What breaks most · 2014 to 2018 model years
Grand Design Reflection problems by year
Owners have filed 58 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Grand Design Reflection across model years 2014 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2016 for brakes complaints, 2017 for brakes complaints and 2015 for brakes complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2016, 2017, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 582014 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 201619 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 04 fires · 0 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 2kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 22Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Brakes (1) | |
| 16 | 0 | 4 | Brakes (10) | |
| 19 | 0 | 6 | Brakes (14) | |
| 19 | 0 | 5 | Brakes (16) | |
| 3 | 0 | 5 | Brakes (2) |
What fails on the 2016 Grand Design Reflection
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 74% |
14 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 21% |
4 | 0 | — |
| Unknown or other | 11% |
2 | 0 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 11% |
2 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
2 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Equipment and infotainment | 5% |
1 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Lippert break components. The grease seals failed on the drum breaks on my double axle trailer. The trailer was manufactured 4/2015 and i noticed the failure by 7/2017. All four break assemblies had grease on the drum, pads and other parts. Entire assembly has been replaced at all four wheels.
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During mostly highway travel with our camper the axle grease seals failed which allowed grease to contaminate the brake shoes and brake drums affecting braking performance. Reviewing other posts on-line a lot of other owners of these campers are experiencing the same problem, which is a significant safety issue.
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Grease seals failing causing axle grease to cover wheels and brake pads. Dealer has replaced both sets of seals on both sides of both tandem axles due to this issue. One side was replaced in jan 2016, the other side was replaced in sept 2016.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Grand Design Reflection years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2016, 2017, 2015 carry the most filings on the Grand Design Reflection. The 2016 alone has 19 complaints, led by brakes.
What is the most common Grand Design Reflection problem?
On the 2016 model year, the most-reported component is brakes with 14 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Grand Design Reflection problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Grand Design Reflection complaints that include mileage is about 2,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.