NHTSA complaint: 2022 GRAND DESIGN SOLITUDE — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1 April about 1530 we had an electrically generated "thermal event" in the generator compartment of the RV. We were not traveling, the RV was set up in the dedicated site on our property and had not been moved in 3+ months. The fire could not have been caused by any "outside influence" as no one had been in that compartment for 3+ months and there is no generator in that compartment. We use it for storage when we travel. The greatest safety concern is any fire can consume an RV in just minutes and this compartment is directly beneath our bed and immediately adjacent to a 40# propane tank connected by rubber hosing to the regulator. Had we been in the trailer asleep we might very well have been overcome by the dense smoke before we could get out. The only thing that kept the trailer from burning to the ground was the simple fact that the ventilation holes cut into the floor of this compartment to provide combustion air to a generator were covered because we didn't want our stuff bouncing around on a metal floor in transit. Simply put, the fire just rain out of oxygen. Grand Design has not been particularly responsive to the event, so we do not know yet what the eventual resolution will be, but it's clear than any repairs will require a massive structural exploration to reveal any hidden damages or possibly determine a cause. Are there any similar thermal events reported to you, particularly with this manufacturer?
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation