RV customer service at 1-574-825-9679. Grand Design RV's number for this recall is 910017.
EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:INTEGRATED JACK/LEVELER/STABILIZER
3,969 vehicles 2017-12-08- Defect
- Grand Design RV, LLC (Grand Design) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Reflection and Imagine travel trailers equipped with a Smart-Jack model power tongue jack. The laminated plastic touch pad on the jack may crack or separate allowing water to enter, potentially causing the jack to operate unintentionally.
- Consequence
- If the tongue jack retracts or extends unexpectedly, there could be an increased risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Grand Design will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power tongue jack, free of charge. The recall began on December 29, 2017. Owners may contact Grand Design customer service at 1-574-825-9679. Grand Design's number for this recall is 900012.
EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER
114 vehicles 2017-11-21- Defect
- Grand Design RV, LLC (Grand Design) is recalling certain 2018 Reflection travel trailers, model 297RSTS. These vehicles may have insufficient clearance between the tire and the ram that moves the slide out room. The tire can contact the ram for the slide out room while the trailer is being towed, causing tire damage or a possible tire blowout.
- Consequence
- Tire failure can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Grand Design will notify owners, and dealers will install a lift kit at each of the axle hangers, giving two additional inches of clearance. Tires that show evidence of damage will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2017. Owners may contact Grand Design customer service at 1-574-825-9679. Grand Design's number for this recall is 910011.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How 2018 compares with the other years
Across the 5 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2022 comes out best at 61 and 2015 worst at 80.
Within the 2013–2018 generation specifically, 2017 is the strongest year at 76 and 2015 the weakest at 80.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2013-2018 generation, 2017 Grand Design Reflection scores best at 76 and 2015 Grand Design Reflection worst at 80.
Where these figures stop being useful
13 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 13 reports, 9 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 69% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2018 Grand Design Reflection?
The most-reported failures are other suspension problem (4 reports, median 10,000 miles), other powertrain problem (2 reports, median 10,000 miles) and other brake problem (2 reports, median 300 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Which year of the Grand Design Reflection is best?
Within the 2013–2018 generation, 2017 scores best at 76 out of 100 and 2015 worst at 80. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed