Model: Grand Design Solitude 380fl

This narrative is to serve as documentary evidence of our (Darrin and Amy Odell) experience purchasing and taking out for the first time, a Grand Design Solitude 380fl 5th wheel travel trailer. This is meant to act as documentation for insurance, federal agencies, current and prospective Grand Design consumers.

On Monday, June 7th, 2021, we picked up our new Solitude trailer from Mike Thompson RV in Colton, CA. We were given a 30-minute walkthrough of our new trailer, with demonstrations on how to operate all electric and mechanical features, provided with some advice and best practices and then we were off. We drove the trailer back to our bed and breakfast business in Big Bear City, CA, about a 60-mile, one hour drive. Taking the trailer back home was a piece of cake – it handled nicely on the road and our truck was able to pull it safely. We were excited new owners.
We parked the trailer in the driveway of our bed and breakfast. We purchased the trailer as overflow accommodations for our business and also for family and friends get away weekends. The trailer remained parked there for the next 3 weeks as we stocked it up with supplies, learned how to use the slide outs, etc. On Sunday, June 27th, we headed out on our first trip to Lake Elsinore, CA. Again, the trip was easy – about 80 miles and two hours with traffic. We arrived about 9 PM, backed the trailer into our space for our 3-night mini vacation. This is where the “fun” begins.

After placing the trailer exactly where we wanted it, we disconnected it from the hitch and unplugged the 7-pin electrical socket on our truck. We pulled our truck forward and then returned to the trailer to start the leveling sequence on our automated hydraulic system. That is when we noticed small wisps of smoke coming from the hitch housing on the trailer. We were immediately alarmed and started looking for the source of the smoke. We started opening compartments on the front-side of the trailer (both left and right) and immediately noticed smoke coming from both sides. Eventually, we noticed flame in the propane compartment on the right side of the trailer, though it seemed to be up high and deeper in the structure of the trailer. We emptied a full extinguisher into the compartment, but the fire was still evident. We then opened the front electrical/hydraulic compartment and flames poured out, prompting us to empty a second extinguisher into that compartment. This seemed to put out the flames, though there was still a significant amount of smoke.

The Lake Elsinore fire department arrived about 8-10 minutes later and they immediately went to work assessing the situation. They used heat monitors to evaluate the amount of heat coming from the trailer and over the course of 30 minutes or so, were able to determine that the fire had been fully extinguished. They did a full inspection of all compartments and the inside of the trailer (which was full of smoke) to ensure there was no further danger. By this time, it was 10:30 PM, we were exhausted, frustrated and instructed that it was not safe for us to stay in the trailer as the hydraulic system had failed and was leaking. We left the trailer at the RV resort and drove 2 hours back home to Big Bear.

On Monday, June 28th, we called Mike Thomson RV’s service center and explained what happened. We were immediately met with skepticism and made to feel as though this was a huge hassle for them. How lovely from a service department where I had just spent over $100,000 on a brand-new trailer. It wasn’t until Friday, July 2nd, that the trailer was picked up and towed back to Mike Thompson RV in Colton, CA. We were told that Mike Thompson would not touch the trailer until Grand Design was able to send out an inspector to determine the cause of the fire. We attempted to stop by to retrieve some personal items and were able to grab a few things, but full access to the trailer still has not been provided.

On Monday June 28th, we also called Grand Design customer service, however, after waiting on hold for 20 minutes with no answer, we resorted to sending an email detailing the events of the fire. On Wednesday June 30th, we received a call from Morgan at Grand Design and was told that we were going to be taken care of and that an inspector had been scheduled to go through the trailer, but that could not be taken care of until after the July 4th holiday. This is the time when we moved forward in opening a claim with our insurance company, even though Grand Design assured us that we would be taken care of.

The inspector finally came out on the morning of July 8th. On July 9th, I checked in with Morgan at Grand Design via email, as I had not heard any news. I was told that the inspectors report would not be shared with me or with Mike Thompson RV and that the inspector was on his way back to company HQ where they would discuss his/her findings. Finally, on Friday July 16th, I received the following communication from Morgan at Grand Design:
“…Our inspection from 7/12/2021 determined that the 7-way cord had been pulled from its fixed position. While connected to your tow vehicle, the 7-way pulled away from your unit allowing the Romex wiring to chafe, causing a short and allowing the event that you experienced to occur. The inspector found no defect present in our product causing this event to occur. We would recommend filing a claim with your insurance company. Your insurance company may choose to subrogate against Grand Design RV based on their own findings.”

We are amazed at this finding and Grand Design’s stance on the issue. Not only is this factually inaccurate, it seems to state that Grand Design holds no responsibility for the trailer catching fire. We, Darrin and Amy Odell, were both present and both took part in disconnecting the power cord correctly from our truck. It seems this “chafe” they describe could have occurred at any point in time, maybe even before our ownership of the trailer, as there is not damage to the cord itself and no damage to the 7-pin connection on our truck. Further, the design of the trailer allows for this to happen – apply too much force to the electrical cord and the unit catches fire.

We are now taking action through our insurance company, and we are also in the process of hiring an attorney who can represent us in a Lemon Law suit against Grand Design. This information is being provided to the NTSB, the Consumer Product Protection Commission, the State of California’s Attorney General’s office and as many user groups and press outlets who will accept our story. If you are an owner of a Grand Design Trailer or are thinking about buying one, please do your research carefully. You are not buying a quality product, nor are you dealing with a company that stands by the quality of it’s products.