A class action lawsuit filed against Grand Design RV in April 2025 accuses the company and its parent, Winnebago Industries, of knowingly selling fifth-wheels and travel trailers with structurally defective frames, then concealing the problem and blocking warranty repairs. The Grand Design RV lawsuit covers four models across the 2020 through 2023 model years and asks for a court-ordered recall, reimbursement for repairs, compensation for owners who sold or traded at a loss, and punitive damages. It runs in parallel with an open federal safety investigation that could produce a recall on its own.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The firm Weitz & Luxenberg announced the case on April 23, 2025, naming Winnebago Industries, Inc. and Grand Design RV, LLC as defendants.1RV Trader. Grand Design Class Action The core allegation is engineering: Grand Design increased the weight of the housing units in newer models without redesigning or strengthening the underlying steel frames, so the frames exceed their gross vehicle weight rating and cannot tolerate normal towing.
The complaint calls this a “latent defect” that produces what the industry calls “frame flex,” where the chassis bends beyond engineered limits. According to the filing, the consequences cascade: cracked welds, loose bolts, sagging floors, wall separation, misaligned doors and cabinets, and slide-outs that shift or open while the vehicle is moving.2Weitz & Luxenberg. Grand Design RV Product Liability In severe cases, the lawsuit says the RVs become “unusable and/or uninhabitable.”3Weitz & Luxenberg. Grand Design RV Lawsuit
The suit also alleges a cover-up. Grand Design, according to the complaint, exploited pandemic-era demand with marketing that “preyed on Americans’ dreams of starting a new life on the road” while knowing the frames were defective.3Weitz & Luxenberg. Grand Design RV Lawsuit Plaintiffs say the company silenced dissatisfied owners with nondisclosure agreements attached to repairs, censored negative online reviews, and offered warranty coverage that was “largely illusory” because owners of disabled vehicles were required to transport them to a service facility in Indiana.2Weitz & Luxenberg. Grand Design RV Product Liability
James Bilborrow, a partner at Weitz & Luxenberg, put the safety claim directly: “These RVs are structurally unsound and unreliable when moving from one place to another. That makes these RVs dangerous.”1RV Trader. Grand Design Class Action
Which RVs Are Covered
The proposed class covers four Grand Design models built for model years 2020 through 2023:3Weitz & Luxenberg. Grand Design RV Lawsuit
- Reflection
- Influence
- Solitude
- Momentum
Weitz & Luxenberg is seeking a jury trial on behalf of a proposed nationwide class along with subclasses in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Ohio.3Weitz & Luxenberg. Grand Design RV Lawsuit
The federal safety investigation, described below, uses a slightly different scope: it covers Momentum and Solitude fifth-wheels from model years 2017 through 2023. An owner whose model or year falls outside the lawsuit’s class definition may still fall within the regulator’s review, and vice versa.
What Owners Could Recover
The lawsuit asks the court for:3Weitz & Luxenberg. Grand Design RV Lawsuit
- A court-ordered recall of the affected RVs
- Reimbursement of out-of-pocket repair costs
- Compensation for owners who sold or traded their vehicles at a loss
- Punitive damages for what the complaint calls “intentional deception” and “consumer fraud”
No ruling on class certification, settlement, or dismissal has been reported. Nothing has been ordered or paid; the recovery categories above are what the plaintiffs are asking for.
The NHTSA Investigation Running Alongside
A recall could also come from the federal government rather than the courts. On October 9, 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a formal preliminary evaluation, investigation number PE24029, into “excessive frame flex” on 55,887 Grand Design Momentum and Solitude fifth-wheel trailers from model years 2017 through 2023.4NHTSA. Investigation Resume PE24029 A preliminary evaluation is the step the agency takes just before deciding whether to move toward a recall.
NHTSA’s file documents 23 complaints. Twenty-two involve cargo or entry doors swinging open during transit, sending objects onto the roadway. One injury has been recorded.4NHTSA. Investigation Resume PE24029 Grand Design defines excessive frame flex as vertical movement greater than 3/8 of an inch in the upper deck area and describes the resulting damage as cosmetic. Its frame supplier, Lippert Components, has told the agency that frame failure effects may extend all the way back to the trailer’s front axle, pointing to a more severe structural problem.5Hunterbrook Media. Winnebago Update
What Grand Design Has Done Short of a Recall
Grand Design and Winnebago have not issued a recall. On a June 2024 earnings call, Winnebago CEO Michael Happe called reports of frame flex “misinformation” and said the issue affects “less than 1% of all RVs” produced by the Grand Design division.6Hunterbrook Media. Winnebago Investigation
The company has taken several steps short of a recall that current owners can use now:
- Technical Service Bulletin 24-001. Issued in March 2024 for 2021–2023 Solitude and Momentum models, the bulletin sets an inspection procedure for upper-deck flex. If flex exceeds 3/8 of an inch, the dealer is instructed to contact Grand Design for further direction; at or below that threshold, the repair involves replacing lag bolts and applying structural adhesive.7NHTSA. TSB 24-001
- Extended structural warranty. In May 2024, Winnebago extended the frame-specific structural warranty from three years to five years.6Hunterbrook Media. Winnebago Investigation
- Transferable warranty. By July 2024, warranties became transferable to second owners for model years 2020 and later.1RV Trader. Grand Design Class Action
- Manufacturing changes. Grand Design has described physical changes to newer units, including additional lag bolts connecting the I-beam to the sidewall, more screws from the chassis to the sidewall, and adhesive applied where the I-beam meets the wall structure.8MyGrandRV Forum. Flex Frame Issues and Warranties
Grand Design maintains a public FAQ that acknowledges “a small number” of larger Solitude and Momentum fifth wheels may experience excessive frame flex, and attributes the problem partly to road impacts, improper loading, unapproved hitches, and manufacturing variations.9Grand Design RV. Frame FAQ
Earlier Grand Design Lawsuits
The 2025 class action is not the only lawsuit an owner may encounter when researching Grand Design. A few earlier cases are related but distinct, and shouldn’t be confused with the current frame litigation.
Gorecki v. Grand Design RV, LLC (8:21-cv-01023), filed in April 2021 in the Middle District of Florida, was a proposed class action alleging that Grand Design Imagine travel trailers had defective slide-box exterior seals that let water in and caused structural damage and mold. The complaint said Grand Design had “actual knowledge” of the seal defect, performed only superficial repairs, and “systematically denied warranty coverage.”10ClassAction.org. Class Action Claims Grand Design RV Travel Trailers Plagued by Exterior Slide Box Seal Defect The case reached a settlement in principle in November 2021 and was dismissed without prejudice later that month.11PACER Monitor. Gorecki v Grand Design RV, LLC
Winnebago has also confirmed that at least 15 separate suits have been filed against it or Grand Design in recent years under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, with most settling under agreements that typically include confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses.6Hunterbrook Media. Winnebago Investigation
Where Things Stand
The Weitz & Luxenberg class action is in its early stages. There is no reported ruling on class certification, and no settlement has been announced. NHTSA’s preliminary evaluation remains open, and the agency has not decided whether to order a recall. Grand Design continues to sell new models and directs owners of 2021–2023 Solitude and Momentum units to its TSB inspection process and extended warranty program. The company has not acknowledged the defect in the terms the plaintiffs use, maintaining that some frame flex is normal and that the problem affects a small fraction of units. Owners who believe their RV is affected can document repair history and out-of-pocket costs now; those records are what any eventual class recovery or recall remedy would draw on.