By year
Owner complaints about Great Dane vehicles peaked at 4 in 2007
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, 1996 to 2026. 2026 runs through October.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints and recalls files. Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.
Make
Great Dane
The complete NHTSA record for Great Dane vehicles: owner complaints, recall campaigns, defect investigations and manufacturer communications, for every model and model year on file.
Most Great Dane recalls are filed by Great Dane Trailers, part of Great Dane.
Owner complaints in the last five years230 on file in all, across 27 models
Recall campaigns8118 in five years
Severity index33.3Crash, fire, injury or death per 100 complaints
Investigations1136 service bulletins
Components
Brakes draws the most owner complaints about Great Dane vehicles, 16% of them
Share of all owner complaints on file, by component.
Source: NHTSA ODI.
Models
The Trailer has the most complaints of any Great Dane model
Every Great Dane model with complaints or recalls on file, by complaints. Counts are not rates: NHTSA publishes no sales volumes.
| Model | Model years | Complaints | Severity index | Recalls | Investigations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trailer | 1987 to 2012 | 21 | 33.3 | 52 | 1 |
| VAN | 1988 to 2015 | 2 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 |
| Reefer | 2007 to 2020 | 1 | 100.0 | 8 | 0 |
| Great Dane | 1981 to 1996 | 1 | 0.0 | 6 | 0 |
| Platform Trailer | 1984 to 1989 | 1 | 100.0 | 6 | 0 |
| DRY Freight VAN | 2015 to 2020 | 1 | 100.0 | 3 | 0 |
| GCD | 2002 to 2004 | 1 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 |
| SSL | 2005 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Super Seal | 2009 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Champion | 2016 to 2027 | 0 | None | 23 | 0 |
| Everest | 2019 to 2026 | 0 | None | 12 | 0 |
| Flatbed Trailer | 2011 to 2018 | 0 | None | 6 | 0 |
| Freedom | 2019 to 2022 | 0 | None | 5 | 0 |
| DRY Freight Semi-Trailer | 2011 to 2016 | 0 | None | 4 | 0 |
| VAN Trailer | 1987 to 1990 | 0 | None | 4 | 0 |
| Classic Reefer | 2002 to 2004 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
| Converter Dolly | 2015 to 2018 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
| DRY VAN | 2002 to 2004 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
| Everest SS | 2018 to 2026 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
| P-Model | 2002 to 2004 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
| Super Seal Reefer | 2002 to 2004 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
| Truck Body | 2018 to 2020 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
| GPA | 2010 to 2011 | 0 | None | 2 | 0 |
| Champion CL Drop Deck | 2018 | 0 | None | 1 | 0 |
| Champion Composite DRY | 2019 | 0 | None | 1 | 0 |
| GP42 | 1980 | 0 | None | 1 | 0 |
| Semi VAN | 2011 | 0 | None | 1 | 0 |
Source: NHTSA ODI. Recall counts add campaigns across model years, so a campaign covering three years counts three times.
Latest recalls
Recent campaigns listing a Great Dane product
- 26V-465 Jul 17, 2026
As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 224, "Rear Impact Protection."
Structure · 11 vehicles - 26V-383 Jun 11, 2026
Deck pins may break, resulting in the liftgate platform falling
Structure · 6 vehicles - 25V-848 Dec 9, 2025
Cylinder pin in the slide liftgate may be insufficiently lubricated, which can cause the pin to seize, resulting in lift gate failure
Structure · 3 vehicles - 25V-429 Jun 26, 2025
Roll-up door operator bolts may not have been properly tightened and increasing the force required to open or close the door
Structure · 444 vehicles - 25V-200 Mar 28, 2025
Tires may have been manufactured incorrectly with one of the three stabilizer ply belts applied in the wrong orientation
Tires · 16 vehicles - 24V-922 Dec 11, 2024
Missing kingpin welds may prevent the upper coupler from securely connecting the trailer
Structure · 225 vehicles - 24V-689 Sep 13, 2024
Rear impact guard may have been welded improperly
Equipment · 10 vehicles - 24V-637 Aug 23, 2024
Support gear bracing mounts may have been welded improperly
Equipment · 1,757 vehicles - 23V-852 Dec 15, 2023
VINs on the certification label may be incorrect
Equipment · 25 vehicles - 23V-839 Dec 12, 2023
Axle spindle nut may have been improperly tightened
Suspension · 346 vehicles
Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file.